The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-12-15
FUEL REQUIRED
IN BIG VOLUME
NEVADA CONSOLIDATED FACES
VITAL PROBLEM IN OIL
SUPPLY

Using coo tons of coal and five
tank cars of $4,000 gallons of fuel
oil every day and conducting opera
tions with only from seven to eight
days fuel supply ahead of them, the
Nevada Consolidated Copper COM
pany at Ely is completely dependent
on the solution of its fuel problem.
according to C. v. jenkins, business
manager of that concern, who is in
Reno.
So serious is the matter of fuel
supply with the company that on
word that the government might at
any time divert the use of fuel oil to
supply the needs of war, a coal fir
ing plant, costing nearly a half mil
lion dollars, was put up to permit the
use of pulverized coal in the place
of fuel oil, in case the oil supply is
cut Off.
Thus far the huge copper produc-
ing plant has been able to continue
operations in full force, but only,
Jenkins says, by leaving no stone
%unturned t. keep the supply of fuel
coming to camp and assure operation
from day to day.
Conserving coal, the question of
procuring it from the mines and of
supplying, or in some cases provid-
ing, cars for it's transportation, has
assumed the position Of paramount
Importance in the operations.
"If we cannot get the coal we can
not operate" said Jenkins. Our
whole big plant must close when we
are unable to procure the requisite
fuel. BY making every ton of coal
yield all it's energy in the vital plac-
es, we have been able, by shutting
down stripping operations, to reduce
our requirements from 70 to 100
tons daily. We need now. in order
to run the plant, 600 tons a day and
five cars of fuel oil. If we cannot
get oil we will need 1000 tons Of
coal. This is the least amount OF
which we can carry on our work.
$50 tense is the situation hat it
is only possible for us to keep from
seven to eight days ahead of the
plant. In order to get coal we have
had to relieve the a shortage by
building up the sides of some of our
own cars, in use on the Nevada
Northern, and have put something
like 100 of them in the service of
hauling coal from the mines in Utah.
1T has been necessary for us to
spend 100000 in the erection of q
plant for using ~pulverized coal in
the place of fuel oil. This was be-
aus we could not secure contracts
to assure ourselves of the necessary
supply. A large oil corporation
would not enter into a contract with
US, saying that the government
might need to divert the oil to meet
war demands. If we cannot get the
oil we need, we will have to resort
to the use of Goa dust, which will
increase our coal demands to more
than 1000 tons daily"
In speaking of the silver situation,
Jenkins said that while he did not
know what hidden reasons the gov
eminent had, If any, for wanting to
set a price on silver at less than IS
cents, he favored the action which
was taken by the silver producers of
he state in sending a committee to
confer with the Washington Off
Gals.
1--WE produce from 5000 to 10000
ounces of silver monthly in onnec
tion with our copper operations he
said. Il would certainly not want
to see an arbitrary price fixed by the
government unless there was some
mighty good reason for it, and then
| would want to know what the rea-
son is, or be given assurance hat
the government is taking the step
which will best protect the silver
producers and the nation at large"
Reno Gazette.