k.h. matheson mines mag

Rosario Mine Honduras

Central America

By KENNETH H MATHESON 11

Although numerous and heautifully sculptured gold ornaments haTe been found in the ruins of Jlavan tombs and places of worship in Honduras Costa Rica and Panama there is no indication that the Mayas or other Indian tribes were greatly inshyterested in the acquisition of either gold or silmiddoter Their artistic efforts were devoted primarily to the construction and painting of many beautiful and ornamental as welas uHeful domestic articles of pottery now on exhibit in museums throughout the Western World Theil most paiustaking efforts were deoted to the fashioning of ornamental pendants plaques and statuary Thcse were caned with unshyimaginable perfection cven to the sculpturing of obsidian and thc less difficult rocks of serpentine and jade As a lontinc dIOle arrow and spear heads were made from man~ kinds of hard silicious rocks

First Settlement in 1509

It was not until the app(~aranee of the Spaniards that mining as such was ea1llestiy pursued Although Columbus on hjs fourth voyagc in 1502 landed in HOIHluras it was not until 150H that the first settleshynHllt was establishcd on the north coast of that cOllntry Thus the Spaniards were firmly established in Honduras a full decade before Cortez completed the conquest of Mexico ill 1521 These Spanish setshytlers mnst have come from Cuba independently of Cortez Shortly atter the conquest of ~fexico Cortez equipped two expe(litions Jlrohabl~ in the year 1523 to explorc sOllth into Guatemala One expedition was headed bv Alvarado the other headed hv mid was to procee~l by sea Aharado and Olid eie two of his most trusted Lieutcllullts

Upon arriyal Oil the north coast of Honduras OIid ballkillg Oil the remotenpst from ~Iexico establislw(l his own independent jmlscliction planning to take full adYantage of the Iiches described by the ver~ early settlers ~hpn eY(ntllaJly news of Olids deshy

bull )(r ~farhcsolI ~ intcf( tiUI- artid l ha~ bl ~e n h-ided illto two part s This io) Iart I whi ch Icscrihtmiddots tmiddoturl du lIlillill~ in IJonoufns Part II to b~ IluldimiddotlH~ d in the July J ~lfi 1 ilti liue (II The ~ll~ES llatfodlle lecorOi thl deH loplll e llt nr thtmiddot Hosario ~I ille JUI iu-t and alhr itM ~ecolld decad e o t IllltrltHio ll s

THE MINES MAGAZINE bull JUNE 1961

K H MATHESON II

THE AUTHOR Kenneth H 11latheson born July 29 1887 in

Jlcdheson Colo graduated from the Colorado School of Jlines in 1911 with an E M degree He was the recipient in 1949 of his Alma Maters Distinguished Achievement Award

lIr Mathe~on gained his first practical training in Goldfield Nev and joined the New York and H onshyduras Rosario Mining Co in San Juancito Honduras May 1912 as construction engineer A year late he was made general ~1tpe1intendent of a Rosario subshysidiary the Sabana Grande Honduras Mining Co where he erected th e first flotatwn mill in Centreil ~tmerica

In 1924 he was transferred back to Rosario as assistant manager assuming the duties of general manager in 1932 until he resigned in 1949 During his selvice as general manager he was instrumental in acquiring the Neptune Mines in Nicaragua El DOlado lline in El Salvador and the Jlochito 11line ill IIonduUs

fection reached Cortez in )lexico he seut Francisco de Lus Casas by sea to Hllest OEd Casas was shipshywrecked on the Atlantic Coast of Honduras and fell into the hands of Olid However he was soon able to enlist the aid of 11 sufficient number of colonists to overthrow Olid and take him into custody

Cortez Heads Expedition

COlmiddottez learned of the shipwreck of Casas but not of the death of Olid In late 1524 he took personal command of an overland exppditioll to seck out and punish Olid Prescott in his Conque~t of JIexico deshysCIibes in considerable detail the trlrible hardships of this march through spareel~ inhabitp(lmolllltainolls cOllntry across gleat rivers and swamps and through irtuaUy impenetrable junglps Being a true adshy(nturer and explorer Cortez must huc chosen the ovrrland route to inspect ptlsonally the sOllthelll part of the yast empire to which he laid claim

33

Late in 1525 COl-fez reached the bay of Honduras ncar the extreme southeast corner of Guatemala There he learned of the fate of Olid whom Casas had ordered beheaded in the market place of Maco for rebellion against Cortez Learning that the rebellion has been suppressed Cortez embarked on two brigantines that had just arrived with supplies and headed for Trujillo the principal Spanish settlement on the Atlantic coast of Honduras There he was warmly welcomed upon his arrival

After resting for several months except for short journeys into the interior he became convinced of the rich agricultural possibilities of Chamelecon and Vlua Valleys and the placer possibilities of Olancho

He therefore planned to head an expedition to explore still farther south into Nicaragua possibly goshying as far as Panama However learning from Zuaco one of his functionarios in Mexieo City that the proshyvisional government there had proclaimed his death and had confiscated most of his property he abanshyrloned the project Cortez deeiderl to return to Mexico at once and to postpone further explorations southshyward He left for Mexico by sea on April 25 152() amI arrived in Mexico City in June There he was given a tumultuous welcome by th~ populace alshythough the prOisional government officials were far from pleased with his unexpected resurrection

Although it is not recorrled that Cortez eyer reshyturned to Houduras all of Central America was exmiddot plored and conquered before the end of the 16th century Spanish domination continued for nearly three centuries

Mineral Deposits Discovered

It is safe to say that 80 per cent of all the presentshyly known mineral deposits in Central America were

discovered and were being worked in a crude way by the beginning of the eighteenth century The ore deposits not discovered by the Spanish explorers and later found by French English and American enterprise were situated in remote areas Heavy jungle malaria-infested and tropical rain forests of the highlands where forest debris covered mineral outshycrops effectively were the last to give up their secrets

Nearly all of the lode mines discovered by the Spaniards lie on the Pacific slope of the Continental Divide The heavy rainfall and very dense vegetation on the Atlantic slope curtailed the explorations which were carried out more easily on the more open and healthful terrain on the Pacific side

General Similarity in Climate

Although each Central American country has a somewhat distinctive climate there is a general simshyilarity Altitudes largely gonrn temperatures which are hot and relatively dry on the Pacific slope until an elevation of ~500 feet is reached Above that elevashytion a remarkably temperate climate continues to an eleyation of approximately 8000 feet This area is marked by very constant and distinct wet and dry seasons The drv season extends for at least five months with n~ rainfall except for a few light showers Even during the wet season when rainfall averages 50 to 60 inches a year rains usually occur late in the afternoon or night followed by clear days This condition makes for much less heaY vegetation better traveling and working conditions than in the low lands

On the Atlantic slope temperatures vary little from the Pacific but the higher humidity cansI increased discomfort in the lower elevations The dry season there is much shorter but the rainfall is double

THE MINES MAGAZINE bull JUNE 1961 34

Timber forest 6000 to 8000 feet elevation Inset picture Loading bullion two 120 pound bars to bull mule

that on the other coast Tbe rain~ occur more freshyquently and at any time during the day it is apt to rain copiously The resulting heavy jungle vegetation is almost impassable even on foot unless a path had been laboriously cleared This almost continuous rainshyfall nearly 150 inches per year maiutains the very unhealthv conditions found until the land is cleared a~d the ~rea rid of mosquitos

The difficulties of prospecting and living in the rank jungles of the Atlantic slope explain -in some measure why the Spaniards confined their activities mostly to the western slopes In the pine and oak uplands between 2500 and 5000 feet the temperature range throughout the year aried only between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit

Early in the twentieth eentmy much of tht jungle on the Atlantic side of the range was cleared for banana plantations Usually these were confined to the flat coastal plains and broad valleys where deeI) rich soil overlays the basic rock Some isolated secshytions of the mountains have been cleared by nati(~s for corn fidds so Vhat today the mountain COll1ltr~ of the Atlantic side is reasonably accessible

Ore Deposits Characterized

Many unimportant mineral deposits have been fonnd during the present century in these more reshycently accessible areas In general these have been relatively unimportant as the structural geology of most of north and cast Honduras a large portion of Guatemala and the northern Atlantie side of Ni(Hshyragua do not favor the occurrence of well-defined and continuous ore bodies The distorted and crushed sedishymentaries and metamorphic highlands of that section hue been explored quite fully with little SHccess

On the other hand where the igneous formation reaches practically across the central section of Nicshyaragua and well north on the Pncific side and up that coast into 1Iexico (reaching in general to the conshytinental diide) several wry procinctie large uodies of orc have ueen opened and worked during the present ccntury

Best President of Honduras

Becanse of continued insurrections Honduras 11 ftcl its independence in lR~l failed to attlct forcin eapital ccn though the Spaniards hnd fOllwl a~d orked more deposits there than in nny ot hel Cln t la I


onlv trails existed The most important road was a 100meter wide cart highway from the Pacific Coast to Tegucigalpa

In 1879 President Soto set up a mining departshyment and that year his mining commissioner preshypared a factual report on the possibilities of ecoshynomic developments in both mining and agriculture The report was published and widely distributed in the United States and elsewhere

Minin9 Report Interests Brothers

Fie Valentine brothers and the two Marvins all living in New York read the report with interest particularly the mining section Not being mining men they had the good sense to look for someone who knew something about that risky but enticing business

As a result they hired C O Wederkinch an exshyperienced mining man to go to Honduras to look around Wederkinch had been assistant engineer on the Hoosae Tunnel chief engineer on the Sutro Tunshynel and chief engineer of the Silver Islet Mine probably connected with the Sutro Tunnel

Wederkinch Examines Mine

Vederkineh left New York late in 1879 by steamer to Panama then across the Isthmus by rail and up the west coast by yet another steamer to the Honduran Port of Amapala This Port situated on Tigra Island which lies in the beautiful Bay of Fonseca which in turn borders on the three countries of Nicaragua Honduras and El Salvador From there he took three weeks to reach Tegneigalpa the capital of Honduras Upon arrival he was grnnted an audicnce with Presishydent Soto Vederkineh was told that Soto and his partner General Enrique Gutierrez a member of anshyother old Spanish family owned a mine named the Rosario which was situated some 120 miles north of the capital

Vederkineh was granted permission to examine the small workings on the only vein then known workings that had long been abandoned

There is no record that the mine was known to the Spaniards or worked by them but jUdging by the limited amount of workings done it had heen exshy

Mule haulage on prospecting crosscut

35

the transportation of ore fro~ undergr~u~~l workings Wederkinch reported finding a vein 3 feet wide

with an average of 15 ounces gold and 8 ounces silver per ton The richer ore had naturally been high-graded by the old miners and he was able to sample only the vein sections left by them Thcse secshytions were too low-grade for extraction in their crude furnaces and had been left behind Even based on samples of these remnants he considered the mine a good risk He returned to the capital where he opened preliminary negotiations with Soto and Gutierrez before returning to New York

Mining Company Formed

The Valentines and the )Iarvins decided to organize thc New York and Honduras Rosario Mining Co with 150000 shares with a par value of $10 per share This was done in 1880 and Vederkinch was sent back to Honduras in November taking with him 149991 shares with which to purchase the mine Vhat hapshypened to the other nine shares is not recorded

50to Family Moves to Paris

The purchase transaction is set forth in a rather peculiar way It is rccorded that the mine was purchased for 149991 shares and that Soto and Gutiershyrez the owners donated 74991 shares to the Rosario Company for the raising- of funds The net result was that Soto and Gutierrez between them received 75000 shares or exactly a free half-interest in the company

Soto resigned as president of Honduras in 1883 and afterwards moved with his family consisting of a wife and either four or five sons to Paris where the sons wcre educated As so often happens the family went through a large part of his growing fortune He died quite young and his wife who continued to live in Paris died only some 15 years ago She left only some 500 shares of Rosario in trust for her grandshychilltlrcn

Thc Gutierrez sharcs suffered a similar fate but some of the heirs living in Guatemala and El Salvashydor are still well off financially although owning no Rosario stock

As late as 1946 the largest single block of stock controlled by any individual was the 6000 shares held by one of the daughters of Washington Valentine the man who was really the driving force behind the sucshycessful development f ltthe propelt~middot

Energetic President of Company

middotWashington Valentinc succeedlll onc of the Malshyins as prcsidcnt of the company early in its history and held that position until about 1920 He was exshytremely enelgetic and made frequcnt trips to the plmiddotoperty In thc early days hc saycd much time by riding from thc north coast in lcss than thrce days using good relay mules stationcd at intcryals along thc lIIolc-than-150 miles of rough mountainolls trails

EYcn after a short raihoad reached inland from PUlrto Cortez some 50 miles the normal time b~ nlldc back to Rosario was se(lI da -s It as not until the lHginnillg of the tirst Yodd Yar that this routc

was used by company employees in preference to the Panama Canal route The Canal route required at least three weeks time Prior to the construction of the Canal five weeks were required as in the case of the writers first trip to Honduras in 1912

Funds Raised for Equipment

When Wederkinch returned to New York with 74991 shares money was quickly subscribed to buy equipment and supplies to start operations Some equipment was shipped from San Francisco and Wederkinch left with the balance from New York on April 30 1881 He took with him the same engineer H V Cole who had accompanied him on the original exshyamination trip a carpenter a chemist and two miners

The party arrived in Amapala on May 22 They stayed there to attend to the further transport of thc equipment to the mine This was accomplished by 20 miles by barge to the mainland and thence by mule back 100 miles to the mine Vederkinch as well as one of the miners contracted yellow feyer and Wederkshyinch died in five days after arrival As was customary in tropical climates Wederkinch was buried the samc day and Cole took charge He cabled the New York ofshyfice Vederkinch dead am in charge

The main equipment consisted of 3-300 pound Kendall stamps sectionalized mortars two rock breakers a sawmill a watcr turbine wheel mining tools and supplies

lombard Replaces Wederkinch

New York immediately proceeded to engage Thomshyas R Lombard as a replacement for Wederkinch middotWhen Lombard arrived in Honduras in September he found the small mill practically completed He COllshyfirmed Coles order for seven additiomil stamps as more ore had been developed The man responsible ror this was a Finlander Alberto J Smith who had gone to California by schoollcr several years pngtshyyionsly There he sought his fortune in placer mining hut failing this he retraced his steps to Hondmas wlwre Wedelkinch hired him on his second trip

The ten stamps soon installed had a combined capacity of 25 tons a day and were followed bmiddot amalgamation plates Thc mill was lorated in the old village or San T nancito on the only favorable spot ayailable where the water from two mOllntain strcams could bc combined to run the Va tel wheel The locashyI iOIl was 11 miles from the mine workings and some


-- -- -

~II t t ~ ~ t1 ~ ~~

-I ~ ~ t ~lt

~

middotrmiddot-middot middotmiddot bull _-~

Bullion starting on 120 mile trip to coost bull

1300 feet lower in elemiddotation The problems involved in locating the milt so far from the mine were recmiddot ognized but the decision was dictated by the source of availible water power even though it meant haulshying the ore from the mine to the milL

Roads Built for Ox-Carts

Cole had while erecting the mill built the two miles of steep road mostly 20 per cent grades necesshysary to transport the ore to the mill by ox carts Shortlv after Lombards arrival he wrote New York that he had purchased three yokes of oxen and had contracted for five more as he would soon be able to start milling This he did late in 1882 and proshyduced $2-152 in silver-gold bullion before the year end The individual Kendall stamps were soon reshyplaced by two five-stamp batteries each stamp weighshying 600 pounds Forn amalgamating pans and two settlers completed the mill circuit

In 1885 two more batteries and four pans and settlers were added Latc in that year the entire plant was almost entirely destroyed by fire but was quickly rebuilt in 1886

Production $36 Million by 1892

By 1892 ten years from the date of the first operation of the mill accumulated production had reach ed about $3600000 The mill had been inshycreased to 35 stamps Power wagt furnished by a 5-foot P elton wheel operating under a head of 295 feet Production was now about 20000 tons a year yieldshying approximately 500000 ounces of silver and 10000 ounces of gold For most of the first ten years siher sold at an average of nearly $1 an ounce

A water wheel-driven air compressor had been installed five Rand and three Ingerxoll-Seargent drill shying machines had been purchased All stoping was still being done by hand drilling Light steel rails were being graduaUy substituted for the wooden strips protected hy a strap iron which had sencd as rails on the more important levels

Aerial Tramway Erected

A 7000-foot aerial tramway had been erectd to transport the ore to the mill from the 1650 Portal An intctsting and acrurate scale drawing made by Allis Chalmers is still in the engineering files of Hosario This showed how the 14000 fect of llIdltss cable was transported on mule back to the mine Each mule (allied its proportionate share and trawled in the proper order The draftsman must havp had (ollsidcrable experience with mule transporshytation as hI clear~ sketched the ear reaction of the


lJ~-AampLLo vamp av gtJ l--~01 0 shy

the surface rights to a large area including the village of San Juancito

Mineral Zones Acquired

Mineral zones covering the entire mountain were acquired mostly by denouncements although the Colonial Vein had to be purchased from its discovershyers the Zelayas another old Spanish family Colonia was one of the few veins that out-cropped on the surface It eventually produced 170000 tons of highshygrade silver ore carrying a high gold content By this time (1892) total dividends paid amounted to $442500 Dividends were now being paid monthly having begun this practice in 1887

How long Lombard stayed is not recorded but it was probably very few years He published a book tn 1887 called The New Hondums which was copyshyrighted during the same year In it he relates that he was granted a concession in late 1882 in Yuscaran Honduras and that he formed the Yuscaran ilIinshying Co in which middotWashington Valentine owned shares but not the controlling interest

Control was held by Civil War veteran Major Burke who had been state treasurer of Louisiana and while in office allegedly took off for Honduras with a large sum of money belonging to the State At that time no extradition treaty existed with HonduraJl and with easy access from New Orleans Honduras was for years a haven for shady characters and adshyventurers

Yuscaran Mining District

In the middle 1880g Yuscaran some 60 miles southeast of Rosario and in a similar geological formashytion became a very active mining center and conshytinued so until 1892

At least five companies were operating there one headed by another Civil Var veteran Colonel Imboden and his brother A Swiss company was headshyed by the Zueher brothers Another mine was wned by General Strcber a shrewd German In 1924 the writer saw an old abandoned stock book of the Zucher Brothers Ltd Most of the inyestors were

bull Five by six foot ball mill shell hauled by ox cart

37

_ _ - -___ fUlLOUapa

to Yuscaran and to their respective mines so that they could drive by coach and mules to the mine workings Too often they celehrated week-ends in Tegucigalpa

Serious political disturbances broke out in 1892 At the same time the price of silver declined and this resulted in most of the miners as well as many foreigners joining the government forces against the revolutionists These miners never returned to Yuscaran to work and Major Burke eventually acshyquired questionable title to all those mines Many of the U S citizens- the Imbodens Colonel House Tohn Conner and others-later found work at Rosario Joe McCarthy and the OHaras drifted to other mines

Mining Activity Recorded

Between 1885 and 1895 many foreign companies were operating lode mines scattered over most of Honduras Activity was so great that Fitzgartner a former New York State geologist published a weekshyi- mining paper for several years In it he reported what each mine was doing and how production was progressing

The writer in the early 19308 was able to purchase

For Dependable Blasting Use

SAFETY FUSE Sylvanite Black Monarch Black Aztec Orange Aztec

THERMAUTE Igniter Cord SPlnERCORD Connedors

bull L

QUARRYCORD LEAD SPITTER

and other accessories

PRIMACORD Plain No 54 Reinforced Plastic Wire Countered Plastic Reinforced

Lo-Temp Detacord

The National Fuse amp Powder Co 3801 Delgany Street

DENVER 5 COLORADO

It was mentioned above that Washingt~n Valentine had a substantial interest in the Yuscaran Mines He and Major Burke became bitter enemies and would never discuss negotiations Burke told middot the writer personally that his son who lived in New York became involved in a serious scrape The son appealed to Valentine who helped him book steamer passage to Africa There the boy was killed by savage tribes and Burke held Vaientine responsible for the loss of his only son

Rosario Buys Yuscaran Mines

Burke promoted his Yuscaran mines unsuccessfully until his death It was not until the mining laws of Honduras were changed so that abandoned mines could be bought for taxes that Rosario was able in 1945 to acquire aU titles to the mines in Yuscaran Almost $250000 was spent in recovery work new exshyploration and development Although some of the mines promised a small return on the required addi shytional investment it was decided to abandon all inshyterest Later attempts by others to operate successfully these mines in Yuscaran also failed

~11

MemiddotELROY R-ANCl - ~

COMPANY OIL OPERATORS

CATTLE RAISERS

9 Headqarters-U S Operations

3132 EI9hteenth Street Bakersfield Calif

405 Fort Worth National Bank Bldog Fort Worth 2 Texas

703 Wilco Bldg Midland Texas

750 Fourth National Bank Bldg Wichita 2 Kans

Denver US National Center Denver 2 Colo

9 H D Campbell 42

Uoyd W Madden 41 F E Weagant 51

Bernard Turpin 60 Stewart Chuber 52

38 THE MINES MAGAZINE bull JUNE 1961

- Rosario Mine shyHonduras

Cenhal America

By Ilt ENNETH H MATHESON 11

ll llrillmiddot ih e s(ol1ltl (lc(aLle ot HOSilrio operati olls llllll)- d ifii(ulL ics developed MosL or th o developmcllL (1S l)cillg (onfilled to thc loel 300-foo level alld jpls thOle Ilii(1l hmiddot JS~)- middotc~n SOIllC~ -WOO [cet in to 11(~ IIlOl1liaill The Hosilrio ( ~ ill thell up to the ze ro

I Jecl siloll((l C(l illticalion OL ge(( ill~ heller upshyJ (rd Hild illanl Velltilatioll was bceolllillg a selious7 ]1lohl(lll cspccially lot the hand chillers iIi slopesC long tlossluL at the U]lper JSO-Ioot level to ill-

11ISII the jlloj(ctltl extc ll sioll of IIC Hosario and Lo 1c PI Isl ([1 n opllH l1t 011 thc 1Oer GJO lel~ l was stu l1 ctl 11f ill til e YeaI 1882 TIl( fllture looled sufficiellll ellshyi (Oli rilgilg h thL11 to jllstit Ihis lt1elt1(1 work 0(~000 lIt i( ( L Oil ti l( upper liO 01 tlit l(lI a I3lallea leve l ill the il u hea rt ll[ hat JaLer Plo((l to he Lhe IlIost])rodlictive 1)L l crtieal range ill the lllillC The Locr GoO had 110t lIn hee ll gin ll tlie ILClltioll iL deserved as it was below ( Ill Illns or tliL~ ploelllc1i( Ole OCell llCllces Latcr iL Ins hi III PIlI YlIahle as tile lllaill olltleL for wa(I aud It t OlC lI1I1 11 all 001 tlie lllille It rmiddotclltllall pe lletlated ))() i ]~O()() Jed ill oIll dircctioll lt111lt1 10000 ill allother) 11 riti lllallY elosseuts mel drifts lid

Politics and Drought i II ( P oliLiLal distuIIJallles rlgaill 1)(~C ltlllle Lhe order oflell

(llt Lhc d ay hilc droughL cOlllilllted to llwkc it Ilee essar~shyto illlport com Iwalls alld rie for the worklllcli Mule

na [1(~igh1 rUSt (Olit illlJilly as l1lllk olIers feared their 13 l1luks would lJe eO lifis(lt ed h polililtl lmiddotimiddota ls Necrshy

1- I thdLss the lllillC (olltillU(d te work ]JrofitIUI II C I3 18 cllLilaJioli waS gTcatly ill1pronc1 b~ eOllshy(II t ll( ( ~t illg j Iw LowL1 lOO leL~1 with the Prlla Blanla 111 a t1lt1 it lInd 1(a(llld t li(~ Ole 101le 13 ] ~)O2 tile Loc I1II G)O lcc as cOlillellcd all tile wa~ to the Uplel lS0 (0 bv t series of raises

Nc (ins blltlll CllillI off the Hosltll io ere brill11 til d((~I ()p cd jll ltigh-gTlllL= OJ(~ ll(Jta]I~ tillt Cltllldldltlli~

S ltlilt tit e BlI( ~ lla Vtl1tllla Frolll I)()tit o[ tll(slt~ ulliel spli ts ere blill~ Plospccted The Colollia VLill Oil theCl( pllrchaed Zelaya ]JlOllelty hall IJltell dnoloped ill a

1l0l

I II bull Tlli~ lt II or Mr flth(~ollO nrLic1c- pr(~lIlA n d i tlikd n(count

t i I 11 (If j( York 1Jollltllll~ Iostrio ~ tjldllU Co op(rnliolUl in CIllll Allur iCI Pnt I 111lbli ~ 11(d ll t IIIOlth (hcrilwd politica l lUlldiliollli l Jilt1k

011 alld tO Jlo rnpJy of ll(llldllrl~ lllti tolli Duoul the or~anizttion of t1l~ comshy])aIlY and o f its initial operations-ell

22

K H MATHESOH II

THE AUTHOR J1enneth 1I Jilathf-so ll Il orn JILLIj 29 1887 W

Mathf-son Colo umrlu(( ed [rom lhe CoLorado School o[ Milles in 1911 willi Ill J~ M (leyrc f- II c was the lcciz)icnl in 19J9 o[ tis Alm( Mulr)s Dislinyuishcd 11chicvcmcnt J1w(trcl

Mr Mathcson uaiHcd his [irst practic(d tlaining in Gold[ield jVcv and joi1tc(l (hc Nf-w York al1d IIollshydnras Rosario llfillil1(j C() in SUi Ilonriio JJ ondlln~s ilJay 191 2 as C(J1 slrllcti()n cn(illcc r 11 ycw iaicl hc leas made gcncral sllpcrintendent o[ amiddot R osario slLb shysidi(l)Y the Suuana Gro1ldr lfonrlnra s Mininy Co wllcc he Clcctcd lh c [ilst [lotation mill in C cn lnd Jlmelica

In 192-1 he wa s tnl1lscrr ccZ uack to Rosalio as assislant managcr ((SSII )Jiinf) the duties of [Jelleral manaucr in 1932 until hc (siuned in 1919 Duri11lj his scrvicc as [cner(J 1Il1L1( C7 hc was inslnl1He1lial in acquiring the Ncplullc jlhllcs ~n Niwrauva El ])o1(ldo Mi11e in El 13(lll)((lt701 (lnd the Mochito ilfine in lIoII duns

small way 11]) 10 thc Uppet aoo buL that secti on was llOt connected to the lllaill llIill e workings ullLil1009

Profits Reduced to Danger Point

All lhe ore lind to Iw lrltlllsporl(1 UIOlllld [Ic 11101l11shy

ULill iirsL b- lllllie hatk alld lttter uy ox carts so tli at it could be (ho pped (lowlI a raise frol1 Lite surfa(e to the Lcmcl (in ]pmiddotrl Jllltj( ~ ISill~ tIlIOllills of suJ pllide OJ( lcslJtetl ill hi~hcr Illillilig lt~osts Jicltuvery ill 11Jr lI

dropped ulicI lack or propel Illille plUllllillg- (o llplcd with alltiquat ed Illillillg Ill ctliods rcdulccl IJlofit to a tlall~erous ]Joillt b- 1~J02

Tile 11Illlilg(l ( i(rlil1s IHI applrc lIl1y l oollt lthlrL ill 1HII did 111111 rkidy well I) v altqllilill~ lIId pcrieetillg titles to ill lllilwli11 water all(l timber li~hts eOYCl ill~ the elltire lllOllllLlill He built lleccsshysar ace(~lt-roads to ti Ilil)(r lth arltolI alld I i me deshyposits IIOCVCI it is snid lila II( rilccl to buillt] lip a (O lllpetclIt staff alld Jailcd to l( ee p lip ViLh 1ll0UCIIl dcveloplI1ents ill both millillg- alld lllillillg At this

THE MINES MIGAZINE bull JULY 1961

f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt

d T Roario Mine-~eleton pln few

0

A tillle all StOpillg was by hand ill opell stopes stllllingshy

n to the bHj for platforms ltII(1 llwny Jcch were ca 1shy

I riltl nt 200-foot illterltIs Ore Icselcs (IC also dOI1 1( to a dalgcrolls poilt 11

middot ~c

If L N Noble Issues Report

Valentinc (kcitlcd that Ollicthillg had to bc dOlle

lle clgaged Louis N Noble it plolllillent ])CI(l cllgishy) u II CCI to 1l1lke n eOlll p lcle lll(1y of the Hosalio sit lashyI t iOI Nohle spellt three lIIolths 011 the properl There ~ ll Cllllt1lIIUICl1 boUt the Illillillg am1 lllillillg Ill c t Ilods ~

cOlilpleted exhauti() mill t ests alld filially made his 5 1ecollllllellc1atiolls il J UIIC 1~02 t

The rcsult of the L A Noble report was a decision1 l to clean housc anJ lUI Noble was probably illstrushye mentl ill seeurillg a new alld competellt middotstaff Joc

[J 1 Weelelle who helcl all imporlnat posi tiol i ill the

Leadville smeltcr was ell gaged as manager He took ~ 11 with him a llew mill superintenelellt three enginecrs

alld a new aecolilltant Detailecl costs on every operashyii tiOIl wcre illclutled ill VedJlcs reports

~

Whitaker in Charge of Mine

J Olle or thc ellpilleClS Orville Vhitaketmiddot just fUll 1 years on t of the CololaJo School of 1lines was lIlade I 111 inc sn perilltendell t Vhitakcrs Oll tstalldiug abi I i ty

whieh latcr callled him a placc as one of thc t lll~shy

c gTlltlt Colulldo tlig-illllS was ely eidcllt ill his lirs allllllltlillJlllrL of operatiolls ill till Illilit (ood aCCllrate maps and lcorus wcrc prcpared undel the liew engishylleers Hellry LcFcbrc and H G Palsgrove Both of thesc men made a Ila mc fol t hClIlsel yes i It I a tel yea rs Vhitakcr also brollght to HOSltlrio allother YOlllIg but jllllIl1illCllt Colorado mall H-ussell B laul as ltlsistutt llIill sllperintelldellt to H C Vatsoll

THE MINES MAGAZINE bull JULY 1961

level only howing vein ytem

Noble haJ leCOlllll1elldeulllllny (hallg~s ill thc mill and therc 11lt IIllwh work to be dOlle ] lle vanners illstalle(1 in 1800 were Ic placc(1 I)y Vi i Uey tauJ (s with ad eqllate s izillg aheu t1 of th c Li ljeS J) oulJ lc di sshycharge battelmiddot modalS were ill s tall( ~cl an d 30-lI1csh Slrccns rcplaled the lG formerly llse lt1 T he table COilmiddot

(lntlails Iitcl lCltill(illg thc wejl~ht 1)v lolltlillg lerc ship]l cu ill doubl e lwgs sllital)lc for 11I1I1emiddotlJaelc trallSshyportation to SellJI- while the tailill ls (~ nt to alJl ai shygalllatioll The lcig-ht of baUe ry s tems lt1lt increasc(l hy llsillg Jll ier hosshea(1s

fhc sOlLillg pLlllt at the IlouLh oj Ihe L()cr GSO Icel was ICltl1lIjl l (1 with revoh-illg SCIeCIlS alld sortmiddot ing belt while setllillg tanks werc installed to cateh the rich s limcs ctnieu by the large amoullt of minc

-Im fIB Jm rm ~ ~ -shy ---shy

_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _

Q osio-gencr1 office

23

T Lelt typiol mincrs Right ore hauldgc train

Ilttter cOllling Ollt at that Il~(~ 1 Costs soon llro llped 10 $~1 it ton ill ~llldilig freight Oil tomelltrntes (o lllpalcd (Il rW (ll III()re llllllc tit ldllt or i()I)II I(c t ocl ill th e lllillrose to Sol pe l l l~ llt o lhc sill1 llld S7 pCI cclli ll L the gold as agaill st a tOllibillCd sihcr-gold l (OP I of 3 per ICllt h 11Illtllgallwt i011 AIIIdgIIIILshy(illil IS (OlltillllCd 011 11 1~ taldc~ tailillgs ulilil lite al lidc process rltlS illstalled lirst experilllllItall~ ill ll() lllis [ll()cll so sUllcsslul thaL h- 1)()8 llilalshygaliialioll ltlIHl talJk tOllcelltrltioll crc both di~c aldcd ill LIOl of cyallidatioll

Staff Again Reorganized

Til e g)oll orlllli laLioll s~( UjI b Nohlc ltIS UIIlorshyttullIt ely sholt-liHd h itab~r amI lalsgTlJ c illshyPIIt eel a soon ltIS t hei r two-ell COli tract cxpi rcd OIC res(ncs hllilt up to O(~r )0000 tOilS h Whit aker rltlpilll) dcclillCLl ]IltIehillg t lo of 10000 lOllS b 1)Ot Vdelltillc ltlgain 11al1 to take a halld goillg to lIollulllltl s wiLh tO cOllsultallts Frcd Millanl alld Cl~o rg e O Stonestreel

1L WIS c1ceillc(l to reo l gltllli i(~ t he staff -edli lc r aS kt 0111 logeLber IiLl Iis SUII Halllh W eddl e 110 had llel lI Illill C SnpClillLcmlellL IJalc r ill ID07 Yal cliLilic dccide(11o lelurn 0 IIOIIUlllHS to lake pcrsollal chargc li e took middoti tli him J oc 1L ])( Iflrt 110 a Illil1ing Inal1 1)111 a ver elpahle adillillistralol who for l~a IS Ilad ht l11 ill hc New York office as lalcllLilll s ri~ht-hant1

( 111111 Valc lltill c sta cd lIlIt it October hclI he rcshyI turll lll 10 Ncw York he pbccll ])cHart ill lolllplet c II (lilrg (~ oi op erati olls wit h L IICI g(~1l1Itl slllwrilllllldshya lllt E A Nis lhe latle r was lespollsible [or tll ~ IIlille

lrlllHl al1d the lIew deC lojllllcllt laid ouL b l1 illtlllF CO llllit iOlls faillll to illl]llOmiddotC so Ni was (licilrged alill A H c 0 111011 mille [orClllltLll was prolllotcd to

of llIilll) llpclillellllell1 UOlllull plocd a [ood filld IIIlt] In elle rgetically calliell out Lhe II C program of LIenlopshy10 lIlellt off

Minard Named Permanent Consultant(Il It

Ulli H th e lll ll OL I )O) ore rcsc rles lre Olr l(OUUO 01 ~ tOilS of 2gt orc aL GO-CCllt sibmiddotcr ~lillalJ had bcell ICI Ilamed as th e pcrlllallcllt cOllsultillg cllgillccr Hlld tJlC dl()tll Ill his tilll to sullmiddotil1g plalls fill the futurc l) II II illllll llllll bee ll til e Jield ellgilleer lor John Hays

Ibmlllolld Oil lhe Call1jl Bird cxamillalioll before go shy J illg- to lIollduras Tad ltliou)h thc mill hlll 110 a totll of 00 st allips 1 II

L1lll Lo ]wlJbk Il1ills it a_ glltldllall Ltllillg tl)11 picec lL IS cIII ill~I illadNlutle ill iew of tll( ~ JapiLlshy he 1 iIlClCISillg ore ll~selcs Its llIaXilllUIll capncity waoiell IlOt Illorc thnll 100 tOilS pcr cla~middotlIe

lll 1 lfillnlll COJlyillclL1 thc Ililcclors to autholize COIlshyd sf slllleLinll of 11 Illtinlmiddot 11(~ ~OO -()1l canille Illill Ileal iiI ( I li c pOltl1 or the Low er G)O level III dllitioll to Jl e

th h~ lho-clccLlic plal1t s erc to he cowlluetcd aml all

24 M

111 1 Jl )ttll middotll ( lJU llU ii uru jllCJJH Ull I 1dUU Ul1UCl

a hlad of 1lO0 fle with two -tc llemlo]s ll cli clillg a lolll or -r)() 1 Lall [ie a( ~ I middot wllc(s we n changld alld tli(~ salnc gCllerILols weI( al)le Lo dclivcr ]LOO K (This spcals rcll of tltc Olll -lilil C gCllcrators aml COlllprcssors as comparcd with fadolY oulput t0day) 1he ClI ltlllalupe Itn ho plalll lIsillg t ll e cl isc lt algc water fronl th c lall JlI Illli to plant opl[aL( ~ lt1 Ull1e1 all crshyf eeL ic head or 47 feel alld gellllateltl 10 KW Tillis as lat er illcrcase d by illlLJloed wa tci wh eels lo 800 K

Location of New tv1ill Site To lilld a lIlill sitc for Lhe Ilt Illill 11 lt[ 1 t he L em er

GGO llaulag-e le( ~ I-with adequilt e 1011111 Tol hOllsillg oflites arehollse 11111 silops al)(lt-jlrcscIlLcrl qllite ltL

COllsLrudioll JlroiJ11 ~ JlI The llillsid( SIO]lI(l nt lI earl y 4G degrccs witli sliale (lippillg Ill~nrJy thc SlllIC As a llslllt eUllstlllcliol1 proved IIlu ell l1lorC cxpcnivc thall ctilllalc rl olllldatioIiS Icre sel as Jccp as 25 fcet ill lllall plI CCS ill sure l)crJlllll cll(I

Millard It ltI 11 1)(( 11 SIllt 011 all ((lellsivc tour La study ltlli(k plant s LlirougliuuL UI I lJllited ~1al ( s Irc Il ( shysigllcd fo l those oIays a CIT II(cpLaiJle g-l[l i Ly mill lJo( e r sO lli e g-Ltlillg faults c rcpt ill lhtsc ID ults (Il~ rClll erlic(l wiliiout too lI1uch cxpcll se alt c lhl~ Illill lS JJla elll in operatioll

11l( origiJlll plan ltalled for (IllSli illg lllll grinding ill IlI el i1ickllI illg nnd dcwaterillg- alld t he n adding lhe eyallid e solution nllll raw cIlli cle fh is proccs (lS ulisuccess ful as Lhe J feillhix dlwttcrclS failc(l Lo Ol1 salis ra (tori ly 0 11 tlte lili cly-g rulili u Ole AILcl (JlIlI a r eeks t rial Lhi s YS t Clll wa~ aiJandollcll antI c rlllthill g- as d Ulle ill cyalide olutioll

Mill Equipm ent List ed

Tli t Illill IS 1lid out I iLh a lUUUmiddotlolJ coarsc urc hill to tak e tlie gritilmiddot alld gjiory Plotl lllt iL It font illuiidllal Cha ll c llg c cellcrs t o fou l S lllI)) ba LLe rics o [ [i C slalllp laIi 111 1 SIIIIlPS wIighed 1800 Jollllr1) tl1( ~ hel ies t II s( d lip to that tilll( ~ ()II 1h ( llll l il all (Olltill c lll altli( lu~ 1 1 silililar olles l~lc ill usc ill Africa Thrce 5 x 22 tull c Illills usillg J)allisit ))cJIJIls en

uSld ill th e g rillding cin uit ])OIT e la ss ifie rs illid lhieh~ llers IrU inslalled ullll JS x 4G Pi c hu(t tallks c re used ful CIallil1u t1lt at 11Il1lt JII CSC I(IC foll oIpd by thilkclIels alIll ~lclTill slilllC presses 11 ~ Ie built fol movcmcllt hmiddot ~l(tvity fl ow req uirill g a tota vertishycal el catioll oi Il(arl 300 fcc t flom top to hoLtoll1 of III(~ IIlill fllis Illade (01 cjJ(lIsivc L1ld c1if(jlltlL SUP(lISllJlI

Haulagc of Lhi Ilca llIill cquipmcllt prcsc ll Lc Ll a fOlllli(lahlc jl)()iJlCIlI espceially in gc LLill~ it OCI Iile 1l11111111lill rOltl 110111 llgllliptlpa (IltiCS or li pCI CCllt to ~o ]ll1 (tilt were 10111111011 a lld VC ly sh1I11 siLcltlJaeks had tv bc Ile gu ti utcd

Truck Transportation U nsuccessf ul

hl11 lillIIl iiloi 1)( 11111 ((llllllltIId wiLh thc COllI pall he 1()(ltJ IlIIIIlIIlttd Illwk t1ltllIspodatioll froJl1 thc coast to Tcglleig-alpa At that tilll C th c hi gl l ay had bcell rcg laclccl llldwIS ill It fair sUllc of rcpa ir TIIlpc la clltnl tlll el s n 1111 thei I (lli en crc s it i ppcltl to Jlol1dlll lo Till llad S U( ld s iali(ri lialilili g il( 11

a lellilic liIl SIUlIll O(ellllcd ill OctoiJer lJOG Thi s rainsto1Il yashed out Inid ges includin g n vcr) ub-

THE MINES MAGAZINE bull JULY ]961

I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I

~ Oxen hduling tube mill 1-

-h lll t ial nll~O Il I 111idil lO IlIl lcL in g Teglli ~lJll ltl liel the slllllllb u[ COll lltlyagliela llllillcllse dalllag-e I as (tlls~l to thc hi glt lll~ IS I pll lS to the COllipa llY r oa d

I

10 I he lllill( The lo ll (1allla g ruill c(l alll cost adshy alltage cqwe1ld from truck transpor ta ti on

- poundtc1 n yea rs senice thc l lule middotfreight I)loycd I

lll O ll~ ecollo illi eal Oll bol h incoming supplies nn el outmiddot Imiddotmiddot g) illg COIHClllla[rs hy SOllle j lOOUU a y(al TnlI

lall sp()ltltl 1 ion 1middotltlS g il(11 uJl 11 as IlO t uil lil Vor](l Val l liltl(l wd stlrled all d llll l1 S Anll l c lilisted the aid oj th e Intll ca rls in the cOlls trtl([ ioll of th e Panama hig h a that the lOmpalllmiddot was io(cd 10 use trucks at a llluch high e r c()st thall )Iel ious lllUIe

a lld cart ireight I i

Freighting with Wagons

ag-oJls were sh ippcll (lmll ll tl ling [he ra rl~ (la ~s of the lie cO ll s truct ion Th ese WtgOI1S w c re ]lulled h~ oxen as the hl)vicl picces Imiddoteigh(d as llIuth as 10000 poullds but the wa gons Jlloyed to be too h ig h off the ground rh ey were too hea y 10 suit thc na li e eonlrac t ireigh ters who diseltlred thcm ill fillor of their own ll ew cart s llullle with Il caicl OO(lCll axles or steel axks For 10ll g pieces of equipment tO carts were illgelliousl~ coup led together It is amazing hat the natills ran J((oillplisit wilh cnrts and oxc n if left to Iheir on lle i(ls

At the foot of Ihe 1l1Oulitain there werc 20 per CClit grades and sharJl t Ulll s to conquer There the fre ightshyers used 1 0 1l~ h (ltI ~ lIlalJilla rope from the com p a ll)

JIltI lU lise iLil Id oll ltlll(l tt(llc lIl(l h(LY ])osls seL in the tUlllS to 1Il0e th l~ loads The loadcltl carls were LIstened to Olle hl oek and the oxen to t he frec clld o[ the ropc so that III haulill g the loa d up hill the OX(II were goillg dOWJl hill Aft e r reaching t he top lI(1 stltlrtillg (lollll Lhc jlrold (111 was to hol (l the carls frolll Ocrlullllillg the ()X(~Il Thc block all(l tadc was then attached t o the rcar of the cart and heay


allu ([own tIlC l[l()llnllI11 Ttlmg IUIIlS CI cn lIl a ll S

cart was 1l10cd ocr the lll)Ulltai~l Th ere er~ always plclltI or )lrdool rni ~ ht(rs Lo lIrg( aloll~ t1( oxell wiLh ]llIyas (goad st icks) Ililit 11illCh yellillg ltlllcl

-cursing

Th c mill took much 10llger to erect than plann ccl hut li lla ll~ wellt illto operation in July 1 ~Jl2 lhe wriler Ilt1S olle o f the first shiH-bosses in the new mill working uncle I L10yJ H)bcy allother Coloraclo School

of ill es m a ll who had hcen supe rin tendent of thc olcl Illill

Cl ean Up Yields Fortune

A contract was given to Messs Jurgenson amp Co lwo AlJleri(llJs to c lea ll lip tlte old mill Iltrom ncrshycurlmiddot t1ld ltl1ltllgalJ )( (oc)(d iWlllld lhe old talIks from the c )( ~ek 1)~l o ana from cyanidillg- in the old mill all o f t llC su rroulldillg tcnni)) ove r 2GUOOO va s g rossed Th e con tracto rs werc sa id to hav e rece ived ZS p c I cell t as t hei I sllDre

B lsil D Davis l C ry COJII]leLClit elect rical cngi shy)IltC I IrlS ill (ha)middotc or (ollsll u(lioll Durillg thc last ~cal of eO ll slllet ioll DeHart lctullled to the New York offi ee t o ex Jled i [e the sh i jJlll c n t of the new mashychine r lJIel a l CW malJagmiddotcrV Darlin g was en shygaged AlthoL1~h able i ll mUlY )especLs he becallle so ulipopular with the stafr that he was let out before thc m ill Ias (olllpJclel~ fillis h(~d A ncph ew of ValthshyillgtUl1 Y ilelltillc Lui s llt Valentinc although quite rOl1l1~ look 0 (1 IS lliallagcr

Serious Error in Mill Design

Th e m ost se r io ll s errol i II I he mill dcsign Ias th e locatioll of zi nc d ust prcljpilatioll at the very l)ottom of the lllili T It( preei piLlle was thell ])ulrIped to the prceipilalc Ji lters 0 ( 1 WU lee c rti ltaI Jy ahov e L the ref inery I as located at the llcl(1 oj th e mill The preshy(~ i]litak l ip elin es ere at least SOO feet long Before lon g it WL (li s(o e lcd that llJuch of the precipitate is lIot r eaching lhc rcfinClY

Th e accllllllllaliOll in til e IJiJlelines soon eauscd broken cam s halts 011 the Aldrich Triplex pumps Finshyltlll ~ the lin es liael to l)e clea lled hy emptying the ellorlllOUS amounts of acculIlulatecl precipitatc ill to solUl ion tanks at Lh e bololll or th e milL lrom there it hall Lo be carried in buckets up to the refincry

The 27 tube lllills had not been properly al igned befo re rie t illg the Lhlce-seetioJJs of each together so

t -~

Pouring bullion prior to use of Monarch type furn~ce

25

l I CI - JI1 - J~ V ) ----- bull jl~ J Lt II -J l- 1J Jlllt j- JJlV It i l (~ bull bull

lclling lt1S (lone ill stationary fl1l1ll ces using- ellushyIId 101 111 111lt1 till gTlphilP (llIilds I(l lilmiddott() 0111 hI tOllS Oil 111 oITJh(~l (Ialle 111111 ill s is tcd (lJ

Iddil~ ex~e~s ive ltlln OUlls of zinc as he was 1I0t ~elshyting thc product call ed foroY Lhc head awl tailings -I111l1s Tile vall( oC Ihe )lIT(middotipitlt(S (lloPI)((l to (i)

11(1 (Ill ill g-old alld sill~r alld it IH(ltIllle illll)(lss iIJI( to melL tll(nl Th e n fillcrv mall Bladdlllrll quil ltllid lhe writer took ovcr his job working frOll1 six ill tJ1C mornillg to llill C at night III n11 Ug-lIlllt lIt with Ltllll ()l til e IIi saiJ ilitI 0 1 e reding a solillion tlllk1l tile rd iller- llld jlrc( ipit a tillg t llelT he was fired

Whil e ill Tegllligl pa Oll lh c way Ollt thc lTit(r Wls lehi~ ll 1gt1 Va lcntine to take chargc of th e clCIclshyojllllell L o[ the Sil ll riIITOS 1lil( ill SaiJanltl lrltlIHle AllllOlIgll l()at(ltl (iO lllillts 1Hlo th(~ (apital all the ro Hl t() tile l jvi fi l losllio hall )((e llllI ltllquir(d th e propcrty

Within a fel lllOllth 1lallll was let ollt all d the S-S tllll o[ jlJ(cipilal iOIl elJltlIlg-(~d at tiw sallie I illl e I hat the ~llis-Chlllllcls 1111 11 was reali gnillg tile 1I e mi l ls Bi ll lltJill l who h ad (Ollll l10WlJ to rcpla(c I I( ~ Ti llI ill I he mill WIS lnade llill s upcrinl ell dcnt Iole Iroshy1)1 ~ l1Lvlopelt1 llS t hi halte)I ( 1111 sill Us IJl ()i c a jP lIeeks aHcr goillg illto sen-icc hcll ll ell Ili( kcl shyslel l shaHs IIcle illslall etl thc t roublc ras lclll e(1i((1

hclI a ll the bugs wc rc orked out Illc mill proHd 10 k tc a eapncily 01 300 tOilS ill s lea(l or tli e 200 for ililil il IIIS desigllell H((olmiddot(rmiddot IIS 1 ~J jln

Cilll UI1 the sill c r UO ]lC1 CC1l1 Oil thc goill This r s improvcd 1J) Lhc additioll of JlIOlC l ll hu (ltl lallks t he (J((l ioll of wliich kill lJ lt (~1l delayed JCCH llSe tlie g lllg nl i( York ]i(~lcls ilind rol en~dill all 1 111 iJ Cl 111( clltirc ly too o)IlOxiollS for til l rest of th e (Illljl The rilltlrs Icrc SCllt hOllle 13 1 ~Jl middotl hcll I lie III il l I S well Slilkcll dowlI milling lt ()sts e re ltlOIl 1l to 1l2 )lC lOll eOlll]llt1led with $~~GO ill tlie old lllill ltIt the t illll~ it was s ilut (lolll11oWC1 COllSlllllptioll fo) Ihl~ (lltirc mill r(lch c(l tlw V(~ly holablc jigure of 17 Up pCI tall Ireated

Cripple Creek Miners Hired

Coupled with II(~ prelimillary troubles ill the li eII mill the lllillcrs takillg- t ell-allta gc of thc (lClllJllltl Jut incrcased tOllnage called a strikc which shut dowll th e lllill for 21 days ill Septembcr and Octoocr 1912 lhirt(cll mill e rs ImiddotCl(~ hin~ll ill C ripple Cne alld apart frOI11 C[ui(d hreablJg th e s lrike thcy IJlOyc (l a grcat asset in tea eIiillg th e loca laJOrcrs to rUll t ilc air (llills alld to IJrcak groullltl to good advalJtagc

Most of thcm lctulll cd to Cripplc Crcck within a f( II y ears but 110 of I J(~ hest reillaillcd wcll illto t he ll~Os Dill JUll(S a Telelllllall IOkcd ill Si1Jallt Grande for the Titcr until 1J20 hell he lelulllcd to Cripplc Crcck nlld Ias kill(~ cl 1J a rock slah Thc (lth( middotllt-(lll I J)llll(lll llso we ill loSalla1la Cralllt1 (~ in ]~J-I- 111(1111 1(~rL ill chaJ(~ 10 (leall uplile nlIlaillin orl~ in thc Sail Mareos llli~ c whcn tilc writcr took oc7shyns assistant mallngcr at Hosario Scott) Ins shot in Ihe onek latc thlt year ll~ his clnlllkell lig-ht fOrllllltl II lt1l1 the writer Illtlcl to ]lt UIll Ih(( ulltil n Ilell JIlal frolll ]osario 111 Collins II S broken ill 10 lal l Ihe job

26

In 1113 Luis Ynllltinc upon the sHlc1en death or his wif( l(si~ Il(d as 111lllJ~(~r JI I (oJ(loli who had dOlle oulstalJ(lillg- work ill thl J1liI(~ )( ~ pllcd iiiII lr (orooll remailled tllIl il his hcaltll forced him to resigll at the cnd of 1l32 Ihell thc writcr took oer

Jllil()llg-il tl( pri(e of silver was dowll to 4G (Pl1t s ill 1~1Ii it )(althed the llliI(~a)(1 prie( or $ Ifj 1)(~1 oz ill I~J20 By lle end o[ that yeaI tlie jJriee was lw(k to G9 ccnts and it weut lowcr ill 1921 Durillg World 1i11 1 tlie cos t or supplies Jad illetCIS(u apprcciaIJI Illillillg c(lsls we re ri s illg lt111(1 1ilosL oJ t lie eillS JOIIJJ(l illld dCIc lopell Oil the northeast slop e of tilc IllOUlltlill t IC wcll depleted en1l to old fills hi eh had l)ecll giell (ollsiclerable attelltion liLh the illlprovcd s ihe r jJrice ill 1J20

Although llie UjlPlT JiO EspclltJll za cross(ut to explorr Ihe sOlllh(~Jst sidl or tIlC 1llOlllllaill hail J(II

sllrteltl ill l U12 olll a 1(11 llIillol veills were 10UI)(l alld ]lultiallI ltlncloped In May 1D20 this crosscut rea (h(~d till ~JIllol VCill IIllith proillised lICW life 10 lli e mill e UlIlil tlii s (ould lH~ delclop lll awl Ihe Iurk cuu ld bc Ico lgnlizld lo eut e xp ellses the oulshylouk [01 jlofits II S dismal

Mine Sh ut Down ill 1921

II Ir agt (llc iiled to sliut (It)n th e lllilW and this was dOll e ill early J)21 Efforls IIcrc deo(u to rcpair alld r cpla(ClII c n t 0 1 Illltllhillerl alld illlpr()I ell1ellt ill th e mill ri tli 0111 1 a skeletoll crcll Iept ill the mille 10 Jllaill ta iJl iL lId delclop th c Salladolmiddot Thc staff was (uL (1rus tiell llI A sludI was 1I1Ide to reduee milling (Ijt ~ p lrl illIlarlI bl slIiteJillg- tu llJorc pi ecc lork 11(1 (lll ( ri(ts By the (I)(J of eight Jllollilis eeolloJlli c (lJlC iJ io IS iI ( l il llp )o(d sllrriicll~ly alld opclutiolls IIC ( re uill ld ill DecclIilJc J

Ali l1 ll g1l il lllille sl rike of fi( wCIIs (1ulution look piJ(I Jll() l ~ t illg- Ihe nell Ior k ill ~ smiddot st (~ nl L1 w year 1)~Z sho ll cd greaL illJjlloV ClllcllL -lill llcadlt were lip to 23 OUll ces sill e l as Ig-ainst ]4 ill IJ 20 Total ojlndshyillg (osts ~lropped frol)) $GSJ 10 G43 pel tall Illd from i-l (( Ilt vcr siler UUIl CC to 30 CClltS

Improvements and Additions

j)urill~ lhc folloin~ 20 yelrs wallY illlproleshylllltlls and addit iOlls were 1Ilalle Th ese illelntletl IIC

]JO C l iJls[(dlatioJls Jl( sho]ls ltlJlJ additional nil COlll shy

presso r eltllJaeit~middot Ball mills replaced tltc tube mill s all(l lllallY nddiliollal agitatiull tanks as well a- SillH hlter) e rc adt1ed ] )c ICIOjgtlllCllt cOllLillueu in the so utheasL sectioll ancl llUlllerous lle and rich HillS werc elleountercu

A Diescl )Jol e r plullt was iJuilt in 1939 to alleviatc thc (liLical ]lOI( l shortage which (lUllTelt1 eaeh year dllrill~ lhe drl SC ISOIl frulli JoeIJrultlry ulltil Junc ])Ulshyillg this lleriocl thcrc was Hot enough watcr Lo genershyatc snrfici cnt ]lOWe1 to lccp wLh the mill and winc ojlcratillg all(l1he ll1ill Ias sli ut lt1mIll for six to eig-l1t hours (iii lluring Ille ]leak load period Considerable malic had hecll cX)J(1ll1e ll ill cOllstructing s torage rcscn-oirs hilt thc probl em Ias n ot solled until the Diesc l plant WIS COllst lu ctcd alld in opcraLion

Thc cost or ])iesel fllvl oil liS (llt lras tital1 lJy eldinrill iL lo storil~e tallks Ileal tlte lJOLLolll of thc moulltain Oll the Tegucigalpa side and pipillg it


shy111l[ tIle llOlLn Ho e Ol tllc nlOlllltalll Plt1ItIltlII- lor ex plolltlt iOll IllIIPOS(S Illlt also to g-aill cllclp lt1(((SS to I ill II HI III d Id d iii 0 II 11 I ltltv 1 ) 10 llld II I It n III g- II ( IIlill rot lite hydlu middot(leclli( pllIlts ()IC I(S( IS lVI IIlailllaillC(l ell t1lUut GOOOOO tUIIs alld were of sulJishyci(lIt irIdl~ to Iltlkl~ (lll of allY elllcqell( in lIletal ]1li((s 01 Ilnllllal di-a ~ tlls lortllllltltd IlUllC of these IlltlPIHll lll durillg- Illis peliod Aillioug-h tllc ltlY clag-e )lli(( Ol silHr 11 lOPWd to 2) cCllh ill 1)12 eamillgs still 11l llailled It a satisfaltol fi g-ure illl t1HlllltlllIt high gTlle OIC 10 hI Inilklt1 II ltlS 110 prulJl(1ll to [ cCll lllill hllds aloulld 0 Ollll((S siln if tlelllld 1(lisalJle

Outstanding Company Executives

W illi am J 1lllldelgasL S ll( (edl~ d -ashill g toll -alelltille IS prcside nt ill 1 II) alld hca lled the COIllshypan) ulltil liis lti(all ill 1IJ+ lll~ hall hccn eOlltroller of N ( Yok CitI ltllld likl Irkl lip 1gt((lIlle (Ill lI((l ed I illt lu-al io was al[gtoilllcll ehairlllall of the Siall luhlie SC lin~ CUllllllissio n hl Cionmor liill er lllll 1ltIlillllt1 h ltlt11 j IIIIIl ill D lO()iIIlIt lulli th ul di slgTIl(1 Oil jlolili(s 11(lI d(]g lsl rcsigll(l ill 1)30 10 d CIol( all his lillw to HUSIlio lIe had had llO lllillillg exp cricllce 1gtut Jll ~ 1 a b rilliallt executive and a wonderful lIliln for whonl to 1011 He (leserves as 11111(h lldi t 10 1 tit e oulstltlllding sll((CSS of the (0111shypall lUHl er his adnlillist rat iOIl as Mr Yalclltille dcshysClIl~d ro l th e III()]( ~ dirti(lIlt ear ly growth

IL JI Heillingll a Colo lado lllilling produtl outshysta llllillg in his work ill londula ullder the ri 1(1

allll wh()111 r pi(k(lt1 to s(lld to e w York as all apparshyen tl lli u (li-n(cdld 111 lt111 ill that orriee dllrillg 1I1 l diffishycllt l illIe illllllediJtel~ Jo llo ill g World War II beshy(ltI Illlt plsilt1en t Up OIl 11 ln ll tlerg-asts dealh )11 I~(ill i l l l r s iII(((SS hl s ) ( 111 the SOUIle o( gl (at sa lisshyiI( Iio ll 10 IIll Tilcl

Ol ile r me11 wh o dcsene 1I1 CllLioJl indude Lcwi s 1 UIlrl c lttss()tia l(l il h tile lOIIlIJltlIl~ lor a grca t Jllall~ 1(] IS Oil Ilw hoard or tli rvctos as dlailllll11 of Ihc hOlld l en lp ol ll pres idelll alld ill lila 11 1 illlpotallt lHpa(iti(s ]LIITI Cucss IIho WHS eO llsultallt fol nl1ll Hars aJIl r )1 inar L1 J lellillall fo1 lllaJl~ ~eas SI(Ilt ill alld pUIchasing agclll FrHllk C ] )(H1CIlX L gTtilt 111ttlillllgis l alld IIlilllllltll1 who die(1 o[ )llltUshy

I lllollia dlllillg tIle la st war 11 S tcphells for Jllltlll cars lhc abk Illill e SlIpe lilitellllellt alllt1 assislant 111lt111shyagel 1111(1(1 Ilt c l1ilcl ~tc]lhcI I Karrer o[ till ellgi shy1l1(Jillg d(pallll lllll (us Hu(ltil 1I1ClhllIi(11 d(partshy111(111 I ~ C CUillll lI ellltt rili 1~ IIgill(( r still wit it til t (Olllj)illl ill lIlo(itilo )lilllY olitejs ICOlltl lllelltioll wilitill tile seope o[ titis his to ]y tOlllril)lled greatly

Technical and Economic Statistics

rh l Illi11l~li ll-1JIalillg ZO lll was a large body of illshytrusie dacite alldesile wi l h sedilllclltarils on all frin gcs In d rh(di t lt ~ tufes (oering a large part of thc mount a in Lop rhe Hosa rio vein pCll et rat ed Ihe oullIill shalc [o r ltl g lal di s tall te 011 I li e Clit s idc bu t WilS lllljllodlllli( in thc shale Oil tlic west s ide o( thc 11Iolllllai11 0111 - olle Ye ill Lhc ) ocu ala 2 pencshytrated the Slllllc lllltllav al ll lOs t entirch in lhat strucshyturc It plo(luc lll ()cr 400000 tOlls of high grade OIC

Tite mill( hltld 1 lir(~ or 7 ~ )(ltI]S elosinf down ill 1~)) middotl It ]llOduled OICI $100000000 frolll slighlly Icss than G500000 ons roughly $lG per tOil I((oered

THE MINES MAGAZtNE bull JULY 1961

1IIIall(( ollHr 1ll1ll(S jsstIS 01 lIealll tv V S( III

J(llIaill((l a[[(1 aboe cx pc11ltliLurcs l)lIrillg- 111l 11-1 I(J ( als or ils Ilrl J(osltl rio avelshy

Igd Iliure t hall $iOlJOOO ill diyid elldx yearlY frOIll ore or an aerlge of IG OUllces sillel and 010 gold ore The mille (~1Il1ed with DO miles o[ cin levels 011 over 70 veins 50 11Iilcs of crosseuts eight Illaterial and manshyIIltJlldlillf slw(Ls wilh eOlTespoIlltlillg hoists two ekcshy

tric trolley haulage Ic els Olle with 50 pound rails the other illl 3)-]lOUlld r a ils secnlocomotives thrce hn 1ro-cledri ( planl s totalillg 2i(JO 11p Olle D ies( plan t of llOO 11 p 00000 feel of ilull1e lill cs selvillg Ih c plaids (000 lt(l of l~lilillgs (li s posal flullle a very erlitiellt 57G tOlls PCI day cyallid( plallt cO lllpl ete with cYltLllitle re(ovcl plallt excell clIt mechanical electrishycal aliI ca1pcnter shops a foulldry gus prouuccr pllllt Ih1ee llHlil~ s(llools with ]) teu(hers poli c( baIT)(I(s alld two 1I10li e hOllses for UI(~ llatives bes ides Ic ry cxtensive housillg facilities tenllis co urt bowlillg alleys and swinllllillg pool

Veill s aVlI(~lt1 less citall 2~ illch es wiue lllllTl ero us rieh veills as 11lt1 nOli as G inches hut seve ral UlJ to thrcc feet and occasionally uut rarely widelling to eig-ht fcet ill spols TOllnagc per foot of developmclli was llatulally low but th e vast majority of t he YeillS produced frolll (lose lo 80 )ler eellt 01 thc cin aJ(~a The cllliehcd ZO IlC ~I as usually betwecn the Loer WO level amI the LJppcr 300 an average vertical rallge of 800 feet ltIl thouglt 11 Wllcrous veills 011 the llortheast siLk had it pJot1l1etile ertieal lilIlge of 1200 fee t Lead lt111(1 ziJle eame in SIOIlg-ly l)dow thc Lower 400 SOlll ore Ias lllillC(1 below th e LOIer GriO level Jut llot much Ex]llo 1lt1 tioll 011 I he LoCel 1150 level to i IIH~st ishyga te the possibilit y o[ IorkalJl( I(ad Hila zi nc O)( faiell to sho w ( Ilollgh to bc eeoll(Jlllieul with th c Iligh lreiuht rales illlO(L1

Lahor Jurillg Ule la st 10 years averageu more t han 1000 mell per day )lot inellltlillg freighters timshyJer lime charcoa l ll1l1 IUlllber cOJltladors OperatiJig cOsts erc ltlOWll to $G50 lcr LOll which with taxes deprcciation depletioll a lld Nell York cx))cnses ran the oyer-all jo arollud $850 This held as lute as the tIII~ ] ))Os Irllell la1JolltI1ll1 supply eosts rose apTJrccishyably

HlIldsollll proiils were IWIlle ill the late yea rs OIl orc tleragillg- ] 3-oullce silver alld 010 OUllCe gold prr tOil 1[~ d)o-l l )cr eosls ( ~ ]( about $(LOO~ pel K- hOllr Diesel lower $002 bu f01tunately the Diesel s 11](1 to sllppl~ Oll the ave lag-e only 10 per c(nt o [ tile 10000000 K hUll rs ltonsullled yea rl y Assays ill the JleighlJorhoocl of 60000 a- yea-i cost $025 pel isn sehools $14000 hospital $10000 yearly 101 icc aroulltl $17000 IlliJL recovery (llelagell Jl pel ce llt Oll silver nllll U3 pel ccnt on gold Dorc bullion rouhshyl)- 2000 IJar~ allllllall~- weighing 120 pOl~nds eltle h Icre ill latc yeals shipped rOIn Tegucigalpa by planc ill Indclcllce 10 ~tlIIIllr nll valurem rates

Other Rosario Mines

Blsiclcs the Snn llareos min e in SabulltL Glltlnde (l eplcted ill 1)28 Hosario investigated during its Jast 0 years I](~arly cIe r k110WI1 old millc a1llt1 jJlosped ill llomlulns alld mail) others throughout Ccntral lllllieu Amollg thc 1I10le raquololllillent can be included

27

~ - nH -lflllIf l 11 11 llHII J JtJlll ~lil1 bullU111shy

lI l Vimiddot lt111(1 ollHI s Jhe 1d l~ 1l IIlilHs 1Ilt(1 iJl[~1l quite xllIIimiddotl - tlll1 ill tli e (111 1)10s by tll l ~ TOllopait llillill~ Lo It a loss or S[)IIH ~j~O()()OO() ViLh golll at O 111[1 local ed ill tlilt lClJlOtc jUllgle country the ope ]lt ioll (li(t JlOt have a chUJl(e with Ull ayerage 12l lllc of 03) oUllce -old orc All these golll JIIilles LlC ~1(q uir L(l arIel lo ll s iue raiJl e uecl0p lll clIt aml a Sljl l ral e (lllll]lltllly (he le ptulle GolllMilling Co was forllled ~ llI dl (0 I-he IiLe rs chagritl A S amp R Co an(l OtJIllS e rc d lo(d to parti cipate to t he exLellt or 70 )llr ((Ill lIoLiLlislllldillg tile fad Hosario ltlS ill posi tio ll 10 iililtlllle Ihe est il lliled illCs lm clIt of ~l llll ( Iit 0[1 ~ OOO O()() TodI I ill se mill es served (Xl lllSi cJ In lilpiallC hae ]gtl otillled Ilclll) f)QOOshyOOll low s ill l 0 1 ~) l 0 ()(~l ] JOOO()O OUIlCCS o[ ~old a lld ZOOO()()O l1Ullees 01 siher have becn ploduccd alld nCilrly JOOOOOO tOilS o[ ore rcmaills III 1J41 Hosario look 111 optio n Oil all ouLcrop ullscrateiled kIlOll ltIs Ilocililo locate d JHJl Lalce Y oion 011 th e Atlanti c silk nl J Illll t1 l1las Lllis WIS a hi ~ il-glatle IC lll-si lC llp la L lllll IIL deposit ill Ji lllcs tOIl C- t t IS ]lllrCIIlS(d lllll ]lui illto pll)(llleioll ill lJ- S Jo tlak thc cap il al i11(S( IllCll Lin th is ])lope r ty exceeds S2750000 The

01 ~ 1Ltr ~d il Oll l l l ( S UL J1 ll bull lU~I L UJl~ Ul JlIUshy

the ltUel s llIelte(l ill El Paso Texas This )llOdli e tioll from GOGOOO tOilS silos l J(( OVCI V o[ h(tt(I tilall ()

Ollll(es or silvcr 1)(1 tOII lL lias provcn vcr) llOlitltJid e wi th at least GOOOOO Lons in leSC le ancl mally fn tu rc p oss ibilities for a long life

Sillee the delllise of the ]ostrio llIille thc COIlI])Jlly has takcn interest ill other milles alld proj ects ]Jcyol l(l thc scope of this article to ellUlilerate The old mill e JlOW a ghost camp lllust Lc remcmbered as OIlC o[ the ~reat si lvcr mill(s or t he worl(l alillOLI~h hardly lO Il IshyptrLlJlc wiLh till st ill gJCaler IlIilJ(s (If i Jc xi(o all d Callada Eell thcse hac iJ ce n few ill llumlJer It was truly a mill crs paradi sc wiLh its mallY natural adshyanta~cs a IJI Olllltaill o[ Ji eh nifls ( ~ II(LP ]Iowcr no ore OJ wasil hoi st in g no water prolJlellls unbeatahle climate alld a fricildly goelnlllcnt to woric with iLhoul Lhe great foresight unLirill~ encrgy ltLnu Lellacit)- of ash in gtoll Valell Line and his assoeia tcs wlio dalcd to CI1 ( ~ 1 Sll(1i a prillliimiddote COUIII I S J 1011shy

dura I)llic ill ]SSO iL lll ig li L ha(~ IW(~1l a fa ilu J(~ FolshyLUll ate l thc y had whaL it takes to IJelllfiL [rolll llashyt mcs 10UII I)

VISITORS TO THE ALUMNI OFFICE

( CntlIloJ frOIll J ac 12)

l~ ~()LD G 1 0S 1EH 54 is now Iishyi ng It 3) 00 lclde S t Den e r II Colo J rtl o ld hl fi ll i hcd a t ou r ~ Jnet~lllIrshy) isl for B J ltic ll Clipper Co i ll Ch ile Now hI is clllt-id cri nj S t 1I11Cthill ~ ill th e Slat es l ll i l Illay return l O Suuth illlc lic a

(~ UST C L NEU1gtA Nt 21 worb t ut tht U ~ Bureau of rodi s but lives in Collq lHk t Gus was hete fo r C OIIIIIIL IIC lIIIllI l lid [he Allnual Banqu e[ bo[ h of hid l hL elli oye d

THO lo-t S E ~OHTIIOI 32 who i s direct o r of En g ineeri n g and Operations (l1S F) CI 7S 00 dl i BC RU A I(~ 21S Ne Yo r k Wl~ ill Denver fur i s hort visit Ile 111 be addresseu at 4135 E 16th 1vc lle tr Co lu e arc 1 11 )s plea sed hell gtI) l11e o ne frulll o erselS 1I1a kes Ihe crron t o cu m e in ~lId sec us and Im o rry t h at w e Ji d not hav e )) o re lilll tO$ bhcr

RICIIlnl ] PITNEY 60 was throuh ])encr en rOllte (0 fort B cho ir Va wh e re he will clJIllpic [e his Illili ary service I ll is on m ilitary leave fr o ln Columbia Iron Minin Co of CedH C it) Ulah A [cn1 1gtrary addr ess fo r Dick is S I 5 S lli gh St j)enycr 9 Cu lo

JOIlN S TI B B S 37 chid gcologi[ and ge lJp hysiciq Pellll s al l Chc Illical C orl was on t he C1l1ljHIS attcl1diI~ the -i lion cu urs ill lt~c o dlJnislr t h1l i~ bLing (Jfshyfeled this Sll llllt1cr lI e 1- ill lprc -- cd wi th l hL cOllrse and said 1111 1 eery gCI1IshyoJ is t s ho ulu have such a co urse if he expects to r emai n currellt ill the dnclopshyn) ellts in the application of Ccoc h elll istry John s h oule addre ss is 1OUlc No 3 1arioll Ky (S ec rcport clsrItnc ill thi s issue cuncerni11g lhe G eoc hlltli s trr Course) shy

LESTEIZ C TIlOM1S 12 a lifti o llJ supportcr of 1gt ine s was in o ur offi ce 1 reg re t tha [ 1 did 1I 0 t have an op portuniy to talk with Lect for he has Jlways I) cen (JI)e o f our s tauncltest fricnu s Bellcr luc k lilxt ti llle

]01 1-lt s A N DEEPOOL 55 wh o has bee n a gcoloJis t f o r Phillips Petroleulll Co was in Dencc look in J fu r 1 ne si tua[i o n lie nlay st ill be reached at J SOO Dc l Nu rt e IZanch N 11 Howecr John er pee ts to Inoe h is falllil- from th ere sho rt I)

WI L Lllgt II WAllL 58 of 2555 D lke Street IZi chm o nd Calif slopped in while here un a Colo rado visi[ 1 under shystand that Bill was returning to RichshylIIonu within the next few Jays

JEIUZY J WARNEI5S geologist with Northern Illin o is Gas Co has heen illv olcd in Jas storage for the past thrce ) e)IS J S h is company is developing in si [u s to rage lI ear enou g h to slI pply Chishycago at peak lo~ds His h ome addrcss is 956 estcrtl Ae Vateseka lit

JLBERT 11 WIEDeR II 60 wh o ha s been w ith Ihe US GS Se rvice a[er Branch in Tucson Ariz was vi s iting in DCIlrr en route to Fort llehoir [0 COIllshy

plete his Illilitary service IIe is on milishy[alY Jc 1 VC frum the USGS alld hi s pershylllI le nt 1ddress for the presem wil l be 123+ S Gilpin St Dellnr 10 Culo

ROBERT f ZI11ER1-N 5 3 is now an Alplicaliun Ellgillcer with AllisshyChal lllers 1 allllbctliring Co lIe is li shyio g It 5+1 3 Lin coln Avc 1ilwaukcc J 9 i s was pleasetl to meet Robert f for it has been rather complicated to hae tw o Rohert Zilllnermalls both of who lll gradllateu as IIlc[311l1rgicai eogishylIeers io 1 95~ This Is further COlllplishycated hy [he fa Ct that one was Robert f and [he other one was Rubert II If yf1U

write about the Zimlllerrll~l s be sure to

Us e the correct midtlle initial

TII01fAS 11 GAHNETT EM II 98+ 13[h 5 1 Bo ulde r Colo 110 who li st s hilllself as retired (actualy he is bu s ier [hJn most of us) came dow) to ch ec k O f

[he progress of the plan s fo r the 50 th IZr u Jliu li o f his cbss

CORDON L GIA Y Ceoi E 50 of Cali~ar) Alena (2+1 2 SandhJrst Ave) was here on bu illcss IIe is a lllcmiJn of Ihe consuiJillg lirm of IIunt RaddifIe and Gray

llOAIW L MINI STER EM 16 call)e OUt to se [lle a lollg- s[tJltiing con shytruv e r s) It was seltled to the ben efi t of all concerned and lloartl is again an actit~ me lnG er of the Association

Il lRO L) E KELLOGG Ceot E 55 who is geol J ist merican Oversea s P eshytro leum Ltd ca llie by while he is home n n lea ve llc is re tur ning to Ankara Turshykey wh erc hi~ audre ss is PK 52 VebshyIe lie r

CLElo- ENT A LEIINERTZ Jr Geo l E 52 is a lanner in Exploration EngishyIleering together ilh dam Thomas 52 allti Bob Turley 52 with oflicc~ in the o lllh Cot Life Building Hou sto n Thill gs are loo killg lip for this young ceJlllpany alld )OU hae ou r best wi shes f u r succ ess in the ventllre

j ivlE S II MUNRO Ceo E 39 who has bee II Add re ss Unkllown for several )C3IS ca le hack to MINE S fur the first time ill 20 years Ii s au d ress is 6[8 So Lake Miles City Mont We a re pleased to remo vc YOll r Ilallle from [he Adtl re ss lInkown d we lcume YUlI S n active Jllllll) c r

(Colllillllet Oil page 40)

THE MINES MAGAZINE bull JULY 1961 28

Late in 1525 COl-fez reached the bay of Honduras ncar the extreme southeast corner of Guatemala There he learned of the fate of Olid whom Casas had ordered beheaded in the market place of Maco for rebellion against Cortez Learning that the rebellion has been suppressed Cortez embarked on two brigantines that had just arrived with supplies and headed for Trujillo the principal Spanish settlement on the Atlantic coast of Honduras There he was warmly welcomed upon his arrival

After resting for several months except for short journeys into the interior he became convinced of the rich agricultural possibilities of Chamelecon and Vlua Valleys and the placer possibilities of Olancho

He therefore planned to head an expedition to explore still farther south into Nicaragua possibly goshying as far as Panama However learning from Zuaco one of his functionarios in Mexieo City that the proshyvisional government there had proclaimed his death and had confiscated most of his property he abanshyrloned the project Cortez deeiderl to return to Mexico at once and to postpone further explorations southshyward He left for Mexico by sea on April 25 152() amI arrived in Mexico City in June There he was given a tumultuous welcome by th~ populace alshythough the prOisional government officials were far from pleased with his unexpected resurrection

Although it is not recorrled that Cortez eyer reshyturned to Houduras all of Central America was exmiddot plored and conquered before the end of the 16th century Spanish domination continued for nearly three centuries

Mineral Deposits Discovered

It is safe to say that 80 per cent of all the presentshyly known mineral deposits in Central America were

discovered and were being worked in a crude way by the beginning of the eighteenth century The ore deposits not discovered by the Spanish explorers and later found by French English and American enterprise were situated in remote areas Heavy jungle malaria-infested and tropical rain forests of the highlands where forest debris covered mineral outshycrops effectively were the last to give up their secrets

Nearly all of the lode mines discovered by the Spaniards lie on the Pacific slope of the Continental Divide The heavy rainfall and very dense vegetation on the Atlantic slope curtailed the explorations which were carried out more easily on the more open and healthful terrain on the Pacific side

General Similarity in Climate

Although each Central American country has a somewhat distinctive climate there is a general simshyilarity Altitudes largely gonrn temperatures which are hot and relatively dry on the Pacific slope until an elevation of ~500 feet is reached Above that elevashytion a remarkably temperate climate continues to an eleyation of approximately 8000 feet This area is marked by very constant and distinct wet and dry seasons The drv season extends for at least five months with n~ rainfall except for a few light showers Even during the wet season when rainfall averages 50 to 60 inches a year rains usually occur late in the afternoon or night followed by clear days This condition makes for much less heaY vegetation better traveling and working conditions than in the low lands

On the Atlantic slope temperatures vary little from the Pacific but the higher humidity cansI increased discomfort in the lower elevations The dry season there is much shorter but the rainfall is double






















35






















-- -- -

~II t t ~ ~ t1 ~ ~~

-I ~ ~ t ~lt

~























37










bull L




Lo-Temp Detacord


DENVER 5 COLORADO




~11



CATTLE RAISERS







9 H D Campbell 42





Cenhal America











1l0l




22

K H MATHESOH II












f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt


0




middot ~c









~











_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _


23















24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27





















































35






















-- -- -

~II t t ~ ~ t1 ~ ~~

-I ~ ~ t ~lt

~























37










bull L




Lo-Temp Detacord


DENVER 5 COLORADO




~11



CATTLE RAISERS







9 H D Campbell 42





Cenhal America











1l0l




22

K H MATHESOH II












f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt


0




middot ~c









~











_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _


23















24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27






















































-- -- -

~II t t ~ ~ t1 ~ ~~

-I ~ ~ t ~lt

~























37










bull L




Lo-Temp Detacord


DENVER 5 COLORADO




~11



CATTLE RAISERS







9 H D Campbell 42





Cenhal America











1l0l




22

K H MATHESOH II












f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt


0




middot ~c









~











_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _


23















24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27










































bull L




Lo-Temp Detacord


DENVER 5 COLORADO




~11



CATTLE RAISERS







9 H D Campbell 42





Cenhal America











1l0l




22

K H MATHESOH II












f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt


0




middot ~c









~











_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _


23















24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27


































Cenhal America











1l0l




22

K H MATHESOH II












f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt


0




middot ~c









~











_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _


23















24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27

































f

(-50

ltl

i

~

C 5-00 ~fI ~ l

(JJ

00

-

L NJegt


0




middot ~c









~











_UJ _B_ -it _mI_ _


23















24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27















































24 M
















I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27

































I

j

I

j ~ I ~

1 ~

I

I

1

1

~

I I

i r I



I













-cursing










t -~


25












26

































Other Rosario Mines


27












































26

































Other Rosario Mines


27



















































Other Rosario Mines


27

































k.h. matheson mines mag

Documents