The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-12-01
LOWER RATE TO
REVIVE AUSTIN
FAMOUS OLD MINING CAMP DIES
TINED TO INCREASE
OUTPUT

rates on both the transportation VI
ore and the smelling charges on
pres from the Austin mining district,
in Lander county, has been agreed
upon by the Nevada Central railroad
and the United States Smelling COM
pany. This will make possible the
shipment of lower grades of ore than
has heretofore been practical be-
cause of railroad rates and smelter
charges based on ores of higher
value.
The new rates will go into effect
Immediately and were agreed upon
with the intention of reviving the
famous old camp, in which the great
mills of former days have been aban-
doned or dismantled because of the
high cost of operating. Milling
charges have been, in some %instanc-
es, as high as $35 a ton.
Heretofore the Nevada Central's
minimum charge of $2.65 a ton for
hauling the ore from Austin to Bat
Tie N1Ou1tdlu do DdoCu oh VIZ VI
$50 value or upward. The new
rates, while not decreasing the
charge on ore above the old mini
mum, include a scale graduated
down to ore of $40 a ton value for
which a transportation charge of 81
a ton is provided.
Nnxr ct,ooIfnr nhnrOpS instead of
being based on a minimum of $40 a
ton in value, on which the rate was
in the neighborhood of 81, extend
the minimum rate down to a charge
Of 81 a ton on ore carrying values
of around SIP. No charge is to be
made at all for treating ores carry
ing such small values as to be en-
tirely Improbable to the shippers.
These charges follow a survey of
the camp made by }. G. Brumblay,
Nevada representative of the Unit
ed States Smelling company, who is
just back from nearly a months in
spection of the district.
Several shipping properties, which
have been unworked because of the
heavy cost of handling their ores
after mining them, are working
crews and will be ready to ship with
in a very short time as / result of
the reduction which has been agreed
upon.
Austin has large quantities of
ore of good value which will not
stand the heavy charges said Mr..
Brumblay. The aim of these re-
auctions is to give the famous old
camp a chance to revive. There are
many properties which could do well
and ship out large tOnnages of ore
which is not of high enough grade
to justify handling under the same
charges which have applied on ores
of from $50 to $50 or better.
"At the present time there are
no milling facilities in the camp.
Other camps. with custom mills, take
care of properties producing $40 ore.
Austin, however, has no such insti-
buttons. The mills which were put
up in years gone by have been dis
mantled or abandoned because of
the high cost of operating in the dis
trict. In some cases milling charg-
es have been as high as $35 a ton,
according to information gathered
while making the survey.
The new scale of costs should do
a great deal toward reviying the
camp. Every indication points to
profitable operations of many aban-
doned workings which have develop
ed good ore, but ore that was not
good enough to stand the old scale
of charges. There will be an incen-
tive, too, to urge prospectors to de-
velop new properties.
THE ores from the district are
highly silicious, and u company
is anxious to do what it can to aid
il the revival of Austin.
I'VE expect to apply the same
policy toward other camps in the
state which have the possibilities
Of becoming producers of s~ilicious
ores"
An instance of II operation un-
Ger the old scale vas cited by BruHl-
blay in the case of a shipper who
sent out a car of ore which he had
reason IN believe from the SamDlinp
he had done would stand us as a
profitable shipping ore. When the
smelter returns came back to him
he learned that the ore ran only
s1O.02 a ton. The smelter charges
were Sc a ton. The railroad
charge was $5.95 a ton. This o n
dition left the shipper, instead of
a profit, a bill for $3.50 for his