The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1921-12-17
HOME REDUCTION WORKS
PLANNED FOR EUREKA

Nevada Mining Press: After al
most thirty years of neglect the fam
Gus old silver-lead camp Of Eureka is
on the eve Of rejuvenation. Modern
metallurgy promises to provide a pro-
cess for reduction of its low-grade
ores and bring prosperity once more
to its doors. A change of manage
ment has brought some capable men
into Eureka-Croesus Mining Co. and
three directors Of the company, ex-
perienced engineers, have recon-
mended that q smelter be built. The
Eureka-Holly and other concerns are
working out q milling process that
embraces sulphidizing of the lead car.
Donate ores, which has reached q
stage where operating costs are fig-
ured as the only possible obstacle to
success.
In the old days Eureka was a great
smelling center. with as high as 16
furnaces operating during the flush
days. Smelling was conducted, too,
in the face of great obstacles and at a
high cost. For several years after
operations began, in 1863 and 10,
there was no railroad connecting the
camp with the Central Pacific at Pal
isade and supplies were freighted In
by team, a distance of S5 miles. Char
coal was used In smelling and an
army of men was employed In cutting
timber and burning charcoal. The
charge for smelling custom ore for
many years was $3.50 per ton. Set
tlement was made for only 81 per
cent of the silver contained In the
ore. and nothing was paid for the
lead under 10 per cent. In later
years the narrow gauge road that still
forms the connecting link between
the camp and the outside world, was
built. Following construction of this
line many of the mines found 1t more
profitable to ship to the Utah smelters
and in 1894 the last of the local fur
naces pulled their fires and quit.
At no time were local smelter
charges, nor railroad freights plus
Utah smelter charges, low enough to
permit mining of the low-grade ores
at q profit. AS consequence ore un-
der $25 per ton in value remained in
the mines, in place or as stope-fills, or
on the dumps IL 1t was necessary to
hoist 1t to the surface. There are
many thousands of tons of this low
grade carbonate ore, which carries
good values in silver.
The Eureka-Holly and Eureka
Croesus were the pioneers in the rem
aissance of Eureka, following the op-
erations of the United States Smelt-
ing Co., which bought the Ruby Hill
mines in 1906 and for four years,
until the narrow gauge railroad was
washed out. shipped heavily to its
smelter at Midvale. The Holly has
sunk its shaft 600 feet and installed
a fine equipment of machinery, nearly
all the cost having been betrayed by
returns from high-grade shipments.
The company has large tonnage of
mill ore developed and for the past
year has been conducting experiments
with the object of working out pro-
cess suited to the ores. A 50-ton
pilot mill built last year is now being
remodeled for a trial run. Expert
ments also are being conducted by
the United States Smelling Co. at its
Midvale plant.
The Eureka-Croesus property con-
sists of several old mines and some
newer locations on Prospect noun
tain, three miles south of Ruby Hill.
A shaft was sunk 400 feet at the
south end of the property and drifts
were run out to the north to connect
with old slopes from the Dunderberg
and other old shafts. These slopes
for the most part are filled with mill
ing grade ore and a considerable guam
tity of shipping ore wss developed in
the two north-south assures and
shipped to Utah smelters. About 200
feet west of the shaft the company
opened a chimney of lead-siiver ore
which was followed by winze to a
depth of 375 feet, where water
stopped operations. Oxidation was
not so pronounced below the 400ievel
and large boulders of galena and
some copper in sulphide form oc-
Cured in the orebody. The Croesus
shaft is now being sunk to the 1000
It. level from where drifts will be ex-
tended to cut this and other orebod-
ies. The property was examined last
Summer by Walter Harvey Weed and
two other engineers. all members Of
the new board OF directors. who made