The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-08-28
TIN MINES OF
LANDER COUNTY

George Russell, Jr., returned last
evening via the Western Pacific from
their lsenhood ranch at Battle Noun
tain where he went Sunday to superin-
tend the shipment of beef cattle to the
Western Meat company of San Fran
cisco. He loaded and shipped sixty cars
Monday This takes all but the stock
csttle from the ranch. The hay crop Is
little short this year, but they have
plenty to carry them through the win
ter, as they had $500 tons left over
from last year.
Mr. Russell brought up with him
some samples u the tin ore from their
claims back of the Russell ranch. They
are now down fifty feet in shaft. The
stringers are widening out and the ore
Is getting brown and disintegrated.
There are several groups of claims
in which the Russells, the Newmans,
the Ebys and the men on the ranch
are interested. Altogether the claims
number 140 of 20 acres each, or $500
acres. They cover a district about four
miles square.
The tin claims are 20 miles north of
Battle Mountain and l1O miles from
Elko, in Lander county, near the Elko
county line. They are II miles north
ct the Humboldt river, Is miles from
the Southern Pacific and II miles from
tie Western Pacific
1t is a good road all the way from
the railroads over level valley out to
the mines.
These 40 locations were all made
this year. The location work is all
done and the claims surveyed Scores
Of mining men have visited the proper
ties and there have been many over-
lures made for leases and bonds.
But thus far the owners have accept
ell none of the propositions offered. 1t
is going to take large capital to open
Up these tin mines and the men who
get bond and lease must give assur-
ance that they have the financial back
ing to carry out the undertaking.
These tin claims are comparatively
rev discovery, although there has been
much said in the papers since the first
assays were obtained year ago Many
new readers of the Independent will be
interested in the history of the find.
Russell Bradley first got possession
ot the Isenhood ranch perhaps forty
/ years ago. About ten years ago it be-
came the property of George Russell
/ Sr.
/ They had always known that the
black powders existed on the noun
tain side. Some of them were even
found down on the meadows. But ev-
eryone supposed they were iron.
Prospectors when they came along
and saw this iron gave the mountain
wide berth. They said the country was
burnt up and the granite mountain
contained nothing of value.
A year ago last spring the ranch was
taking out ditch. One of the men
employed on the work was taking a
Sunday walk up the mountain. He
brought back nugget of this supposed
il on. 1t laid around the ranch for sew
cral weeks and no one thought much Of
II One day mining man named Thurs
ton saw a sample of this Firon' in
Battle Mountain. He remarked that if
it had come from Mexico he would say
il was tin ore. But as no tin had been
found in Nevada the men on the ranch
continued to call it, iron.
Then one day Mr. Russell sent off
sample of the rock to the University
al Berkeley. Word came, back that the
ore carried 75 ber cent tin. With ii was
the suggestion that the ore probably
came from large body and the ad-
wee was given that if was likely to
prove a most valuable find.
As the tin mines of Cornwall run
only two per cent metal, Is per cent
was something phenomenal As tin is
worth 20 cents a pound, % per cent
ole meant 5000 a ton.
The fame of this discovery soon
spread over the United States Other
samples were sent off Smelter men
from San Francisco. Seattle and New
York all became interested.
There are not many tin mines in the
tTpited States. There is a little tin in
southern California and at Deadwood
South Dakota. The only tin smelter in
this country is one in Seattle that
works the ore from Alaska. All this
added interest to this Nevada find.
Then began the search to find where
these round powders came from. Twen-
ty ASSAYS We're made from lodges but
no tin was fonnd And the howlders
we're right on top of the mountain.
Thus they could not have rolled very
far.
Then the discovery was made that
tin did net come from lodges. 1t was
found that the small stringers carrying
the tin existed right beneath the
ground where the float lay. All the
lplospeetors had to do was to strip OF
the overburden and find the tim
1t is question of course if the tin
goes down. Nearly all the tin diseov.
eiies in the, United States have petered
cut with little depth. However. at
| fifty feet the Russell claims show in
cIeasing width aud richness.
There is also a greet deal of what IS
called stream tin. This is recovered
the same as gold by placer mining