Mohave County miner., 1910-10-29
Millions for Equipment of Mine and Mill.


 The present era in mining is pre- eminently scientific. Mining engi- neers rank among the highest-salaried officials identified with any of the mod ern industries. The forces of electric ity and steam are drawn on by mining enterprises to an extent equaled, per haps, only by the great railway and street transportation systems that span the nations and gridiron the states and cities. So far as the railroads are con- cerned, they may be said to be to a great extent allied industries of min ing, so enormous is their aggregate mining tonnage.
 From the arastra and crude ladder equipped mine-shaft of few years ago it is gigantic leap to the assemblage of the most intricate and costly ma chinery that is used in a modern mill ing plant, and the great shafts reach ing deep into earth where miles of mine workings are traversed by trol- ley ore cars.
 A milling plant like that of the Goldfeld Consolidated costs 1000, ,000S It requires from 1000, ,OOOS to 5000. .OO0S each to equip and start operating such copper concentrating and smelling es- tablishments as have made Arizona, Nevada and California famous for their output of the red metal.
 Not the least important feature of the mining industry is the vast army of workmen that it supports. These laborers are not merely the men who handle the pick and shovel and the drill in the deep workings, but they include various specialized lines, such as skilled mechanics, electricians, chemists and metallurgists. The evo- lution of mining in recent years has been as extraordinary as that of the modern battleship.
 The new 10O-stamp mill of the Gold field Consolidated Mines company is a splendid example Of the most effect i've application of machinery to min ing. The Goldfeld Consolidated has added so many millions to the worlds supply of precious metals that it is known as the greatest gold mine in the world.
 Situated on the northwestern slope of Combination mountain, the mill is in a most advantageous position to handle the ore from the Consolidated group. Every advantage has been taken of natural conditions to elimi- nate handling, transportation and other costs as far as possible. The mill is two miles from the mine, and the ore is hauled over a steam railroad in 10 25-ton hopper-bo bottom dump cars to a receiving bin of $50 tons capacity. The plant is operated by gravity, and has 7O0-ton capacity. Electricity is used for motive power, and is also used principally 10 operate the ma chinery in the various mines.
 One of the most remarkable mills in Nevada is that of the Pittsburg Sil- yer Peak company at Blair. It con- sists of l20 stamps and keeps the cost of ore treatment down from LIS to l.6OS per ton, remarkable figure un- der the conditions existing in the southern districts of Nevada.
 The Steptoe plant of the Nevada Consolidated is another striking in- stance of machinery harnessed by the mining industry Even with the con- centrator shut down at present, owing to the movement toward the curtail- ment of the American copper output. the shelter is running at full cauacity. and the September production will probably break all records for the plant.
 Illustrating the close relations exist ing between the railroads and the min ing industry is a recent train shipment of blister copper from Nevada to the refinery at Baltimore. It was the largest single shipment ever made ont of Nevada, and consisted of }. 2OO. OOO tons, worth 275,OOOS. A train of D cars carried the shipment. The profit from this 2,2O0, 900 tons of blister cop- per, after all costs of production and treatment at the Eastern refinery are paid, will be about 175, 5,OOOS.-Denver Mining Record.