The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-01-12
KENNEDY Mining
man MAKES GOOD

Editor The Silver State:
The Kennedy mining district is
situated in the East Range mountains
about sixty miles south of Winnie
mucca and lies about twenty miles
due east of Rochester. 1t was here,
in 1894 or thereabouts, that Jim
Wardner started the only mining ex-
citement that occurred in Nevada be-
tween the Comstock days and the
marvelously rich section about Tono-
pah. Wardner was mining man of
some distinction, an energetic pro-
moter. and the founder of Wardner,
in Idaho. In 1894 mineral discoveries
in Kennedy attracted the attention of
the mining world: all eyes turned
toward this section which promised
so much.
Mr.. Wardner with George S. Nixon,
who was then cashier of little bank
in Winnemucca, Nevada, and a man
of moderate financial resources, In
association with Mr.. Wardner in
vested in the purchase of mines in
this district and erected a mill. The
camp enjoyed for less than one year
a boom unprecedented in the mining
history of Nevada. The ores, how
ever, proved to be very refractory
and as milling and cyaniding and no
other process was capable of extract
ing the values from these ores other
than by smelling and this was pro-
hibitive owing to the inaccessible To-
cation and expense for fuel, tiux, etc,
the enterprise failed. With the crash
merchants were unable TO collect
their accounts and went to the wall
Miners could not collect their wages
and Nixon was practically fiancial,y
ruined. He since became wealthy and
later was elected to the United States
Senate.
II was about the time of this failure
/ first became acquainted with the
ores of this camp. | was then asso-
ciated with a Mr. w. l.. Brown, civil
and mining engineer, and Mr.. c. A.
Wagner, a manufacturing jeweler, ia
conducting some experiments to ex-
tract values from ores such as pre-
vailed In this district, by an electro
chemical process of my own creation.
1t was while engaged in this work
came in contact with Kennedy ores
through Mr.. l.. b. McMurtry, who be-
came interested in this camp through
a Mr.. o. ". Switzer, who was then
located at Kennedy.
During both years of 1894 and 1895
i made numerous tests of these ores
for Mr.. McMurtry, the results of which
justified hhn in becoming interested
in this camp. About this time | had
severed all connections with Mr..
Brown and Wagner, owing to my not
agreeing with the ideas of Mr. Brown.
Acting alone, | closed an agreement
with McMurtry's company, then known
as the New Era Gold Mining and Mill
ing Company, wherein they were to
install a plant capable of treating
twenty-five tons of ore per day CT
twenty-four hours. AS / was nothing
more than a boy at that time | had
difficulty in persuading older men ia
the company that l knew just the
proper machinery to build for the
puIpOSt. Hcy lOOh bAAf Nh"N'
while my ideas were excellent ones,
it was for men with older heads and
years of experience to perfect the
process; and while | was then con-
ceded to be an expert craftsman, !
was compelled to take program and
design machinery not in accord with
my ideas.
The New Era company had leased
the Imperial mill, which was aban-
doned by Nixon's company. and in
January, 1896. arrived here in camp
with McMurtry to proceed to ere3t
machinery that was entirely insult
able for my purpose. Just before
leaving San Francisco. Mr.. McMurtry
who had full confidence in my ability
to perfect this process. as president
of the company succeeded in placing
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