The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1918-03-23
PLANT
SUCCESSFUL
n NORTH
PROPERTIES IN COPPERFIELD
DISTRICT OPENING BIG
ORE TONNAGE

The new 750-ton flotation plant
which was recently finished and
placed in commission by the Engels
Copper company is said by compe-
tent authority to be the very last
word in a copper reduction plant
Of it's kim and capacity. It's oper-
alton is practically automatic and
from the time the ore is dumped
either from the big tram buckets
which bring the ore down from the
upper mine, or from the three-ton
skips in which the ore is raised
from the shaft of the lower mine,
no manual labor is required until
the sacked concentrates have to be
trucked a short distance into the
cars on the railroad track.
That the original plant of the
Engels company-which was built
at the upper mine and is still in
commissioners an unusually good
n is evidenced by the fact that,
though built for and rated at $50
tor capacity, it has been treating
an average of about $50 tons per
day. But the new plant is even bet
ter and 1t is expected that another
unit of equal capacity will be added
before long, provision having been
made for so doing from the start.
There are many interesting stories
connected with the discovery and
development Of the two mines of
the Engels Copper company, not
the latest of which is that regarding
the discovery of a big body of bor-
mite ore when making the excava-
ton for this new plant at the lower
or, as it is commonly called, the
Superior mine. The surface at this
place is rather hungry looking from
the mineral-bearing standpoint.
A mining man who has operated
successfully in many of the big
camps said to the writer: why,
you or l woundn't have rustled the
rocks to build the location monu-
ment on that ground, o woul
any self-respecting Nevada prospec-
tor who had nothing but surface in
ications to go on"
y When making the deeper excava-
tions numerous small seams of bor-
rite ore were uncovered. These
might not be wider than a finger
to start on, but in a few feet would
widen out to eight or 10 inches, and
eventually the big bornite ore zone
OF the Superior mine was opened up
and defined or at least partially so,
the extreme limits being by no
means yet determined.
The Superior bOrnite ore zone is
known to be approximately 800 feet
vide and 900 feet long. Much good
ore has been found outside of this
area, but for the dimensions given
all is ore of a commercial grade,
with good-sized bodies of high
grade in it that pays better to ship
direct to the smelter. The trend VI
this ore zone is northerly, as Is that
of most Of the veins on the Nixon
Nevada mine on the south end of
the copper belt.
The No. l tunnel on the Superior
is in 992 feet and in driving this
distance, together with 600 feet of
cross-cuts, 25 carloads of high-grade
ere was taken out and shipped, net
ting the company lore than enough
to pay for all that development.
Similar remarks to that quoted
above regarding the surface show
ing on the Superior have been made
about other copper properties ON
this rich copper belt-more especial
ly of the Walker and Nixon-Nevada
mines. Several engineers have said
that they were not greatly impress
ed with the Nixon-Nevada until they
examined the underground work
ings and saw what was revealed at
depth.
The limited development at the
Nixon has not as yet developed
such immense orebodies as those of
the Engels and the Walker, but
the chalcocite ores of the former
carry a higher copper content than
even the richest of the bornite and
chalcopyrite ores of the latter. AMI
there has been a steady and marked
increase in the width of the ORE
bodies in sinking to the present
depth.
The Wine which is being sunk
Aom the north drift on the No. !
bin at the 30O-foOt level of the