M A G A N E - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

and
Manganese, indispensable in the manufacture
of highgrade steel, is most important
among all strategic minerals. Domestic production
of manganese in the United States
amounts to only 5 or 6 per cent of the
nation's requirements. This is why the
federal bureau of mines is making every
possible effort to develop an adequate supply
from American mines. Ten properties
in Arizona are under detailed examination
by government engineers. Research workers
are trying to perfect processes to make recovery
of the metal commercially feasible
from lowgrade deposits. Nevada output of
manganese is increasing. Tin, antimony,
nickel, chromite, tungsten and mercury are
other items on the strategic minerals list
scarce in this country.
Slobe, Arizona . . .
From old dumps in the Chrysotile district
asbestos is shipped via highway 60 to rail
loading point at Globe. Mining men say
that a vast amount of material thrown away
in earlier days can now be treated and
handled at a profit.
Goldiield, Nevada . . .
War demand for quicksilver with development
of Warm springs cinnabar field has
created a new desert mining town, christened
Mercury Center. Inhabitants of the new
town are producers and workers mining
mercury ore.
• • •
Kingmcm, Arizona . . .
Schedule at the Williams tungsten mine
72 miles southeast of here calls for early
completion of the new 100-ton concentrator.
Ore was accumulated for start of operations
in July. Forty-five men are employed.
A 1,000-foot tunnel is being driven at a
vertical depth of 220 feet, to cut the main
vein.
• • •
Golconda, Nevada . . .
With $60,000 dividend in June, Getchell
mine, inc., has distributed $1,050,000 profits
to stockholders since its first dividend
in August 1938. Exploration is under way
beyond the main workings.
Caliente, Nevada . . .
Alonzo Machay and associates of Salt
Lake City have leased with $125,000 option
14 claims covering a gold strike made
by Irvine Bauer in the Comet district. The
Bauer find was responsible for a stampede
to the district when it was reported assays
ran as high as $3,000 to the ton. Immediate
development of the property is one of the
conditions of the agreement.
Mojave, California . . .
Tin has been found in the gold mine of
the Caliente Rainbow company in Kern
county, according to C. M. Hart, superintendent.
Hart said he had found trouble in
amalgamating gold from the mine and analysis
disclosed the presence of tin caused
the difficulty. Assay showed the refined
metal contained 48.2 percent tin; 31-6 gold
and 13.6 silver. Price of tin has advanced
12 cents a pound in the past six months.
Ajo, Arizona . . .
In the Quijota mining district, 50 miles
east of here along the Tucson highway, a
gold strike is reported with ore running as
high as $34,209 to the ton, according to
R. M. Hines, Quijota postmaster. Prospector
Bill Coplen is credited with the discovery.
Mining men who have visited Coplen's
claim say his find "bears promise and
merits exploration." Other discoveries have
been reported from time to time in this
district, but as one Arizona editor writes,
"no considerable permanence of very rich
gold occurrence seems to be authenticated
as yet."
Hard Rock I
of Death Valley
Hard Rock finished reading the
latest copy of the Inferno News Empire,
folded it up and tossed it
aside drearily.
"Ho hum," he sighed. "The
things they print as news nowadays!
Chink Walters had a tooth yanked
—bet it wasn't a wisdom tooth! The
ladies down to the First Asbestos
Episcopal church had a basket sociable.
It ain't rained for three year.
There was a article on how to make
hens lay more eggs. But it was the
one about auto racin' that was the
worst. Why these tenderfeet drivin'
cars nowadays don't know nothin'
about racin.' I'd like to've saw some
of 'em in one o' the World Champeenship
Desert Cross Country Marathons
we usta have in here."
Hard Rock began to take an interest
in his subject and sat up a
bit to demonstrate better.
"Back when c-trs was new an'
roads wasn't much better we usta
run them marathons ever' year, an'
Mister! There was a race! Begun
here, run over to Darwin, on down
to Loco, cross to Chuckawaller
Holler, then over to Fried Egg canyon
an' up Eight Ball crick to Inferno
again. Two hunnerd an' 37
an' fourteen hunnerths miles — not
countin' some short cuts I knowed
about. It took real drivin.' I helt
the champeenship for 10 year right
up 'til I had a big augerment with
the judges, an' after that I quit
Albuquerque, New Mexico . . .
New Mexico mines are busy, production
is stepping up, if present scale of operations
continues mineral output for the current
year may double the figure for 1939, which
was $18,988,622. Payrolls are higher than
in any recent year and Chino's big smelter
at Hurley is turning out ten million pounds
of blister copper monthly. Union Potash
and chemical company has a $1,500,000 program
to produce 2000 tons a day.
• • •
Washington, D. C. . . .
Bill authorizing the feJ_ral reconstruction
finance corporation to make loans not
exceeding $20,000 for development of strategic
minerals has been passed by the senate
and sent to the house of representatives for
action. Corporations, individuals and partnerships
would be eligible for these loans,
under terms of legislation sponsored by senator
Pat McCarran of Nevada.
By LON GARRISON
drivin'. Then the race got so punk
they quit havin' it.
"Last race I was in I got in
trouble right away. Got stuck in
the sand on on? o' my short cuts,
an' by the time I got out they was
all ahead o' me. I lir out after 'em,
an' one at i time started catchin'
up an' passin' 'em. I got by all of
'em but one, an' all the way up
Eight Ball crick I was right on his
tail. Figgered I'd pass 'im on that
straight stretch just outside o' town.
"I pulled up alongside, shoved
on around an' headed for home like
the Old Lady was after me. I was
doin' so good I got careless. The
guy I'd just passed was pushin' me
close an' I was feedin' the buggy
all the gas she'd take, an' we was
only about a hunnerd yards from
pay dirt. I looked up to wave at
the Mayor as I whizzed past, an'
just then I hit a little sandy spot.
I started skiddin', slid sideways, an'
quick as a wink was turned clean
around. Yes sir — the other guy
couldn't pass an' he couldn't stop.
So I had a head-on collision with
the car that was foJIerin' me. He
hit so hard he shoved me right on
acrosst the line--the winner! Yes
sir—I won fair an' square, but after
the judges got through I was so
disgusted I quit racin'. They said
that when I won I'd been goin
backwards an' they plumb disqualified
me!"
AUGUST, 1940 43