White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-07
STEAM SHOVEL
ARRIVES At PIT
ONE OF THE NEW DIGGERS
IS ON GROUND AND WILL.
BE PLACED IN COMMISSION
THIS WEEK.

for their new Liberty pit. arrived
here on Friday, and 1t Is expected
that II will be placed in commission
In the old pit during the coming
week. 1t is understood that the new
shoyels were practically designed by
Superintendent e. e. Vanderhoef,
whose long exerience in the pit work
ings, both here and elsewhere, has
made him most competent in the
knowledge of what's what in a
steam shovel. Where his experience
taught him to strengthen the various
parts of these almost human diggers,
changes have been made, and under
his direction, other improvements
have been added. until the machine
has been made as nearly perfect as
possible.
The second of the big shovels
should be here within the coming
week. The first arrival passed
through Council Bluffs on July 16,
and It's mate reached that place four
days later. 1t Is possible that both
new shovels will be retained in the
present pit. and that others will be
sent to the Liberty In their stead. A
little more power In the pit would
not be amiss at present where they
are engaged In so much stripping,
and where also they are taking out
so much ore. II Is a steady grind in
that big excavation to keep the train
loads of ore going down the high
line. and Il is a most interesting sight
to watch the work and note the pro-
gress that Is being made.
For the past few days four out of
the five steam shovels were working
in the ore, leaving but one stripping
oyerburden on the highest levels on
the western hill. There. is a record
which must be kept up. and which
the last quarterly report of the Me-
yada Consolidated shows has been
well kept up by the product of the
pit. They set a mark In New York
as to what the production for the
year must be, and at the pit this is
cut down into required output for
the month. for the week, for the day,
and then the ore trains go flying
down the high line.
1t is all up to the pit. for this Is
the only point from which there is
any output on the estate of the Ne
yada Consolidated. III the pit falls
down In its production, there is no
chance for any other output, for the
Star Pointer shaft of the Ruth work
fngs has not yet turned a wheel, and
the Liberty pit is long way from
the point of production. But the pit
is there for production for many
year to come, and under the able
management there is no chance for a
decrease In the output.
A great slice of overburden is be-
ing torn from the western hill of the
Dig excavation. and the thunder and
lightning of the blasts is in evidence
all day long. Most of the blasts con-
slst In "buldozing" the big rocks
which are unearthed by the deep
holes, which make but little sound,
ana mine at blast 1000 or 5000
yards OF oyerburden or ore, as
the case may be. This is mining by
wholesale, but 1t Is the only method
by which the ore can be gotten out
in sufficient quantities to safe the
greedy nav of the concentration at
McGill, which will not be satisfied
with less than 1000 or 5000 tons a
day. II is beautiful work, that which
Is being done in the big pit. the
havoc with the hills being scarcely
noticeable from day to day; but a
months absence from the great
workshop will readily show the
wonderful amount of progress which
is being made.
Soon there will be another of these
immense excavations started for fair;
all the preliminary work in the LIB
erty having been practically COM
pleted; everything ready for the
steam shovels and the locomotives
and the overburden cars. In some
places in the new pit they have to go
through not more than 40 feet of
oyerburden; but this Is by no means,
a uniform Hepth. and 1t will be
months before Liberty can reach the
stage of production. Three large
locomotives are under way of con-
struction all of which are destined
for performances in the present pit;
so that upon their arrival, dinkeys
will be transferred from Copper Fat
to the scene of the new and latest
operations. The new locomotives
cannot be looked for inside of three
months; but before that time the
overburden will be flying In the Lib
berty.
In the latter the churn drills are
still industriously at work, prospect
Ing the ground. and II is said that
they have explored spots In the Lib
erty where the ore gives returns of
three per cent In copper. This will
make nice mining when 1t is remem-
bered that for the last quarter. the
handsome profits OF Nevada Consoli-
dated were made from the output OF
ore from the pit which averaged but
two per cent all through.