El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-06
OLD TIP TOP To
RESUME ACTIVITY
Once Famous Silver Mine is
Found To Be Rich in
Tungsten Ore.

]
| is claimed to be probably the largest
developed body Of tungsten ore in the
world. A company backed by Phoenix
/ and Prescott capital has taken hold OF
the property.
The Tip Top has produced in the
neighborhOod of S5,O0O,0O0 worth OF
silver In getting out the silver ore
which would pay a profit above the
costs Of mining, freighting and millins
under the disoouraging conditions
prevailing in pioneer days, the oper-
ators unknowingly developed an i'm
mense tungsten proposition. After be
ing dead for years as silver mine she
Tip Top is coming back" Tor the
black jack" which was dreaded and
avoided in those times is now rare
and valuable mineral.
Rich Proposition in 1876.
In 1876 Jack Moore, John Corning
and two other prospectors found fabu
lousy rich silver ore among the
boulders of Cottonwood canyon. Tons
Of this float. some Of which averaged
as high as $4,000 a ton, were gathered
up, freighted to Yuma and snlppeu pg
water to the Selby smelter at san
Francisco The float was followed u
its source, which was at the point
where the creek had broken through
two parallel veins. and the Ilp Iop
was discovered. 1t was soon sold to
Tevis q Hagen of san Francisco.
A typical mining camp sprang up az
Tin Top. once it had as many as zoo
people, and its own brewery
Ore Frelghfed to FL PasO.
ore that was worth $500 a ton and
over was freighted to Yuma and III
i'aso for the southern Pacluc had NOT
then been built through Arizona Great
slabs Of ruby silver were taken out
Low grade material was not hanqleu'
for the freighting charge was SOU a
Ton. Anything that apparently ran
high in tungsten, then spoken OF as
black Jack" and supposed to be zinc,
was thrown over the dump, le1t as
broken in the Slopes, or not broken
at all Black jack made all ores re-
fractory and heavy penalties were I'M
posed when it was present
As the mine workings went down
the average grade Of the ore became
lower in silver and higher IN tungsten;
In many places the silver was replaced
entirely by the tungsten. Finally
concentration was erected at Gillette
10 miles east Of Tip Top on the Aqua
Fria.
After extracting some 100000 from
the Tip Top. Tevis d Hagen closed
down the property. At that time is
was supposed that the shutdown was
only temporary. but they became IN
ToTeELeu IN the DIG EAANEL AAAAANo VI v ~
GINA City and forgot all about the
tunEsten-ridden Tip Top. They did not
even pay the Waterman who was lett
in charge. He sued and was awarded
the property.
mittently for several years. Eventually
the St Louis-Yavapai company took
hold and moved the mill from Gillette
to the mine In IS months this com
pany recovered S235,OOO from dump
~
the division Of the profits. The com
pany leased the mine to its superin-
tendent Cover, and a man named
Tyack In 80 days Cover and Tyack
took s41 900 out Of $50 tons STOPPED be-
tween the fifth and sixth levels
Old Mine Is ~Jumped.N
once more a Waterman was left in
charge He failed to perform the as
sessment work and on January 1, 1893,
the Tip Top was Jumped by Frank
hoped that silver would once more
come into its own. 1t was not until
two years later that the first tungsten
steel was manufactured ana plach
jack" was given n market value.
Last year A. T. Muter, an experienced
mining engineer. and w W. Elliott,
who has superintendent the installation
Of more than 100 mills in the southwest,
had their attention drawn to the TIP
Top. They soon realized its tungsten
possibilities OlA the AhAAAHa my ACA--.
10000 tons Of ore which at the present
prices of tungsten and silver is worth
nearly SIS a ton. The slopes are filled
with an equal tonnage OF ore-it was
waste when it was thrown in-that
runs lust a little higher. Above the
2OO-foot level the miners left in place,
because is was low in silver and high
in tungsten, 1000 tons worth above
$40.
shaft Nearly FILLED with Water.
nan ~ ns
filled with water to the 20O-foot level.
At that point ii is tapped by tunnel,
100 feet long. Between the shaft and
tunnel mouth IS the mines principal
ore shoot. which IS 500 feet long and
more than two feet wide. This shoot
has been stopped all the way to the sur
face with the exception OF seVeral
great blocks that would not pay Tor
mining under conditions that then pre-
vailed.
While NIuter and Elliott were draw
ing the waste" out OF this stope anu
exploring it as best they could, Napo-
leon Waldemeyer, who was a shift boss
at the Tip Top in Tevis d Hagen
DAYS, appeared. He told them that If
they would draw the stOpe in GER
tain place they would find a big
block Of rich ore. They did so, and
the ore was there. He has told them
Of other big bodies in the lower levels.
Waldemeyer is now superintendent OF
the mine
The old mill was put in shape by
Muter and Elliott to make test runs.
They milled Sc tons Of samples, none
of which carried less than five pounds
of tungsten to the ton. and marketed
nearly $500 worth Of concentrates.
Much Of the machinery Of the mill
can be utilized in the new reduction
plant which is to be placed at the TIP
Top.
The present company's plan OF opera
ton is to unwater the workings and
ascertain what ore is available before
deciding what kind Of a mill to install
II Is possible that enough high grade
ore will be found to pay the cost OF
the plant
about $4,000 Once they are dry IT viii
cost little to keep them so, as the mine
does not make much water.
The property Of the Tip Top Con-
solidated Mining company consists OF
nine lode claims, mill site, power site
and water right The power is about
a mile and a half down Cottonwood
canyon from the mine.
Cor,,7o,,c Re0;1 Oher0