The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1918-05-04
SILVER PEAK ABANDONED
CONTINUED from Page one)

Quired in the meantime by Ne v
York interests, headed by Samuel
J.. Tilden, candidate for president
against Rutherford B. Hayes, anu
it is said that he made many trips
to Silver Peak to look over the prop
erty. Tilden's property was after
wards called the Mohawk-Alpine
Mining company.
The different properties operated
off and on for 40 years, producing
much ore and making money for
their owners, but the cost of opera
ton and the low grade of the ore
made mining on a small scale very
Improbable and in 1906 Martin
Effinger secured an option OF the
Mohawk-Alpine group and the Blair
and Chadwick claims. After secur-
ing the option he went to Pitts
burgh where he succeeded in inter
esting Senator Finn auu mite
States Senator Oliver in tn ; proper
ties and the Pittsburgh Silver Peak
Gold Mining company was formed,
taking over the interests of all the
combined properties.
Before the advent ii the Pits
burgh capital the properties had
been examined by many prCminee.
mining engineers, among them be-
ing John Hayes Hammond, bet
nothing was none until alter Effins
er secured the options.
Development work started at once
and plans we're made to erect a 100
stamp mill at the town of Silver
Peak. Difficulties arose at once
and the original plans for building
the mill at Silver Peak made it
necessary to select a new site. This
was done with much secrecy and
the town of Blair two and a half
miles west of Silver Peak was sur
veyed at night and the townsite plat
recorded in Hawthorne, then the
county seat of Esmeralda county, by
Henry M. Rives in October 1906.
The mill was subsequently erect
ed at Blair and the town became
the center of the mining district,
taking much of the former prestige
of Silver Peak.
A 17-mile railroad was built from
Blair to Blair Junction on the Tono-
pah & Goldfield railroad and the
materials for the mill were shipped
in over this road. The mill started
operations late in 1907. 1t was
built by George o. Bradley, who
afterwards built large mills in Ari.
IONA and for the lacking interests
in Alaska and is now considered
one of the greatest mechanical en-
gineers in the United States.
The mill was located two and g
half miles in an air line from the
loading station of the Mary mine
which under the SUPPLEMENTARY o.
Lffinger became the main work
ing mine for the combined proper
ties, the work being done through
a main tunnel into the nounta.r
from which raises tapped the bis
orebodies.
An aerial tram two and a hal
miles long carried the ore from the
mine to the mill at a minimum cos
and with great efficiency. The
property was operated continually
from 1907 to 1915 until the ore wa:
worked out and early in 1916 il
was abandoned and dismantling o
the plant started.
The ores of the Silver Peak dis
trict were of a very low grade the
mill heads averaging around IS
ton. During the time the mill ant
the mine were in operation a rec
ord for low cost of production fol
Nevada was established, the average
for an entire year being $3.50 q
ton. This record was later surpass.
ed by the Aurora Consolidated.
Over a million tons of ore was
SEM through the mill and it is sale
the Pittsburgh company realized
considerable on it's investment and
work at the old camp.
In 1907 and 1908 over 1000 peo-
pie resided in Blair and a few hund-
red resided in Silver Peak. Blair
is now deserted and Silver Peak is
the main town of the district, al
though it is but a shadow of its
former prosperous self. Rene
Gazette.