This were difficu
lt yea rs for the operation, and a final crunch
came in 1902. The
plans was handling just about every ore it could get - custom smelting included. And that meant copper was among those ores. Copper, in fact, was such a vital part of the smelter's daily operations that depressed copper market conditions forced a closure of the smelter. That was in April. On June 30, 30
and was leveled. Silver City's hopes were dashed since the whole operation was going to be sold and once again put into productions. The sale took place anyway, and Comanche Mining Smelting Co. was the new owner. The reduction works were build on a larger scale. In 1906, the newspaper had this to sa
h this ponderous machinery is housed is 72 feet high and is by far the most imposing structure in theses parts, being 63 feet in width and 122 feet long. "A metallic conveyer will carry the ore from the bins to the large crusher,
vated... the oversize of this going to the picking belt were boys and men will be employed to pick out the different classes of ore that is to go direct to the smelter. "The water for the mill will be pumped from the arroyo, which passes through Silver City and past the smelter... The little Silver Cit
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y, Pinos Altos & Mogollon railroad hauled ore to this smelter, but only briefly. Comanche was absorbed by Savannah Copper Company which operated the plant for a short time. Even at first, Savannah was caught up in the dream that first captured the Hearst family, and later the Comanche Co. Savannah made some improvement at the plan, and the smelter could allegedly handle between 250 and 300 tons or ore per day. Like Comanche, Savannah was also interested in buying or
We Laminate.erations. Again, the Independent - the weekly predecessor to the Daily Press - had this to say in 1908: "The main ore supply will be drawn from t
We Scan.he company's mines, but custom ore will be purchased and fair and square treatment accorded the miner," it said. The
whole operation - like the narrow-gauge railroad - never really panned out. The operation was idle for several years until 1913. Then, Romaine Fielding and the Lubin Motion Picture Company came to town, and the abandoned smelter caught the director's eye. "Sundy was a thrilling day for the Silver City people," said the Independent that year. "The Lubin Co. enacted a drama at the smelter below town, blew
up the narrow gauge railroad bridge and two large water tanks and incidentally furnished amusement for 2,000 people scattered over the surrounding hills w
We Create.atching the interesting events." Fielding directed a mock labor riot at the smelter and 200 actors rushed up the hill behind the smelter and set fire to the water tanks. As they rand down the hill, the tanks blew up. "The site was a beautiful one, the tanks being shot fully 200 feet in the air and the rioters and spectators were covered with a shower of slingers and rocks." Later, when part of the narrow-gauge rai
lroad was to be exploded, the cap didn't go off. Undaunted, Fielding grabbed a pi
stol and fired at the dynamite. The fo