FINAL REPORT ON THE COMPLETION OF MEASURES TO
MITIGATE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS TO HISTORIC PROPERTIES
caused by
Remediation actions at the
HAmm's Tailings and Penrose Dump
Operable Unit 6, California Gulch Superfund Site
Lake County, Colorado
Prepared by:
Prepared for.
Bobbie Ferguson
United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Technical Services Center
Denver, Colorado
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region Vffl
Denver, Colorado
February 1998/December 2001/May 2006
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FINAL REPORT ON THE COMPLETION OF MEASURES TO
MITIGATE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS TO HISTORIC PROPERTIES
caused by
Remediation actions at the
HAmm's Tailings and Penrose Dump
Operable Unit 6, California Gulch Superfund Site
Lake County, Colorado
Prepared by:
Prepared for
Bobbie Ferguson
United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Technical Services Center
Denver, Colorado
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region VHI
Denver, Colorado
February 1998/December 2001/May 2006
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PREFACE
Under Intergovernmental Agreements with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
Bureau of Reclamation (BR) completed engineering and cultural resources investigations
and oversight at the California Gulch Superfund Site in Leadville, Colorado, over several
years, beginning in the early 1990s. Among the cultural resources investigations were the
1994-1995 survey and evaluation of the Hamm's Tailings and Penrose Dump, and the
subsequent completion of mitigation measures at the two sites, the results of which are
reported in this volume.
No comments were received on the final draft of this report submitted to EPA in February of
1999. Over time, funding for work at the California Gulch sites was eliminated and the
pressure of other work left the draft final report sitting on a shelf. When the author decided
to retire at the end of 2001, getting the report out became important for several reasons The
first was closure—finishing what was begun Another was the need to make available the
results of the considerable time and money devoted to completing the work And, it is
possible that the results of the historic research, particularly that on the operations of the
metals program during World War II, in which Mr Hamm participated, may be of use to
others researching mining in Colorado or elsewhere.
At the end of December of 2001, all the pieces (final photographs, maps, etc.) were
identified and captioned, some cabbaged from other reports, and left to be put in final form
Early in 2002 the report was printed and a copy sent to Mr. Hamm for review His
comments, though limited in number, deserved attention, as did some logistical items
Momentum was lost.
At last, all the outstanding items requiring attention, some the product of haste in the push to
finish so long ago, appear resolved and the report can be distributed.
Mr. Hamm's much-appreciated letter of comment is included in Appendix E and is noted on
page 30.
Bobbie Ferguson
Denver, Colorado
May 2006
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF APPENDICES ni
LIST OF FIGURES iv
LIST OF TABLES iv
LIST OF MAPS iv
ABSTRACT v
BACKGROUND 1
GENERAL PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND SETTING 2
THE HISTORIC PROPERTIES OF THE REMEDIATION ACTION 3
THE HAMM'S TAILINGS (5LK852) 3
The History 3
The Hamms' Enterprises to World War II 3
The Original Hamm-Leadville Connection 3
The First Investment - Leadville Metals Milling Company 3
The Second Investment - H G N Mining and Milling Company 4
The United States Resists and Then Prepares for War 7
1939-December 1941 7
America Joins the Allies 14
The Premium Price Plan 14
The War Production Board 16
The Administration of the Premium Price Plan 17
Revisions to the Premium Price Plan 20
The Metals Reserve Company 21
Mr Hamm's New Wartime Operation 23
The Post-War Mill 28
Labor and the End of the Mill 28
The Results of Monitoring during Remediation Construction at the Hamm's
Tailings 30
The Tipple 31
The Flume 32
Photographs and Photo Documentation 32
Construction Drawing of the Hamm's Tailings and Plan Map of Hamm's Mill
Remains 32
Other Mitigation Measures 3 3
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PENROSE DUMP (5LK853) 33
History of the Penrose Mine 33
Development and Production, 1890-1897 34
Labor Turmoil 35
The Second Period of Production, 1899-1907 36
New Pumping 36
Infrastructure for Production 39
Continued Pumping, 1903-1907 41
An Interim, 1908-1911 42
The Final Period, Pumping and Production on a Grand Scale, 1913 -1919 43
Getting Started Again 43
The New Pumping Operation 44
Decline and Closure, 1920-1929 47
Big Pumps Pulled 47
A Last Try 48
The Mine's Name 49
The Results of Monitoring During Remediation Construction at the Penrose
Dump 51
The Tunnel 51
Penrose Shaft 54
Penrose Transformer Building 55
Artifacts from the Penrose Site 55
Photographs and Photo Documentation of the Penrose Dump 56
Plan Map of Hamm's Mill Remains 56
CONCLUSION 56
REFERENCES CITED
57
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LIST OF APPENDICES
A - Effects and Mitigation Plan, Letter of concurrence from the Colorado State
Historic Preservation Officer
B - Historic Photographs of the Hamm's Mill
C - Executive Orders Establishing the War Production Board
D - "Leadville, A Report to the Colorado Mining Association on the Leadville
District for the Year 1943"
E - Results of Hamm's Mill and Tailings Construction Monitoring
F - Contemporary Pre- and Post-Remediation Photographs of the Hamm's Mill
and Tailings
G - As-built Drawing of the Hamm's Tailings and Mill, and Plan Map of Hamm's
Mill Remains
H - Historic Photographs of the Penrose Mine
I - "The Unwatering of the Downtown Mining District of Leadville"
J - Results of Penrose Mine Dump Remediation Monitoring
K - Contemporary Pre- and Post-Remediation Photographs of the Penrose Mine
Dump
L - Plan Map of Penrose Mine Buildings
iii
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Number
1 Letter to John Haram from George C Heikes, Chief of the Zinc Branch,
War Production Board, July 11, 1942
2 1895 Sanborn Map of Penrose Mine and Surrounding Area
3 1906 Sanborn Map of Penrose Mine and Surrounding Area
LIST OF TABLES
Table Number
1 Organization of the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense,
October 30, 1940.
2 Organization of the Office of Production Management, March 31, 1941
3 Organization of the War Production Board, March 30, 1942
4 Emergency War Agencies, Fall 1942
5 1946 Metal Concentrates in Pounds Reported by ASARCO for John Hamm
Mining & Milling
6 Mr John Hamm's Table of Production of Materials Milled in His Plant
LIST OF MAPS
Map Number
1 Hamm's Tailings, Penrose Dump and Starr Ditch Remediation Sites,
Leadville, Lake County, Colorado
2 Hamm's Tailings Remediation Site with Locations of Historic Sites
3 Penrose Dump Remediation Site with Historic Information
IV
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ABSTRACT
The U S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that two physical features
within Operable Unit 6 of the California Gulch Superfund Site, Leadville, Colorado required
treatment to control threats to human health and the environment As a result of cultural
resources survey and evaluation conducted in 1994-1995, the Hamm's Tailings (5LK852)
and the Penrose Dump (5LK853) were determined to be eligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places as contributing elements to the proposed Leadville Mining
District (5LK856)
When EPA determined that its actions to remediate the contamination at the two historic
properties would have an adverse effect on the properties, the agency submitted a plan to
mitigate those adverse effects to the Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)
The SHPO concurred in the finding of adverse effect and with the mitigation measures,
which are included here in Appendix A
The results of completing the mitigation measures, which include historic research, photo
documentation, construction monitoring, and preparing measured plans are in this report
These measures created a record of the features which will assure their importance and pre-
remediation appearance are known in the future
Remediation construction changed both the appearance and the volume of material in both
features Because of these changes, the Hamm's Tailings and the Penrose Dump are no
longer considered to be contributing to the Leadville Mining District (5LK856)
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FINAL REPORT ON THE COMPLETION OF
MEASURES TO MITIGATE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF REMEDIATION TO
THE HAMM'S TAILINGS AND PENROSE DUMP,
HISTORIC PROPERTIES OF THE LEADVTLLE MINING DISTRICT
BACKGROUND
In its investigation of toxic materials at the California Gulch Site in Leadville, the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that two physical features within
Operable Unit 6 required treatment to control threats to human health and the environment
The features are the Hamm's Tailings and the Penrose Dump shown on Map 1. To
determine whether these historic sites were eligible for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places, cultural resources survey and evaluation were completed in the fall and
winter of 1994-1995 by the Bureau of Reclamation under agreement with the Environmental
Protection Agency The results are reported in the 1995 Final Report on the Cultural
Resources Identification and Evaluation for the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis of
the Hamm's Tailings, Penrose Dump and Starr Ditch, Operable Unit 6, California Gulch
Superfund Site, Lake County, Colorado (ID & E report) by Bobbie H. Ferguson.
By letters of January 14 and February 13,1995, the Colorado State Historic Preservation
Officer (SHPO) confirmed consultations with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
which the Hamm's Tailings (5LK 852) and the Penrose Dump (5LK853) were determined to
be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as contributing elements to
the proposed Leadville Mining District (5LK856). The EPA determined that the actions
necessary to remediate contamination at the two historic properties would have an adverse
effect on the qualities for which the properties were determined to be contributing and
submitted a plan to mitigate those effects to the SHPO. By letter of September 24,1996, the
SHPO concurred in the finding of adverse effect and with the proposed mitigation measures.
The mitigation plan and letter of concurrence are in Appendix A.
The plan includes the same mitigation measures for both features additional research on
specific aspects of the history of the mine or mill, on-the-ground monitoring during
construction, and photo documentation to Athearn's (1994) Level II standard prior to
construction. A measured plan map of the foundations or features outside the Areas of
Potential Effect was to be added to the official state site form. In addition, for the Hamm's
"T
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fence to be placed around the perimeter of the upper portion of the reconfigured tailings-
planned as a part of the remediation prior to the development of the mitigation plan—was
included in the mitigation plan as an enhancement to the historic landscape The results of
all measures are to be integrated with the research completed for the ED & E report into a
final report printed on archival bond paper
The results of carrying out the agreed-to mitigation measures are documented here For each
feature, the results of the historic research are integrated with the historic research from the
ID & E report to fill out the feature's history The history is followed by the results of
construction monitoring And last, the results of the photo documentation are discussed and
referenced in appropriate appendices The results of the survey, evaluation discussions, and
public comment and responses which are in the 1995 ED & E report are not repeated here
GENERAL PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND SETTING
The Site-wide identification and evaluation plan for cultural resources investigations in the
California Gulch Superfund Site describes the environment and setting of California Gulch
The project area is located in Lake County, Colorado in the upper Arkansas River
Valley, approximately 100 miles southwest of Denver (Figures 1 and 2) 1 The area
encompasses approximately 16 5 square miles It includes the town of Leadville and the
community of Stringtown, and extends from the confluence of the Arkansas River and
California Gulch downstream to the Lake Fork Creek confluence The Mosquito Range,
a straight, narrow granite ridge, about 80 miles in length and characterized by long,
regular slopes and deep glacial gorges, lies to the east and separates the Valley from
South Park The foothills of the glacial gorges, lie to the east and separates the Valley
from South Park The foothills of the Mosquito Range slope westward toward the
Valley and contain a number of east-west gulches, including California, Stray Horse,
Evans, and Iowa Gulches West of Leadville lies the Continental Divide along the crest
of the broader, steeper Sawatch Range, which has U-shaped valleys and is divided by
deep gorges. To the southwest, in the Sawatch Range, are Mount Elbert, the highest
mountain peak in Colorado and the second highest in the continental United States at
14,431 feet, and Mount Massive, the state's second highest peak at 14,421 feet
The Arkansas River has its headwaters in Tennessee Park, northwest of Leadville, and
flows southward between the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges, turning east to cut through
the southern Mosquito Range in deep canyons (Emmons 1886 3-4, Simmons 1990 12,
Chronic 1980 140-141) Elevations within the project area range from approximately
9,570 feet along the Arkansas River to 12,250 feet on the west flank of Ball Mountain
'Figures not reproduced in this document
2
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The city of Leadville extends from the north bank of California Gulch, along the foot of
Carbonate Hill, to the valley of the East Fork of the Arkansas The town's altitude of
10,152 feet above sea level makes it the third highest incorporated city in Colorado
Leadville's altitude and topography profoundly influenced its settlement and growth A
popular description of the area's climate is that it includes "ten months of winter and two
months of late fall" These factors delayed the region's development until the discovery
of rich mineral resources (Emmons ibid 5, Works Progress Administration 1941 168,
Paul 1972 180,) (Martorano and Killam 1994 1 & 2)
THE HISTORIC PROPERTIES OF THE REMEDIATION ACTION
THE HAMM'S TAILINGS (5LK852)
In the remediation the Hamm's Tailings served as the repository for all of the 167,000 cubic
yards of material removed from the Penrose Dump Perimeter drains were lined with
geosynthetic materials and the tailings and dump material were reshaped and covered with
material from a separate borrow area
The Area of Potential Effect for the remediation of the Hamm's Tailings defined at the time
the survey and evaluation were completed was roughly the extent of the tailings and
excluded what remained of the mill itself The maximum extent of the tailings,
approximately 1450 feet long by 750 feet wide, is delineated on Map 2 During remediation
of the area adjacent to the site on the east, a decision was made to remove toxic material
from around the mill remains The results of monitoring during that construction are
included below with the discussion of the tailings
The History
The Hamms' Enterprises to World War II
The Original Hamm-Leadville Connection
Percy E Hamm came to Leadville with his parents and siblings in 1879 as an infant and by
age 12 found a job pushing tram cars in the Maid of Erin mine to support his widowed
mother and family Through his skills in mathematics, spelling and penmanship and his
hard work, he moved to an office position and in time to his own enterprises With his new
bride he left Leadville in 1904 to return "in capital only" in 1935
The First Investment - Leadville Metals Milling Company
Mr Percy Hamm and associates, including his son John, purchased the Leadville Metals
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DIG IT ALLY
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Milling Company which had in turn bought out the old Colorado Leadville Mill in
California Gulch (Hamm 1992a 5,6,18) The elder Mr Hamm was convinced that there
was money to be made in processing dumps to extract gold, but his purchase was motivated
"entirely by his desire to get his youngest son situated, as they said in those days" (Hamm
1992a 17) Due to personality conflicts which developed with the change of one owner, the
venture was not successful, and ultimately a suit was filed by Mr Percy Hamm and Dr John
Andrew who had become minority owners The property was placed in bankruptcy and
purchased by Mr Percy Hamm and Mr Andrew in 1938 (Hamm 1992a 33) The land at the
Leadville Metals was disposed of in approximately 1943 (Hamm 1992a 34), a quitclaim
deed for the Leadville Metals property, including plant and equipment, was signed on
December 30, 1941, by all owners, except Percy Hamm who had died in June (Lake County
Court Records, book 290 174)
The Second Investment - H G N Mining and Milling Company
Mr Hamm had not changed his mind on setting his son up or on the money to be made in
processing dumps In 1937, before the lawsuit on the Leadville Metals Milling Company
was resolved, construction began on a new mill on Carbonate Hill along upper Fifth Street-
Stray Horse Gulch, a location closer to the desirable dumps (Hamm 1992a 12, 36) (See
map 2)
The new company was the H G N Mining and Milling Company, whose name Mr Hamm
explained "H is for Hamm, G is for Graham, Tommy G, and the N is for Nicholson, Murt
Nicholson P E Hamm and Thomas Graham furnished all the money " Mr Nicholson was
a friend and superintendent at the Little Jonny and Ibex Mining Company One additional
stockholder, Harrison Dewar, participated for a few months (1992a 62) The H G N was
in business until the fall of 1941 when it was changed to a limited partnership, the partners
included John Hamm, general partner, and Katharine C Hamm, Eugene A Bond, John
Andrew, P F. Best, and J H Roberts, limited partners The change was to obtain some tax
relief (1992a-68)
Appendix A of the Certificate of Formation of Limited Partnership, signed September 2,
1941, and filed on October 21, lists the leases which had been obtained for the operation of
the original (1937) company and which were extended to the new partnership These
include a lease with the Maid of Erin Silver Mining Company for placing the mill on the
Henriett (sic) property, leases from Ibex Mining Company, Rawlings Mining Company, and
St Ann Lode Mining claim for dumps to process, and an agreement with Ezra Dickerman
for use of water in Shaft 5 of the Evening Star and to deposit tailings on certain properties
Mr Hamm elaborated on these arrangements The mill was on Maid of Erin properties,
there was a lease on the Star properties (includes the Evening Star, Morning Star, Waterloo,
Buckeye Bell, Bismarck, Carleton, and Portland mines) for tailings disposal, and leases on
the Valley Dump, Fanny Rawlings, Maid of Erin and Henriett (sic), Wolftone, and
Cleveland and Winnie dumps for processing The company owned the Adams group of
three claims and at some point bought the Niles and August (sic) claims (1992a 64)
4
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Mr Hamm noted that one of the reasons for the location of the mill was the presence of a
Denver and Rio Grande spur for shipping, "And before we got going, they took it out" All
material was hauled by truck, it was cheaper (1992a 80)
Appendix A of the partnership certificate also lists the structures and equipment of the
physical plant in 1941
1 a Main Mill Building
b Filter Building
c Crusher Building
d Shop Building
e Bin and Conveyor House
f Office Building
g Ramp
2 All milling and mining machinery and equipment, including all mills, crushers,
tables, flotation machines, motors, classifiers, blowers, screens, and screening plant,
heaters, pumps, scales, and laboratory and assaying appliances, jigs, saws, boilers,
feeders, transformers, starters, tanks, presses, belts, pipe, electric wiring, typewriters,
desks, office equipment, supplies, and ore in process, and all articles, including the
above, held for or used at the milling operations of The H G N Mining and Milling
Company on August 30, 1941 upon the property of The Maid of Erin Silver Mines
Company and elsewhere in Lake County, Colorado
3 One (1) P & H Shovel, with dipper and attachments complete
4 One (1) International pick-up truck
This was the original plant used in concentrating for gold See Appendix B for historic
views of the mill
Between 1937 and 1941, all was not smooth sailing Severe weather and John Hamm's life
threatening illness in the winter of 1937 slowed the startup, so that the first production was
in June of 1938. The production was "ok," but the price of lead was too low to make a
profit, so the Hamms switched to gold and shut down in September with a small loss
(1992b.76-77)
In the spring of 1939, equipment which the majority owners had planned to install in the
Leadville Metals Milling Company mill was installed at the H G N, increasing capacity to
150 tons per day But once again the operation was marginal and was closed at the end of
the summer In the spring of 1940 things changed for the H G N An important factor was
the decision to hire Ted Biddle as the mill superintendent Mr Biddle made changes to the
flowsheet and adjustments for the summer start up (1992b.79)
5
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And, Mr. Hamm explained
Besides improving the capacity of mill and the treatment method, my dad and I decided
to follow the Cripple Creek pattern of just treating the minus-2-inch material So we
built a portable screening plant that screened right at the dump site, hauled the minus-2-
inch mill over a ramp that's mentioned in this exhibit, and dumped it right into our—what
we called our fine ore bin, and milled that minus material
Winter came on, and screening would not be feasible during the freezing winter months,
so I contracted with a gentleman by the name of U S , Ulysses S , Seagrist-Seagrist, and
he had a huge Pioneer crushing plant I have photos of it [Note See Appendix B for
photograph ] I mean, it's a beautiful $50,000 crushing plant And he was a road man,
road construction contractor, and he didn't work winter months, so he said he would
crush my—my ores at the dump site, right at the dump, and he would crush them for 50
cents a ton, and my contractor would haul them down And if the ore were frozen at the
dump, why, it crushed so much better It made it brittle, and would break up easy, so
just worked—worked beautifully There wasn't any thawing problem on my-if it was
not frozen too hard to dig out, and he could dig about anything with this powerful Cat he
had And I have pictures of the crushing plant as the first diesel operation at that
elevation in history And so that worked very fine
And then from—and the next winter, he built a little crushing plant, which wasn't as
efficient as this Pioneer plant, but-and still contracted for my stuff in the winter months
And my shovel operator was willing to take the winter off and return when the robins
came And then, when I went into lead and zinc, why, we—we took the dumps We took
a run of dump. We didn't do any screening or anything Whatever was there, we—we
crushed and treated
[In response to a question asking whether he used the same operation during the lead-
zinc period at the dump location, Mr Hamm continued his description ] Yes No I'm
sorry We did not We—we moved his crushing plant right up over my crushed ore bin
And, there again, the Wolftone's right above us, the Maid was right above us the Maid
was next door They were—they were all at—they were all at our door Just a few-
hundred-yards truck haul, and we were in business (1992a 82-85)
Continuing with his operation, Mr Hamm described the treatment of tailings
Well, the gold mill, we ran flumes and stacked them in accordance with the best
techniques of the day, which we'd nail a 2-by-10 and a 2-by-12 together to make a V-
shaped trough, and support it on trestles, and carry it down to the-the Dickerman
properties, the Star and so forth [See Appendix B for a photograph of the flume ]
6
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And every so often, in that—in the bottom of that V-shaped launder, there'd be a—maybe
a 1-inch hole, and we'd pull out stuff that would come down and pile towards the inside
of dam We were building a dam of our own tailings, and to do this, we brought the
stuff down, and the coarser materials settled our more readily, and they-they built up in
an angle of repose about like this, and the slimes go to the center of the pond And this
is a system F T Biddle developed for Climax in the—in the early '30s
The center of the pond, we'd have standpipes, and as the level of the slime came up, we
would—as long as we could overflow the—the weir in the standpipe with clear water, that
is, it—when it got murky, we'd add another border dam and raise the pond level, and so
then—then the clear water would go down the standpipe and through the conduit system
under the dam, and out from the dam, and we~sometimes we sent that water back to Star
No 5 shaft, where we pumped the water supply from, and later probably down a shaft-
down a mine shaft down below the property (1992 82-85)
The process was going well in the fall of 1942 when the War Production Board issued Order
L-208, closing all gold mine operations in the United States and its territorial possessions
As John Hamm was failing and then succeeding in fulfilling his father's dream for him in
Leadville, events were underway in the world which changed the lives of all Americans
The United States Resists and Then Prepares for War
1939-December 1941
In the late 1930s most of the people and many of the leaders in the United States were very
much focused on the country's internal problems-the continuing effects of the Great
Depression—and on making a living Events in the remainder of the world were not only of
little interest, there was either intentional or subconscious avoidance of them In his 1946
Arsenal of Democracy, The Story of American War Production, Donald M Nelson describes
the mood of the country and the difficulties in preparing for defense or for war in 1940 and
1941 and the transition to and programs after December 7, 1941, from his involvement in
both periods On January 15, 1942, Mr Nelson was asked by President Roosevelt to head
the War Production Board, a new agency which would supersede others tasked, but not
given sufficient authority, to outfit America and the allies for a global conflict (p 17-18)
Mr. Nelson describes the mood of the country and the Congress from after the War started in
Europe in September of 1939 until well into 1941 and in some cases until December 7,
1941
During the months when we joked about the "phony war," and before the day when hell
really broke loose over Europe, the air in the United States was charged with undefined
fears, and just below the surface there was a sense of insecurity and impending tragedy
i \ i
AUG 2 I ^
Buresj 0! rJecldiPo' o
Reclamatinn Sei vice Ce>
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The lid blew off, and the "phony war" ended on April 9, when Germany occupied
Denmark in a day and moved into the principal cities of Norway in the most astounding
sneak invasion since the day of the Trojan Horse (p 65 )
The gradually accelerating anxiety throughout the country as the Nazi threat loomed
larger and larger should provide material for an interesting footnote to history I recall
many luncheon conversations in Chicago, when we looked knowingly at maps of the
Norwegian invasion and later at other maps of the invasion of the Low Countries, and
issued oral bulletins about Hitler's stupidity At last the clown had overplayed his hand
You could see what would happen when the huge French army should go into action and
riddle the hastily improvised Siegfried Line
It was not until the fall of France became inevitable that the shock registered in the
Middle West We ceased to bring maps to our luncheon tables, and we looked at one
another unbelievingly It was no longer a pleasure to talk about the war, such talk made
us uneasy (p 66)
Although some of my new associates in Washington refused to write off Europe, I
believe it was the conviction of a majority of American military men and business
leaders that we should be smart to consider the war over There was a
preponderance of evidence and logic on their side, and when they said, "Let's get ready
to defend this hemisphere or part of it," it made sense to a large portion of our
population (pp. 66- 67)
Certainly, Congress was in no mood to prepare for war, and the impetus had to come
from the Chief Executive, who seemed to know just which contingencies were facing us
(P 69)
There is no space here to measure oscillations of public opinion which had quickened in
this country after the start of the war in the previous September, but their effect upon our
organization of defense production must be evident. We had been confused about the
issues of the last war and could not understand the debt default, the general view was
that we had been taken to the cleaners Responsible historians wrote books to clear the
Central Powers of war guilt Hitler's anti-Semitism was unpopular, but the spontaneous
wave of popular indignation that might have been expected did not arise The truth is
that most of us were fed up with Europe, and wanted only to be left alone
8
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A study of public-opinion polls shows that apathy toward European affairs reached its
peak pnor to the Anglo-French faint at Munich After that, attention sagged until the
Germans took over all of Czechoslovakia, and then it sagged again until the week before
Work War II started on September 1, 1939 When the public was interrogated after
September 1, it was found that the sentiment had shifted Prior to the actuality of war, it
thought that we would get into a European struggle if one came Afterward—the wish
probably was father to the thought-it opined that we would stay out and mind our own
business (p 69)
Against this backdrop the agencies tasked with preparing for Defense struggled to obtain
support and funding for supplying the allies and accumulating the materials needed for this
new mechanized war of which the United States was not yet a part
After the end of World War I only limited support and funding had been available for
defense and emergency preparedness planning The last of a handful of plans written over
those years was completed in the summer of 1939 The plan, which provided a basis for
actions in a national emergency and recognized the need for one major emergency
organization to coordinate all functions, was supported by the Army and Navy Munitions
Board, a team of distinguished individuals fleshed out its structure and it became the War
Resources Board (Civilian Production Administration 1947 5, 8-9; hereafter cited as CPA
1947). But once again Congress refused to pass legislation to allow the plan to become
effective immediately upon the declaration of a national emergency (CPA 1947 6) That
summer President Roosevelt drew a chart illustrating how advisory groups in production,
labor, agriculture, materials, etc, would report to him in an emergency—it was basically a
revival of the Advisory Commission to the Council on National Defense of the first great
War—and it was an organization requiring no further approval of Congress In September,
with the invasion of Poland, the President proclaimed a limited National emergency and
with the approval of his cabinet, created a general framework for industrial mobilization,
with organizational units reporting to him These actions were included in an Executive
Order on September 8, 1939 (CPA 1947 9-10). The last of the divisions was "such office
for national emergency management as the President shall determine" (CPA 1947 10)
As the immediate threat to the United States lessened in the early fall, there was a decision
to create several agencies, each with less power than would be vested in a smgle "office of
emergency management" Each of these would report directly to the President, and he
would referee in case of disagreement (CPA 1947 10-11) By the spring of 1940 the nature
of the threat in Europe was clear and in May the Office of Emergency Management was put
in place and the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense reestablished
Table 1 shows the structure of the emergency organizations in October of 1940, after some
refinement had occurred The Advisory Commission was purely advisory and was tasked
with working with the military to build the country's defenses at the same time that we
supplied our allies-to-be with materiel. In this effort the Industrial Materials Division soon
became a focal point
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Table 1.
Chart No. I.—ORGANIZATION OF THE ADVISORY COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL OF
NATIONAL DEFENSE, OCTOBER 30, 1940
COUNOL or NATIONAL OCfENS
THE
PRESIDENT
AOVtSOCY COMMISSION TO THE
COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE
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Although stock was not taken at the time, at the beginning of 1940 the United States was
better prepared in most raw materials for modern war than other nations This was true for
pig iron, steel, and petroleum In copper, zinc, and many other common metals, we had
adequate stores for peacetime economy (Nelson 1946 38) For many other, less known, and
frequently imported, materials this was not the case In mid-1939 Congress had passed the
Strategic Raw Materials Act, which authorized the appropriation of $100,000,000 during the
following five years for the purpose of building up stockpiles of rare and essential
commodities As of May of 1940, only $13,000,000 had been spent (Nelson 1946 38-39)
One of the difficulties in getting manufacturers to produce material for defense and for the
allies was the cost of expanding plants or retooling the existing ones In mid-1940,
Congress agreed to support a plan forwarded by the National Defense Advisory Committee
which allowed a business contracting for defense work to deduct from its income tax over a
five-year program of amortization, the facilities costs A similar approach was adopted by
the Defense Plant Corporation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation(RFC) At the
same time, on June 25, 1940, Congress also amended the Reconstruction Finance Act of
1933 "to permit the establishment of subsidiary corporations with power to produce,
procure, and store strategic and critical materials, and to permit loans for such purposes"
(CPA 1947 73) Four corporations were created to accomplish the purposes on June 28, the
Rubber Reserve Company and the Metals Reserve Company, on August 22, the Defense
Plant Corporation, and on August 29, the Defense Supplies Corporation (CPA 1947 73)
This role was in keeping with the original role of the RFC to aid in financing agriculture,
commerce and industry with dollars appropriated by Congress The RFC was designed to
operate as an independent agency, not subject to political influences, and it was generally
assumed that loans would be made on the condition that private financing was not available
and that an important public interest would be served (Encyclopedia Britannica 1963,
volume 19 15)
During 1941 planning for defense changed to planning for a war economy,
with all that term implies in the way of shortages, restrictions, and controls It was
during 1941 that industrial production achieved a semblance of centralized direction,
setting the stage for the unified command of the war years It was in the course of 1941
that the objectives of preparedness gave way to the requirements of global war, and it
was also in 1941 that programs were weighed for feasibility in terms of materials and
facilities, while the civilian economy suffered its first deprivations (CPA 1947 89)
In January the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense gave way to the
Office of Production Management, with substantially more centralization, and clear
definition of its powers The new organization is shown in Table 2 It was to
formulate and execute in the public interest all measures needful and appropriate in order
to (1) increase, accelerate, and regulate the production and supply of materials, articles,
10
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Table 2.
Chan No. II.—ORGANIZATION OF THE OFFICE OF PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT,
MARCH 31,1941
THE
PRESIDENT
I COUNCIL Of NATIONAL DEFENSE (-
DIRECTOR GENERAL
ASSOCIATE ERECTOR GENERAL
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-------
and equipment and for the provision of emergency plant facilities and services required
for the national defense, and (2) to insure effective coordination of those activities of the
several departments, corporations, and other agencies of the Government which are
directly concerned therewith (CPA 1947 95)
While the OPM was given power and responsibility for increasing and regulating production
and supply of materials, it did not have the power to determine military and other
requirements or to directly contract for military material, and for many months was not able
to set priorities (CPA 1947 95-96) The year 1941 saw the beginning of the Lend-Lease
program and critical shortages in war materials, and at the end, growing capability to
determine actual requirements It also saw the transition from private to public financing of
the economy
With plants now being constructed, setting priorities to allocate increasingly scarce materials
became the largest problem, fought in tandem with the problem of creating the supplies of
those materials The underlying problem well into 1941 was that no one really new how
much the United States and its allies had and how much would be needed In May a joint
United States-Canadian Committee was formed to exchange information on supplies of
strategic raw materials for defense production (Nelson 1946 140) Nelson notes that
In August, 1941, it was becoming very apparent that the priorities system was falling
down In other words, it was all too clear that we could not have both guns and butter at
the same time, not even with the "limitless" resources of America
The supply of such strategic materials as steel, copper and zinc simply had not increased
sufficiently to take care of all our requirements Because of inability to obtain raw
materials, manufacturing concerns engaged in normal peace-time production were
shutting down in ever-increasing numbers (p 155)
Setting prices and managing the civilian sector were the responsibility of the Office of Price
Administration and Civilian Supply (OPACS), which took a very different view of how to
manage the economy under the war demands than did the Office of Production Management
Many battles were waged by the well intentioned members of the two offices over the need
for curtailment of the civilian sector, as well as on how to best obtain the materials needed
By the summer of 1941, the OPM and the OP ACS had agreed that while increasing base
prices on needed raw materials would help provide the needed supplies, lack of labor to
mine and process these materials was a large part of the problem "The principal problem of
the operators was one of holdmg workers despite the lure of better wages in other industries"
(Wiltse 1946a 2) It was agreed that raising the base price for copper would permit mining a
lower quality ore The International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, was cool to
the idea
11
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For more than a generation, wages had been paid on a sliding scale, rising or falling as
the price of the metal rose or fell The Union was actively trying to substitute straight
collective bargaining agreements based on ability to pay, and was decidedly cool toward
any solution that threatened to perpetuate the sliding scale (Wiltse 1946a 2)
The OPM Labor Division formulated a plan which would not threaten labor, but promised to
increase production It "called for payment of 17 cents a pound for all copper produced by
any firm above a fixed quota, based on average monthly output during the first half of 1941"
(Wiltse 1946a 2) OP ACS announced that copper would be set at 12 cents a pound and the
Metals Reserve Company was asked to purchase all the output of three high-cost Michigan
mines at a price one cent above out-of-pocket costs (Wiltse 1946a 3) The Labor Division
plan had not been accepted Those divisions in OPM responsible for the short commodities
did not believe that copper, or zinc or lead, production would be expanded without an
overall price increase (Wiltse 1946a 3) OPM Labor continued to urge a two-price
arrangement, and OPM Materials continued to resist
In August OP A sent staff to the Tri-State (Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas) area to see what
could be done to reverse declining production in this area known as the leader in lead and
zinc The staff suggested a two-tiered premium plan No action was taken on the pricing
question during the next month while arrangements were made to purchase for Lend-Lease
the entire six months output of three marginal Michigan copper mines, the price arrangement
included a $1 00 day wage increase recommended by OPM Labor (Wiltse 1946a 3)
In June OPM and OP ACS had reached an agreement on the division of responsibility for
civilian priorities, but the President did not sign the proposed Executive Order After
additional discussion it was agreed that there should be one agency or body for settling all
matters of supply and priority (CPA 1947 109-110) That body was the Supply Priorities
and Allocations Board (SPAB), created on August 28, 1941, at the same time that the OPM
and OP ACS were reorganized The Board was a policy making and coordination center for
the whole defense program and was not involved in operations (CPA 1947 110) Its
prominent place on the final OPM organization chart is indicative of its importance (CPA
1947 110) The SPAB was short-lived, but it made substantial contributions in the
preparation for war through
(1) its emphasis on all-out mobilization of the economy for the meeting of direct defense
and civilian requirements, (2) its assembling and appraising of total requirements for the
munitions production program, and (3) its careful review of the supply and demand
situation of strategic and critical materials and tools (CPA 1947 111)
Mr. Nelson stresses that the actions taken by this Board made possible the amazingly
successful war production program after Pearl Harbor At its first meeting the Board
reviewed the supply figures for 33 basic commodities (including aluminum, brass,
chromium, copper, lead, and magnesium) It estimated the new supply for 1941 and 1942,
12
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estimated the requirements, and noted the peace time consumption for 1937 (which would,
the Board noted, be low compared to that desired in 1941) (Nelson 1946 162)
At its second meeting, on September 9, the Board again discussed the supply and demand
situation in aluminum, magnesium, copper, zinc, and brass The demand for these had
jumped tremendously since the first meeting, one week earlier The situation was desperate,
and it was rapidly getting worse (Nelson 1946 164) Mr Nelson notes that it was nine
months before the actual statistics were known
One of the main sources of that information and one of the major accomplishments of that
summer and fall of 1941, was the work of Mr Stacy May under the Office of Production
Management, the last predecessor of the War Production Board, to develop real numbers of
materials available in the United States and in Britain and of estimates of what it would take
to meet the allies needs at that time Prior to this, the request had been for "all we can get"
(Nelson 1946 129-138) The numbers clearly demonstrated the scarcities, and the need to
cut back on civilian production, a process which had already begun to much objection by the
public By October, bans on much non-defense construction were in place, primarily to
conserve steel, but other materials as well
The situation for copper was dire in the fall of 1941
The pinch in such things as copper and aluminum was almost unbelievable In the
middle of the autumn I estimated that for every pound of aluminum that was allowed to
go on the civilian market there were at least ten eager customers, for every pound of
copper, there were at least three In fact, by mid-October we faced an actual crisis in
regard to copper We had approximately 138,000 tons on hand-but direct defense
needs, for which priorities had actually been issued, amounted to 144,000 tons (Nelson
1946 173)
This shortage in metals was in part due to a situation described by Mr Nelson
There were paradoxical situations in a boom that in some places and at sometimes
caused shutdowns In certain mining industries, there was no eagerness to increase
production Owners pointed out that a mine, unlike an ordinary manufacturing venture,
was profitable only as long as there was ore in the ground, when the ore was exhausted
the mine was through They were not infatuated with the idea of doubling production at
a time when taxes were extremely high; they preferred to maintain normal production
and have some ore left for a future period when the margin of profit would not be so
slender In some zinc mines in the West there were actual shutdowns Prices and wages
were fixed between October, 1940, and 1941 Then living costs rose and labor asked for
wage increases, at a time when the mines were competing for labor with near-by defense
plants Costs of producing zinc went up, but the price was fixed and some mines shut
down Adjustments had to be made for both labor and management in order to assure a
13
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steady flow of the ore (1946 272)
In October of 1941 OP A raised the price of zinc by a cent a pound, and OP A and OPM
jointly sent a telegram to all lead producers and lead miners urging that all properties "be
operated at their maximum productive capacity, 24 hours a day, six days a week and where
possible, seven" (Wiltse 1946a 4)
And still there was not enough material
America Joins the Allies
Everything changed after December 7 On December 18, the SPAB began issuing orders to
gain control Two days after Christmas, the OPM and SPAB assumed control of imports of
13 key materials including lead and zinc After that time all contracts for purchases of these
materials were to be handled through the Metals Reserve company, or some other
designated agency (Nelson 1946 190) And, recommendations for a two-tiered price system
for metals were moving forward
The Premium Price Plan
Four days after Pearl Harbor was bombed, Mr Ben Riskin, Director of Research for the
International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, testified before the Senate Special
Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program (the Truman Committee) He
advocated
the two-price system for copper, lead and zinc which been proposed early in August by
the OPM Labor Division He opposed any rise in the base price of lead, however, on
the ground that it would merely be giving the operators more money for the same
production 'No price increase should be given except deliberately and directly as
payment for additional production to each individual producer for amounts above an
established quota' (Wiltse 1946a 5)
OPA was now ready to accept the two-price system and this arrangement for lead and zinc
was recommended to the Supply, Priorities and Allocations Board on December 16, 1941
Copper was not included, "apparently because Henderson was satisfied that the existing
arrangements for purchase of high-cost metal at one cent above out-of-pocket costs would be
adequate to bring out marginal ores" (Wiltse 1946a 5) During the negotiations with all
involved agencies and divisions, copper was included (Wiltse 1946a 8) The plan was laid
out in a letter to Donald Nelson, Executive Director of SPAB on December 11
Each producer of lead and zinc should be assigned a quota based on recent production
with some account for relative ability to run six or seven day operations This quota is
to be sold at the ceiling price The Metals Reserve Company should offer to buy, for a
14
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period of two or three years, all output above these quotas at a fairly high price
Equitable quotas could be established in short order
This scheme avoids the intolerable delay necessitated by purchase negotiations based on
cost-plus A large part of the potential increase m output of zinc and lead is from mines
now operating Calculations of cost of such increments of potential production are
difficult, disputable, and very time-consuming (Wiltse 1946a 6)
By January 12, 1942, the details had been worked out and made "a matter of record in a
letter from Federal Loan Administrator Jesse Jones to Messrs Knudsen and Henderson"
You are advised that, in accordance with your suggestion, Metals Reserve Company
will, at your request, for a period of two and one-half years from February 1, 1942, pay
11 cents per pound East St Louis for zinc, 9-1/2 cents per pound New York for lead, and
17 cents per pound Connecticut Valley for copper, for increases above 1941 production
governed by quotas to be fixed by you with our approval
This price will apply also to mines which were not operated at all in 1941, and to new
mines, but will not apply to production already arranged for by specific agreement
Consideration will be given to a longer purchase agreement than two and one-half years
where the expansion of facilities is necessary
Any metals so acquired by Metals Reserve company which are not used for or by the
government will be subject to your allocation at the ceiling price fixed by the Price
administrator. By this procedure we should get maximum production of these critical
and strategic metals for war purposes without increasing the price to the consumer
(Wiltse 1946a 8)
Some modifications were made in conferences of MRC, WPB and OPA between January 31
and February 9, 1942 It was agreed
that the premium metal would not actually be bought by the Metals Reserve Company
unless the quantity of ore or concentrates shipped to a mill or smelter became too great
to handle In most cases the payment took the form of a subsidy payment to the
operator, representing the difference between the base price and the premium price of the
metal mined, the metal itself going through the normal trade channels to consumers
For mines in the Tri-State area, premiums were paid on concentrates rather than on
metal, (Wiltse 1946a 8)
The War Production Board
Three days after the agreement on the Premium Price Plan, January 15th, the President
asked Mr Nelson to head the new War Production Board The following day he issued
15
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Executive Order No 9024, "Establishing the War Production Board in the Executive Office
of the President and Defining Its Functions and Duties " Mr Nelson and general counsel of
the old Office of Production Management, John Lord O'Brian, had prepared the document
that day for the President's signature (Nelson 1946 196-197) The original executive order
and two supplements, Executive Order No 9040, "Defining Additional Functions and
Duties of the War Production Board," issued on January 24, and Executive Order No 9125,
"Defining Additional Functions, Duties and Powers of the War Production Board and the
Office of Price Administration," issued on April 7, 1942, are included as Appendix C
The Executive Orders provided the War Production Board broad authority to accomplish its
critical functions In Mr Nelson's mind these were basically three, the monumental task of
providing the military the materiel it needed to come from behind, while continuing to help
supply the Allies, and keeping a sufficient civilian economy to provide for the people's basic
needs and maintaining the morale of this workforce supplying the materiel Not the least of
the actions needed to do this was increasing the supply of strategic and critical materials, the
raw materials of production Before the end of January the staff organization was set up
Table 3 shows the Board on March 30th Included in the Divisions was the Materials
Division under William L Batt, whose function was clearest in Director Nelson's mind
"Through various means—expansion, new sources, stockpiling, purchasing, and otherwise-
the division was to make available the supply of raw and industrial materials essential to the
achievement of the war production program" (CPA 1947 241). The commodity branches,
including zinc, copper, and lead, were placed here The relationship of the WPB to all
civilian war operations is shown in Table 4
On March 16, 1942, the War Production Board and the War Department entered into an
agreement outlining their responsibilities Among the duties of the War Production Board
were
5 c Develop raw material sources and increase production of raw materials
5f Expedite the production of raw materials, machine tools and industrial supplies and
also expedite production of other items where effective expending by the War
Department cannot be carried on without conflict with other agencies
5i Direct the provision of facilities needed to produce raw materials, equipment, tools,
and services (Nelson 1946 373)
A similar agreement was developed with the Navy
Mr Nelson describes the conversion to a war economy
Industry—in fact, the entire economy—shivered under the impact of conversion
throughout the first six months of 1942 It was like nothing else the nation had ever felt
16
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Table 3.
Chan No. IV.—ORGANIZATION OF THE WAR PRODUCTION BOARD, MARCH 30, 1942
WAR PRODUCTION BOARD
THE
PRESIDENT
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or witnessed It was not so much industrial conversion as industrial revolution, with
months and years condensed into days (p 283)
Obviously, my immediate job was to get industrial conversion started But once the
conversion of consumer-goods industries was well under way, it became clear that our
most difficult task was about to shift from finding manufacturing facilities to finding the
raw materials for the plants (p 349)
Underneath, on more or less of a duration-of-the war basis, there had to be very broad
programs designed, not merely to mitigate but actually to solve the matter of these
pressing materials shortages For example, we were performing as vigorously as we
could the task of increasing domestic production of raw materials In some instances
this took the form of searching for untapped natural resources—either new deposits
which heretofore had not been mined, or working known deposits which, by ordinary
peace-time economics, could not be exploited profitably (p 350)
By the beginning of 1942 we had to disregard ordinary economic laws completely and
offer premium prices to get copper from marginal deposits which would not and could
not have been worked in any ordinary circumstances (p 173)
The Administration of the Premium Price Plan
The first steps in putting the Premium Price Plan in place were determining how the quotas
for base production were to be determined and then establishing the quotas The quota was
the portion of mine output which would not be subsidized and would receive no more than
the ceiling price established for the metal Representatives of the Copper, Zinc, and Lead
Branches of OPA and OPM (which shortly became the WPB) met on January 20 to discuss,
and assign the work to identified technicians from both organizations, which quickly became
"the Quota Committee" The group was formally recognized in Administrative Order 516-3
on May 1. All of the members "were mining engineers and were familiar with the copper,
zinc, and lead industries" (Wiltse 1946a 10) The Committee was given no requirements to
shoot for, the task was to establish quotas which would create the maximum mine output
After several days of discussion, the basis for assigning quotas was agreed on and rules and
regulations were drawn up for the guidance of mine owners These were announced in a
press release by WPB Materials Director Batt and Price Administrator Henderson on
February 9 (Wiltse 1946a 10)
The quotas were to be based on a mine rather than on a company, were in terms of monthly
output of recovered metal, and the premium price applied to all production after February 1,
no matter when the actual quota was assigned To differentiate between large and small
mines, five classes of quotas were set up
17
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(1) Zero quotas, to be assigned to properties which produced 200 tons of metal or less
during 1941 All production from zero quota mines would receive premium prices
(2) Intermediate quotas between zero and 100 percent, to be assigned to properties which
produced more than 200 but less than 600 tons of metal in 1941 These mines were to
have a quota arrived at by deducting 200 tons from their 1941 production, multiplying
the remainder by 1 V2 and dividing by 12 for the monthly figure The quota would thus
be less than the actual 1941 production
(3) 100 percent quotas, to be assigned with certain exceptions to all mmes which
produced 600 tons or more of metal in 1941 The 1941 production was to be adjusted to
what it would have been had the mine operated on a 52-week basis, so that in actuality
many of the mines in this class would receive quotas larger than their 1941 output
(4) Special quotas less than 100 percent of the 1941 monthly rate of production might be
assigned under special circumstances
(5) Special quotas in excess of 100 percent were also authorized where the committee
had reason to believe that a rate of production greater than that during 1941 could be
profitably maintained at the ceiling price (Wiltse 1946a 10-11)
Wiltse summarizes the intent of the classification quotas
The Quota for each mine, in short, was to represent the maximum production that might
reasonably have been expected during 1941 with existing facilities and labor, had these
been used to full capacity, but special inducements were to be offered to small mines,
and might also be offered at the discretion of the committee to other mines as well
(1946a 11)
Once established, quotas could not be raised, but could be adjusted downward if inequities
developed (Wiltse 1946a 11).
Labor questioned the program, probably largely because the base price of lead had been
increased when the program was approved, contrary to its position and thus some distrust of
the Quota Committee developed With labor representatives attending meetings of the
committee and with a few increases in lead and zinc quotas, the problem was largely
resolved in a relatively short time (Wiltse 1946a 11)
By May 1, the operation of the program became "more or less" formal under WPB
Administrative order No 2-34 The Director of Materials was made responsible for the
plan Quotas were fixed by agreement of the Director of Materials and the OP A (the Quota
Committee)
18
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The only real difficulties on the Quota Committee were based on the same fundamental
difference in view which had existed between the commodity and price groups historically-
the WPB members wanted to do everything they could to increase production and approved
any request for a quota that would seem to do so, while the OPA members were concerned
with curbing inflationary prices or profits, and the Labor observer wanted to be sure that
profits did not get out of line with wages and that manpower needs were considered The
Industry branches of the WPB thought the process mostly a waste of time, opining that
higher prices would have brought the desired result (Wiltse 1946a 14)
OPA also complained that there was no organized process for receiving and evaluating
applications for quotas and that because the WPB members were too busy with other work,
much of the analysis had to be done by OPA's members or the Quota Committee OPA's
complaints found their way to the Director of Materials at WPB In turning the problem
over to his Deputy, the Director noted
There is probably some basis for this criticism, but in part it is due to the desire of OPA
to build up a big job Will you take it over"? I am intending to turn the whole plan over
to you anyhow as soon as reorganization is announced It is a hot potato, however
(Wiltse 1946a 15)
One of the issues the Deputy dealt with was the question of quotas for slag dumps and
tailing piles He decided they should be given zero quotas, noting that "benefits to come
from this decision will far outweigh the disadvantages which may arise from any excess
profit margins created thereby" (Wiltse 1946a 15) Although the fundamental differences
remained, steps were taken to improve procedure as requested by OPA Reporting forms
were developed for submitting operating cost data, production data, and forecast of
operations (September 1942) and a similar form was developed specifically for the Tn-State
concentrates (October 1942) A Metal Mining Analysis Office had been set up in June and
forms were sent to the engineers there for a more or less formal analysis to reach a quota
And, a full-time Executive Secretary was assigned to the staff in late June
Even as the procedure and structure of the Quota Committee was being formalized so
premiums could be paid to increase production, labor was leaving the mines for better
paying jobs, exacerbating the problem. And, even with the premium payments, mine
operators could or would not tap low-grade ores Congress recognized the problem in June
and voted to exempt bonus payments from the excess profits tax, but this was still not
enough In August members of the Quota Committee visited the Tri-State area to see what
would be needed They believed only higher prices for premium output would work Even
before he received the report, the Chief of the Zinc Branch (Heikes) recommended that
premium prices be raised and that the plan be extended to February of 1947 (Wiltse
1946a 17)
Solving the manpower shortage was critical "On September 7 the War Manpower
19
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Commission issued an Employment Stabilization order, 'freezing' non-ferrous miners in the
Western States in their jobs, but the effect was negligible" (Wiltse 1946a 18) This action
was followed by the issuing on October 8 of the WPB's Order L-208 closing non-essential
gold mines to free labor and equipment for mining in more critical materials This was a
controversial action, taken under pressure from the military and in the face of massive
shortages of other critical materials
Other actions included increasing wages by a $1 00/day in pending labor cases and setting up
a non-ferrous metals commission in Denver to expedite settlement of mine wage cases The
Army furloughed 4200 miners who were placed in copper, lead, and zinc mines This
proved to be the most effective action, but it was short-lived, as forty percent left the mines
to which they were assigned by March of 1943 (Wiltse 1946a 18)
Revisions to the Premium Price Plan
The solution appeared to lie in increased premiums, and a decision reached on September
28, 1942, by WPB, OP A, and MRC to raise premiums was given to the Quota Committee
with a request for concrete recommendations Proposals were made and tabled MRC said it
would be happy with an informal letter defining the actions On October 19, OPA
presented the Quota Committee with a draft of a new plan, which was discussed and revised
and agreed to the following day A memorandum including the points was pre-dated to the
18th and circulated to officials at all three agencies The agreement noted that there was a
need to increase payments and spelled out a system for paying additional premiums on
above quota production The Quota Committee recommended a second tier of payments for
production of specified metals in excess of some stated rate The higher payments were to
be at the rate of
for zinc - 3 cents per pound
for lead - 3 cents per pound
for copper - 3 cents per pound (Wiltse 1946a 18-20)
After considerable additional discussion, a plan was agreed to at the highest level of the
involved organizations and sent by letter to Jesse Jones of the RFC on December 15, 1942
Under the plan, above quota production of zinc would receive the premium currently being
paid (A), plus a B, and a C premium, each of the same value as the A premium, lead would
have the A and B premiums, at the same rate, and copper would have only an A premium
The premium price plan was extended to one year beyond the original date, or until July 31,
1945. The B and C premiums could be increased or revoked at any time The plan was
approved by the Metals Reserve Company on December 23 The President approved the
new premiums on January 8, effective on January 1,1943 It was agreed by the Quota
Committee that mine owners who had continued operating at a loss over many months while
the new plan was under development should have the B and C premiums paid retroactively
The Metals Reserve Company was somewhat opposed, but agreed to consider each case
20
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recommended by top officials at the WPB Approval of the revised plan actually came on
February 1, 1943 The Quota Committee was, after complex discussions, put in the position
of evaluating whether operating margins at mines were sufficient to meet wage increases or
whether the quotas should be adjusted to place a larger proportion of output under premium
An additional "special" premium for some copper production was approved at the beginning
of April (Wiltse 1946a 21-27)
By the end of 1943, the kinds and numbers of mines approved for production and premium
payments began to be reduced as the war news and availability of materials improved A
more orderly procedure was in place and guidance was issued in mid-November which
defined "mines not already operating," these mines would not be approved for premium
payments for lead and zinc
The program continued until 1947
The Metals Reserve Company
The critical partner of the WPB and the OPA in implementing the successful premium price
plan was the Metals Reserve Company As noted above, the independent agency was
created by the 1940 amendments to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act of 1933
"Its principal function was to engage in the production, acquisition, carrying, selling or
otherwise dealing in strategic and critical minerals and metals" (Henderson 1944 1) Its
contribution to the war program was in four major categories
(1) It has created stockpiles of metals and minerals that provide assurance for continued
production of military goods, regardless of possible interruption in supplies
(2) It has assisted in increasing the total volume of metals and minerals currently flowing
into the war effort by making available to industry, on allocation by the War Production
Board, metals and minerals from sources not available directly to private industry This
has meant not only arranging for purchase and sale of commodities but also, in many
instances, arranging for milling, smelting, refining or other treatment to convert the
products into usable form
(3) It has helped to stabilize the prices at which metals and minerals have been made
available to the war effort by selling to industrial consumers at OPA ceiling prices This
has reduced the spread of inflationary trends in the war economy and has fitted in with
the program of the OPA
(4) It has contributed to the war program by reducing the strength of the foe through its
purchases of supplies from sources available to unfriendly (later enemy) powers
(Henderson 1944.2)
21
-------
The Metal Reserves Company lists the premium price plan as one of the ways in which
supplies of critical and strategic materials have been increased It's view was that "by
payment of the premiums as an outright subsidy, this plan has eliminated the necessity for
thousands of purchase and sales transactions which would have greatly magnified the
administrative task of the MRC staff' (Henderson 1944 5)
Contributions to some of the specific Commodity Programs are outlined by Mr Henderson,
President of the MRC Portions of the summaries for the three metals produced by Mr
Hamm are included to provide a perspective for his contribution
COPPER - The United States is normally self-sufficient in the production of copper, and
in fact, was exporting a fair tonnage to European countries in the years preceding the
war U S requirements under the war program, however, increased to a level equivalent
to the entire world production of copper in the pre-war period It therefore became
necessary not only to increase domestic production substantially but also to import as
much copper as could be obtained from outside the country
The principal instrument used by MRC to expand the domestic production of copper has
been the premium price plan A premium of 5 cents per pound is paid for copper
produced in excess of the quotas fixed by a joint WPB-OPA committee As of October
31, 1944, premiums amounting to $53,609,000 have been paid on 990,038,000 pounds
of copper. (Henderson 1944 8- 9)
LEAD - Although the direct military uses of lead in this war have been relatively less
important than in the first World War, the metal has many essential civilian uses which
play an important part in the war program Direct purchases of refined lead for
the large producers in those three countries and in Australia have amounted to almost
1,000,000 tons costing over $100,000 000
Under the premium price plan, domestic producers who have been able to produce more
lead than quotas assigned to them by the WPB-OPA joint committee, have received a
premium of 2-3/4 cents per pound for the excess production To offset this,
supplementary "B" quotas have been established for certain mines and production in
excess of such quotas receives a total premium of 5 V2 cents per pound As of
October 31, 1944, premiums amounting to $24,083,000 have been paid on 752,638,000
pounds of lead produced in excess of established quotas, (Henderson 1944 9)
ZINC - As in the case of copper and lead, this country is normally self-sufficient in zinc
supply Zinc, like copper and lead, is subject to the premium price plan
22
-------
Indicative of the scale of the premium price plan alone is the fact that as of
October 31, 1944, premiums amounting to $73,507,000 have been paid on
1,941,113,000 pounds of zinc produced in excess of established quotas
(Henderson 1944 13-14)
Mr Hamm's New Wartime Operation
The banning of production of gold in 1942 was a severe disappointment and a set back for
the John Hamm Mining and Milling Company, Ltd But clearly the company did not hold
and was not hampered by some of the attitudes described as being held by miners and mine
owners by Donald Nelson The Hamms' plan all along had been to process the dumps
which they leased, not to create new material through mining, although doing so would not
have been ruled out Mr Hamm notes in his autobiography that,
Concurrent with house building and following Japan's December 7th attack on Pearl
Harbor, we were faced with the task of tooling up for the production of war-needed lead
and zinc Convinced that there would be a coming need for these wartime metals, I had
sent Ted Biddle and Chris Cooper to the Tri-State Mining District (junction point of
Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri) in the summer of 1941 to study their methods of
milling lead and zinc2 Ted and I concluded that the complex Leadville lead and zinc
dump ores should be upgraded by gravity concentration prior to separation of the two
minerals by selective flotation, that we should install a jigging circuit to wash and pre-
concentrate our dump ores, and then ship the enriched bulk concentrate to a custom mill
for fmal separation
Following Pearl Harbor, we lost no time implementing our plans and constructing a new
plant per Ted's design Ted's magic, however, did not work this time, and the plant was
a failure, he suggested that maybe he should move on, and I accepted his resignation It
was start all over again, and in mid-December [Note probably 1942] Suzie and I
boarded the train for Joplin, Missouri, the train was crowded with service men, and
Suzie and I shared a lower Pullman berth We obtained revised plans from Ore
Reclamation Company for a jig plant utilizing a typical Tri-State flowsheet and ordered
all of the requisite equipment
During the ensuing months many bouts followed with Selective Service, the War
Production Board, OPC (Office of Price Control with its priorities for purchase of
strategic items) rationing boards, etc I had no trouble obtaining deferments for any of
my married employees, some from other counties In contrast, my personal status was
under almost constant review by the Lake County Draft Board The War Production
Board granted the required priorities on all equipment and supplies, but delivery on the
2It was also in the summer of 1941 (August) that the OPA sent staff to the Tn-State area (defined slightly differently) to
study reversing declining production
23
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ORC Jig was drawn out and very frustrating
At times it seemed that we would never get on stream One day, however, Suzie sighted
one of the most beautiful scenes ever out of our living room picture windows A D&RG
locomotive was puffing its way up the valley from Malta, it was trailing a flat car with
our jig aboard (1992b 101-102)
Actual construction of the entirely separate, new plant for processing lead-zinc began in
1942 Production started in 1943 to meet war needs (Hamm 1992a 118) Although Mr
Hamm remembers his battles with the bureaucracy, the letter he received from the War
Production Board in July of 1942 (figure 1) must have been encouraging In his deposition,
Mr Hamm explained the reason for the letter He had told Mr Heikes that the plant that
belonged to him which was being closed down was the Leadville Metals, not the John
Hamm operation (1992a 227)
The second Certificate of Formation of Limited Partnership for John Hamm Mining and
Milling, Ltd was signed by the partners on May 1, 1943 The partners, all limited, include
John, his mother Katharine, his wife Suzanne, his sister Frances Hamm Nevin, his brother
Richard, Eugene Bond, John Andrew, P F Best and J H Roberts To the list of structures
have been added h jig plant and I Crusher building for jig plant The holdings now
include
a Flotation Mill Building
b Filter Building
c. Crusher Building
d Shop Building
e Bin and Conveyor House
f Office Building
g Ramp
h Jig Plant
I Crusher Building for Jig Plant
See Appendix B for a view of the John P. Hamm Mining and Milling Company, Ltd Mill in
1943
The 1944 Mining Year Book published by the Colorado Mining Association includes an
article on Mr Hamm's business which provides a brief background of the mill, discusses its
pioneering aspects, and describes the new plant and its flow sheet In his deposition Mr
Hamm indicated that the process was slightly different than that shown on the flowsheet and
described in the article He noted that the 27" roles, elevator, vibrator, and cleaner jigs and
the Wilfley Tables (which were down in the gold mill) should be crossed out (1992a 120)
The entire description is in Appendix D In the following paragraphs from the Year Book,
Mr Myers describes the plant's uniqueness
24
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WAR PRODUCTION BOARD
WASHINGTON, D. C.
July 11, 19l»2
Zinc Branch
Boom 1057
Tempo. ¦W
llr. John P. Hamm
Leadville, Colorado
Dear Hr. Hammt
Confirming our telephone conversation this morn-
lag, I aa glad to hear that you are not dismantling
your mill, and that you are improving It to treat
material containing lead and zinc.
I understood you to say that you expected to pro-
dace concentrates containing $00 tons of recoverable
lead and zinc per month and that your raw material nas
to come from available dumps in the Leadville district.
The Government is doing everything it can to
encourage the production of the non-ferrous metals so
necessary for war purposes, and we are ready to help
yon any nay we can. I presume your mill will be
equipped to treat custom ores and would appreciate
your letting me know if I am right in that presumption.
If you need help cm priorities, equipment, supplies,
ore or money, please let me know.
"Kith kindest personal regards and best wishes.
Very truly yours,
r George-<7. Helloes
Chief, Zinc Branch
Figure 1
-------
The Hamm Mill has truly pioneered in the milling of the Leadville dumps having many
firsts to its credit The concern was the first to screen the dumps at the source, rejecting
oversize and milling the screenings, this process obtained for the mill an amazingly low
operating cost per ton It was the first to crush at the dumps, this was done during the
winter months when screening was impracticable The Hamm Mill was the first mill in
the Leadville District to recover the free gold present in the dump ores, the first Denver
Equipment cleaner jig manufactured was installed in the circuit, and over 50% of the
gold recovered in the mill was in bullion form The mill ranked first in Lake County for
a number of years as a gold producer Recovery of gold through jigging and
amalgamation and production of flotation and table concentrates comprised the
flowsheet of this mill
With the advent of the United States into global conflict the concern turned its attention
to the production of strategic base metals The Hamm Mill had under lease and owned
over half million tons of zinc and lead dump ores, and so prior to Pearl Harbor men had
been sent to the Tri-State District to see how they handled their zinc and lead ores It
was felt that something new and different in the beneficiation of Leadville zinc and lead
dump ores would be necessary, . (Myers 1944 37)
Tonnage and results have exceeded the anticipation, and shipment of base metals now
exceeds 600 tons of zinc, 275 tons of lead, and 50 tons of copper per month
Twenty men are on the payroll, and ten men work on contract loading, hauling, and
crushing John Hamm is in charge of operations as General Manager, P F Best acts as
Purchasing Agent, W C Cooper is General Superintendent, J H Roberts is Mill
Foreman, W C Wilson contracts loading and crushing, and John O'Connell has the
trucking contract
The original gold mill is now shut down, and all existing facilities and available
manpower are directed toward achievement of maximum production of strategic war
materials The new jig plant will operate at capacity producing zinc and lead so long as
the need for these metals exists (Myers 1944 39)
In his deposition, Mr Hamm was asked if he had asked for assistance as offered in the letter
he received from Mr Heike of the Zinc Branch of the War Production Board His reply
Seriously-seriously, not with George Heikes' help, but this horrible period of 198-1942
and 1943, the draft board breathing down my neck, priority some problem, not much,
pretty miserable, and I applied to the RFC for a loan to build a jig plant, and these negot-
-I thought that might enhance my stand You know, if the government were backing me,
why, they wouldn't they put me in the front lines
So the negotiations with Reconstruction Finance ran on for years. Literally, years
25
-------
Every now and then, I would get a wire from Washington, "Consideration in last stages
Please furnish this " I furnished this It went on and went on and went on
Finally, in —well, it was after 1944, Carl Dismant, the Denver representative, RFC,
called me to Denver to go over the proposal that I'd made He was a mining engineer
And he let me know in no uncertain terms that I had proposed a preposterous flowsheet
that had no-no possibility of success, none at all I says, "Is that right, Carl?" He said,
"That's right" I says, "Well, kind of a funny thing, we've been running a year and a
half, and producing lead-and-zinc bulk concentrates like mad I'll take my papers and
go home" (1992a 228-229)
In his history of the lead and zinc policies of the War Production Board and its predecessor
agencies, compiled in March of 1944, Charles M Wiltse included as his Appendix E two
tables showing Zinc Division Projects On the first, applicant number 58 is John Hamm
Mining & Milling Company whose project is to "Enlarge mill" in Leadville, Colorado
Under the action column is the footnote reference (b) "Financed with private funds"
(Wiltse 1946b 113) Data in the second table is organized under eleven classes of projects
and a short summary Under Group IX, APPROVED PROJECTS LATER WITHDRAWN,
applicant John Hamm Mining & Milling Co is again listed The project is still "Enlarge
Mill" In the "Reason for Withdrawal" column is the note "Applicant appeared to have lost
interest" (Wiltse 1946b 115)
The records of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in the National Archives (RG234)
which include those of the Metals Reserve Company document premium price payments to
producers of strategic materials Table 5, "1946 Metal Concentrates in Pounds, Reported by
ASARCO for John Hamm Mining & Milling," was compiled from the MRC records for
1946 for John Hamm Mining and Milling, Ltd which are found under the various mills and
smelters to which he sent his concentrates, using the one facility to which he sent most
material in 1946 The information on quantity was submitted to the Metals Reserve
Company by the mills or smelters which were designated operator-agents, the premiums for
over quota production were paid directly to the producer, Mr Hamm
In 1941 Mr Hamm's production of the three metals covered by the premium price plan was
507,546 pounds of lead, 55,465 pounds of copper, and 0 pounds of zinc (see Table 6 below)
Using the formula defined by the Quota Committee, this production would have placed him
in quota class 2 for lead, with a monthly quota of 67 5 tons For copper and zinc he would
have been in class 1, with no quota, assuming the production he lists from 1941 was from
one "mine " The records for 1946 show that he was not paid premiums on the entire
production from any mine, so the basis for determining the quota for copper and zinc either
changed in later years, or other factors entered in As noted above, there was interest in
encouraging reprocessing of slag and tailings, but processing of mine dumps was not
mentioned in any reference, perhaps Mr Hamm's quota was different because he was
milling already mined material
26
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Table # 5. 1946 Metal Concentrates, in
'ounds, Reported b
y ASARCO for John Hamm Mining & Mil
ing a
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Year Totals
cu
b 15,594
0 13,657
2,511
2,185
10,069
8,760
2,738
2,382
44,338
..........
75,250
55,804
28,820
zn
589,935
412,955
317,703
222392
603,221
422,255
337,097
235,968
225,145
157,602
212,009
148,406
169,188
118,432
330,567
231397
187,038
130,927
192,940
135,058
117,592
82315
251,851
176,296
3,544,286
2,474,003
pb
214,694
139,551
139,798
90,869
276,180
179,517
138,801
90,221
119,116
77,425
95,228
61,898
172,669
112,235
d 7,844
50,991
C) 88,95(2)
52,619
48,591
31,584
146,739
95380
O 1,448,612
982,290
Totals
820,223
566,163
460,012
315,446
879,401
601,772
485,967
334,949
346,999
237,409
307,237
210304
213,526
147,252
503,236
343,632
(?) 194,882
181,918
e 281,89(2)
187,677
166,183
113,899
398,590
281,676
5,058,148
(2,529 07 Tons)
3,512,097
(1,756 04 Tons)
1946 Premium Payments for Over Quota Production - ASARCO
cu
$68735
$ 109-25
$438 00
$119 10
$48 99
1,585 10
zn
$11,356 26
$11,356 26
$7,781 26
$6,115 78
$6,115 78
$2,540 78
$11,61201
$11,61201
$8,037 01
$6,489 12
$6,489 12
$2,914 12
$2,162 49
$2,162 49
$2,171 57
$2,171 57
$4,081 17
$4,081 17
$231 17
$2,297 58
$3,256 88
$3,256 88
$6363 42
$6,363 42
$6,363 42
$3,600 49
$3,60049
$3,60049
$3,019 90
$3,714 10
$3,714 10
$5,215 64
$6,258 51
pb
$3,837 65
$3,837 65
$2,498 90
$2,498 90
$4,936 72
$4,936 72
$2,481 08
$2,481 08
$1,13834
$1,138 34
$990 85
$1,981 71
$4,122 65
$1,12235
$6,172 93
$509 91
$2,804 51
$526 19
$2,894 05
$1,12880
See footnote '
~
Totals
$38,847 43
$19,879 39
$41,134 47
$21,292 52
$14,03646
g $672 09
g $731 57
$15,440 12
$12,516 16
$10,445 43
$26385 54
$14,115 89
$13,868 34
$6,344 44
$6,258 51
$226,528 24
General note on payment figures The frequent "double amounts" in a month represent the "A" & "B" premiums described by Mr Hamm, the third number is the "C" premium
a Data from Records of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Metals Reserve Corporation, Records Relating to the Premium Price Plan, Record Group 234, National Archives & Records
b Administration
Total production shown on top line of metals
d Over quota production shown on bottom line of metals
This is the figure given, but based on the over quota production figure, it does not appear to be correct The totals would be affected by an incorrect number as shown by (9)
f This last (10s) digit was not readable on the copy An incorrect number would change the total very slightly
Although over quota production is shown, no premium amount is given
6 These amounts (10%) were deducted from the total premium paid on the original table, but not separated by mineral The amounts are included in the monthly totals paid, thus are
included here
-------
The premium price program described by Mr Hamm is a perfect match with the program
described by the official historians
The Resurrection would report on a monthly basis to the War Production Board, Metals
Reserve, on how many pounds of sulfide lead, zinc, and copper that the Hamm Mill had
marketed in a given month The Hamm Mill had a prearranged quota on lead, zinc, and
copper production which was supposed to be normal production For production above
that quota, they paid initially 2 3/4 cents—they froze the prices They froze—the
government froze the prices of lead, I think, at 5 cents a pound, they froze the price of
zinc at 6 Vi cents a pound, and copper at 8 cents a pound Those were about the going
rates in the~in the '40s
Then they paid premium prices There was an A premium of $2—or 2 3/4 cents for
every point of sulfide zinc that qualified over the—over the 2 3/4 cents a pound for zinc
and the 5 cents for copper They wanted to stimulate lead, zinc, and copper production
further, so they introduced a B~a B premium, which had the same values, 2 3/4 cents, 2
3/4, and a nickel They were getting all the lead, they needed more zinc, so they put in a
C premium on zinc for an additional 2 3/4 cents And the Metals Reserve Board would
multiply the figures out and send me a check And I think that I paid the—I think I paid
the mine owners, the lessors I don't—I don't think Metals Reserves fooled around with
paying 10 percent to here and 90 percent to Johnny Hamm I think—I think I—so there's
a matter of trust there Well, after all, I could send them a copy of the report, so they
knew (1992a 139-140)
When the Premium Price Plan ended in 1947, Mr Hamm closed down his jig plant
(1992a 249)
Table 6, Mr Hamm's own figures for his production, which was prepared in the 1980s from
Colorado Bureau of Mines and other information, illustrate his contribution to the war
effort The introduction to the 1973 Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation. 1932-1964. Record Group 234. notes in discussing the
Metals Reserve Company, that, "The largest single expenditure by the MRC was the
payment of over $350 million in direct subsidies to producers of strategic metals and
minerals, chiefly copper, lead, and zinc, for the development of new sources and maximum
production of such materials as were in short supply" (p. 35) Against that backdrop, Mr
Hamm's gross smelter and mint returns from 1942 through 1947 of more than $2,000,000
are remarkable And, as he describes below, among those who accomplished this production
were individuals not physically able to go to war or pass physicals to work in the larger
plants, and at least one woman
The Post-War Mill
Anticipating the end of war production and its premium price plan, which was the only
27
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Table 6. Mr. John Hamm's Table of Production for Materials Milled in His Hant
John Hamm Mining & Milling, Leadville, Colorado - Production '
Year
Tons Milled
oz au
oz ag
# pb
# zn
# cu
#s
Gross
Freight &
Treatment
Net Smelter &
Mint Return
1938
5,009
212
1,879
48,655
$ 10,135
$ 1,044
$9,091
1939
8,260
359
2,601
64,200
19,238
2,676
16,562
1940
~ 44,099
2,167
12,429
181,931
12,984
94,172
10,143
84,029
1941
» 98,720
5,258
35,435
507,546
55,465
263,767
24,680
239,087
1942
* 84,592
4,014
27,052
387,440
42,340
3,431,400
209,843
19,700
190,143
1943
* 72,932
' 3,084
45,729
837,844
45,156
170,945
13,604
157,341
1944
94,001
727
155,572
2,637,436
3,803,731
213,259
426,251
75,790
350,461
1945
91,109
734
131,595
1,787,138
3,302,812
288,431
415,305
76,532
338,773
1946
76,276
343
93,205
2,221,030
3,953,1 10
61,802
544,013
163,993
380,020
1947
87,781
247
78,183
1,648,820
2,214,248
11,056
300,567
80,587
219,980
1948
40,198
639
16,352
565,715
444,561
13,206
136,961
19,677
117,284
Totals
702,977
17,784
600,032
10,887,755
"(10,897,755)
13,818,462
743,699
b (753,699)
3,431,400
$2,591,197
$ 488,426
$2,102,771
* Screened ores at dumpsites & milled
-2" material Handled approximately 1,000,000 tons total
Operated flotation & gravity concentration
mill '38 thru '43 & '48-au, ag, pb
Operating jigging plant '44 thru '47-ag, pb, zn, cu
Very diverse marketing included sales to
U.S Mint, Denver - Gold Bullion
AS&R Arkansas Valley Plant, Leadville - au, ag, pb conc.
HS&R Calif Gulch Mill, Leadville - pb zn jig conc
Resurrection Mng Co , Leadville - pb zn jig conc
Golden Cycle Corp , Colorado Springs, Leadville - pb znjig conc
Combmed Metals Reduction, Bauer, Utah, Leadville - pu znjig conc
International Smelting & Refining, Tooele, Utah - pb/znc conc
General Chemical, Denver - Iron Pynte to produce sulphuric acid
Sherwin Williams, Coffeyville, Kansas - Crude oxide zinc for paint pigment
a Transcribed from photocopy of hand written original by John Hamm
b The number in parenthesis appears to be the correct total 10,000 difference from original based on best interpretation of all numbers
-------
profit for the lead and zinc operation, Mr Hamm "readied the original gold mill to treat
carbonate lead ores " The conversion involved the installation of 18 Humphreys
Spirals and considerable other new equipment" (Hamm 1992b 109) It did not work out,
and he continued to treat the sulfide dump ores for gold, silver and lead (Hamm 1992b 109)
He was offered $250,000 for the mill in 1947 In order to accept, he needed to transfer the
lease on the Maid of Erin property on which the mill was built The law firm which was
handling the Moffat estate indicated they would do so for half of the amount he had been
offered He declined (ibid 249)
Labor and the End of the Mill
In October of 1948 the 25 employees and five hauling and loading contractors at John
Hamm Mining and Milling, Ltd were not members of a union When Mr Hamm was told
that the local representative of the Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers was "hanging around the
mill talking unionization" (Hamm 1992b 109) He wasn't worried
., 'hadn't I provided work for both able-bodied men (and a strapping Finnish woman
in the jig plant during the war) and many who were incapacitated and unable to pass a
physical for underground work or employment by the big corporations'?' I always paid
scale or above, furnished free medical insurance, and put something in the sock at
Christmas The Hamm Mill was a good place to work (Hamm 1992b 109)
The union organizers persuaded twelve employees to strike and closed the operation Mr
Hamm notes that the strikers had no demands as far as wages or working conditions were
concerned, only union recognition In describing the events, Mr Hamm includes a quote by
(Charles) Duke McKenna, the local head of the Mine, Mill, & Smelter Workers from the
October 29, 1948, issue of The (Leadville) Herald Democrat "Mr Hamm agreed to let us
hold an election provided it was held under federal regulations and supervision of the
National Labor Relations Board. We refuse to work under the NLRB." Mr Hamm notes
that Mr Mc Kenna went on to say "that the Leadville Miners Union was a "non-complying"
union and did not have to work under the regulations prescribed by the N L R B " (Hamm
1992b.110)
On the advice of Mr Haram's labor relations consultant in Denver, the non-striking
employees agreed to go back to work and Mr Hamm notified Sheriff Clarence McMurrough
that he was going to reopen the plant Mr. Hamm describes the events which followed.
The strikers and Mine/Mill sympathizers had set up camp at the top of East 5th Street, a
strategic point on a curve where the street twisted into narrow Stray Horse Gulch I
passed the picket line without incident Not so my employee volunteers, they had to run
a gauntlet of club-wielding pickets and goon squads, cars were hammered, windows
were smashed—it was a harrowing experience. Sheriff McMurrough was nowhere in
sight I called Suzie from the office; she called McMurrough, reported the trouble and
28
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told him he'd better get up there fast Then she put chains on the Buick Roadmaster,
laid a loaded pistol on the seat, and drove through the picket line McMurrough arrived,
and I asked him if he didn't know the law He replied lamely, 'There's lots of laws'
(Hamm 1992b 110)
Mr Hamm continues
My Denver consultant was shocked, our plan would have worked in any community
with law and order.
I did not cave in to McKenna and his tactics One of his chieftains called from
headquarters and wanted to know what I was going to do 'Nothing,' I replied He
insisted, 'You have to do something ' He seemed nonplused by my answer, 'I'm going
to Arizona for the winter, you can do whatever you wish '
That was the end of John Hamm Mining & Milling Ltd in Leadville (Hamm
1992b 112).
The remarks section of the State of Colorado Bureau of Mines Inspector's Report from
December 4, 1948, includes the following
The employees at Hamm's Mill called a strike on October 28, and the mill has been
inactive since then
The purchasing agent, Mr Best, stated to me that the power and water were turned off
recently, and that it appears as though the mill will be inactive for the winter at least
This automatically puts approximately 30 men out of work
Between the time Mr Hamm left Colorado permanently in 1948 and the time the partnership
was dissolved (March of 1955) (Hamm 1992a 201), the oversight of the property was in the
hands of Mr Bond, a friend, partner, and lawyer, to liquidate Mr Hamm was aware that the
company received a small amount of money for leasing the tailings to the city for material to
surface streets in the community
The records of Metals Reserve Company (Record Group 234) contain notes on the review of
all accounts as the organization was closing out its work. After much accounting and
correspondence, it was determined that Mr John Hamm had been overpaid by $148 25 In
a September 22, 1949, letter to American Smelting & Refining Company in New York, Mr.
Edwin J Clapp, Jr., Chief of the Contract Liquidation Branch, notes that
As we have not heard from you since writing our letter of July 28, we are wondering if
your Leadville plant has taken the necessary steps to obtain this refund
29
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We are desirous of closing our records on the Premium Price Plan and, therefore, will
appreciate hearing from you with respect to the present status of this matter.
Handwritten notes in Metal Reserve Company files for American Smelting and Refining
Company made by a Mr. Shepherd on October 25, 1950, indicate that a check for $148.25
was received by the MRC on June 15, 1950, and the account is cleared
The Results of Monitoring during Remediation Construction at the Hamm's Tailings
Although the probability of finding items related to the mining ventures which had operated
within the APE prior to its use as a tailings (see map 2) seemed small given Mr. Hamm's
comment that there were no structures in the area where material was placed (personal
communication to Dick Wiltshire and Pat McCoy 1994), the opportunity to record any
evidence was considered important. Remediation of the Hamm's Tailings was conducted
during snow-free periods in 1996 and 1997. During the summer of 1996, Stephen Ireland,
Bureau of Reclamation archeologist, made weekly visits to view the excavated areas and
document any significant materials uncovered. No materials were recorded. The EPA
arranged for Mr. J. D. Groy of Buena Vista, Colorado, to periodically monitor remediation
construction at the Hamm's Tailings during the summer of 1997. With the decision to
remove material from around the Hamm's Mill remains, some immediate documentation
was considered desirable. Mr. Groy's photographs, description of the mill tipple,*and
drawings are included in Appendix E.
National Park Service archeologist Diane Rhodes, whose primary responsibility was
monitoring remediation construction at the Penrose Mine, also prepared a measured drawing
of the remains of the flume described by Mr Hamm and additional information on the work
around the mill remains. Her drawings and photographs of the flume are in Appendix E.
The descriptions of the mill tipple and the flume below are taken from her 1998 report,
Archeological Report on Monitonng of Remediation at the Penrose Dump and Drainage
Tunnel, and Hamm's Tailings, Operable Unit 6, California Gulch Superfund Site, Lake
County, Colorado.
Due to the changes in the Area of Potential Effect after the remediation plan was completed
and subsequent miscommunication, the ruins of the mill were included in the survey done by
Horn and Chandler in 1997. Thus, the mill is now included in two site numbers, 5LK852
and 5LK1021. The one used here, 5LK852, is the one assigned to the Hamm's tailings and
used in Ferguson 1995 which also discusses the mill
Rhodes' descriptions:
The Tipple:
*See Appendix E for Mr. Harm's comments on terns used by Groy and by
Horn and Chandler to describe features ox his mill.
30
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The tipple (identified as feature 9 in Horn and Chandler 1997 131-132) is a 25- by 30-
foot wooden structure, oriented southeast to northwest, set at a 45° angle to the
southwest (figure 41) As described by Groy (1997) and by Horn and Chandler (1997
131-132) the structure was built on the southwest side of a waste rock pile which
provided access to the top of the tipple for loading Materials were top loaded into the
northeast end of the structure The exit openings, three in all, are located on the
southwest side The main exit opening is in the center of the southwest wall, two smaller
openings are on the cribbed log foundation on either side (p 21-22)
The area of potential effect (APE) for Hamm's Mill changed after the mitigation plan
prepared by the BOR was approved, so the remediation work conducted at Hamm's Mill
was not included in the BOR mitigation plan, nor does it appear to have been
specifically mentioned in the mitigation plan prepared for the Operable Unit 6 mitigation
plan prepared by CDM Federal Programs Corporation and Research Management
Consultants, Incorporated (1997) However, measurements were taken of the Hamm's
Mill features and archival photographs were made by BOR prior to remediation
(P 24)
Work began at the Hamm's Mill site by blading the area west and south of the tipple
The flume and other structural debris was removed Next the mine waste north and east
of the tipple was carefully and systematically removed, revealing the lower portions of
the tipple Clean fill and Geotech fabric were installed close to the tipple on the north
and east sides to return it to the pre-remediation appearance
After removal of remnant waste rock and structural debris from the southwest side of the
tipple, a small ore car on rails was discovered inside the easternmost tipple opening
(figures 48-51) (Groy 1997) This ore car was made of sheet iron, measuring 22 inches
wide by 42 inches high It was protruding from the wall structure 12 inches. The car was
set on 1-1/4 inch-wide rails, set a distance of 18 inches apart A 14- by 18-inch
rectangular plate served as a regulating slide door on the front of the car The plate had a
7-inch by 2-inch handle welded to its front The car had 6-inch diameter iron wheels (see
figure 50) (p 24)
A large head frame wheel was seen south of the tipple at Hamm's Mill It was photographed
by Groy (1997) (Rhodes 1998 25)
The Flume
Scattered remnants of one of the flumes that originally extended from the Hamm's Mill
building (feature 13) for 237 feet west/northwest to the tailings area were recorded as
feature 18 by Horn and Chandler (1997 129, 133, and 134) (figures 42-46) The feature
consists of a sheet-metal-lined wooden flume carried on a series of wooden supports
The flume box measured 8-inches high by 10-3/4-inches wide. Figure 45 shows a detail
31
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consisted of two upright posts with a single crosspiece. It appears that odds and ends of
scrap wood were used to construct the trestles, and no attempt was made to standardize
them beyond assuring that the height allowed passage of materials downhill to the
tailings The apparent different heights may be related to the growing height of the
tailings piles (p 22, 24)
The flume (feature 18 on figures 8,42-44) was demolished as part of the remediation of
the Hamm's area. . . . (p. 24).
Photographs and Photo Documentation
Contemporary pre- and post-remediation photographs of the mill and tailings are in
Appendix F These include the complete photolog for and a selection of the archival
photographs taken by Mr. Roger Whitacre One complete set of the archival photographs
and the negatives are in the Archives of the Colorado Historical Society; the second set will
be placed with an appropriate repository.
Construction Drawing of the Hamm's Tailings and Plan Map of Hamm's Mill Remains
An as-built drawing of the remediated Hamm's Tailings is in Appendix G. This drawing
can be compared to the before-construction drawing No. 1556-600-45 in the mitigation plan
to understand the difference in the historic and current features. A plan map of the
archaeological remains of the two mill sites is also in Appendix G.
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Other Mitigation Measures
The oral interview planned with Mr John Hamm was not conducted as planned As an add-
on to a business trip for another, unrelated project, the author was able to meet with Mr
Hamm at his home in Menlo Park for a few hours on October 27, 1995 Mr Hamm
provided some information about the mill and generously gave the author the historic
photographs of the mill which are included in Appendix B After his review of the ID & E
report, Mr Hamm also provided his autobiography and another volume of anecdotal items
which were of substantial use m preparing the history of the mill
PENROSE DUMP (5LK53)
During the remediation, toxic mine waste at the Penrose Dump was removed to the Hamm's
Tailings site The remaining pre-mining material was reshaped and a rustic log fence placed
along the top of the new feature
The Area of Potential Effect for the remediation of the Penrose Dump was defined at the
time the survey and evaluation was completed as the extent of the Penrose Dump, an
elongated pile of waste material approximately 900 feet long by 260 feet wide as shown on
Maps 1 and 3 The APE included the only standing structure associated with the historic
mine, the transformer house
Efforts to meet one of the requirements of the mitigation plan, expanding the historic
background to provide a more complete picture of the history of the facility, particularly in
the pre-1900 period, have been only partially successful Contemporary Denver newspapers
provided some information on pumping during the 1899-1907 period, but no engineering
information comparable to that available for the pumping in the mid-1910s was located
Even the recently published, exhaustive history of Leadville and its mining by Don L and
Jean Harvey Griswold did not provide many details of the early period Why the Penrose
was called the Penrose is still a question, but as discussed below, direct involvement of the
famous Penrose family seems unlikely
History of the Penrose Mine
As a geologist, you will understand that all these facts go to increase the probability of
existence of the ore bearing horizons under the City of Leadville-even well out at
greater depths than represented on my sections, and moreover developments in the
district since my report was made prove that the ore is not confined to the blue
limestone, but may extend down through the parting quartzite, and even into the white
limestone I consider the development of this western area the most important and most
promising in the future of the Leadville region (Prof S F. Emmons, quoted in The
Herald-Democrat hereafter cited as H-D, 1/1/04).
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PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
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The Penrose, among the first of the mines which opened the true downtown area, the
Leadville Basin, was developed on the basis of the accumulating knowledge and some
personal faith The following detailed outline attempts to chronicle its development The
mine's ownership through time was almost as complex as its production and pumping With
one exception, efforts to locate copies of the incorporation papers of the companies in state
or county records have been unsuccessful Early tax records indicate only that the taxes
were paid
Development and Production, 1890-1897
Major A V Bohn, described as "a Civil War Veteran of some distinction," who had located
the deep deposits at the Lucy B Hussey in 1889 but failed to develop them commercially,
watched closely as others tried, and after his investigations at the Elk on the Dillon claim
(see map 2), he started the Penrose shaft His description of the beginning is in quotations in
the following article
"In the year 1891 I secured a lease for two years on the Dillon claim, sunk a shaft 300
feet, passing through the porphyry into the lime, then commenced a systematic course of
drifting to find what I was sure of, the ore But how uncertain is the 'sure thing' in
mining In drifting west about one hundred feet I ran up against a fault or break, which
subsequently became known as the Elk fault, the diamond drill was called in to help find
bottom, which proved the displacement to be about 150 feet This was a severe blow,
here my courage and faith were on trial, but doubt of the ore bodies to the west never
entered my head Plunging on to the southwest in a true line of the ore shoots as I
believed the direction to be, a lease on the Penrose was perfected In the same year and
summer of 1891, a fairly good plant for sinking a shaft was erected and the work began
A few courageous men were found in Denver willing to back my judgment The shaft
went merrily down with more or less water to fight, until porphyry at 336 feet was
reached, then the flood came, we had to suspend, and the diamond drill was put to work
"The contact between the porphyry and lime was developed at 500 feet During this
time, and believing in the absolute certainty of the continuity of the ore shoot the
unerring line of a southwest course, I secured a lease on a part of the Starr placer No
255 owned by the Agassiz Townsite company, part of the St Louis Smelting and
Refining company's ground, the Alice placer, and some adjoining small fractions,
continuing the work of the diamond drill on the same line of course of the ore contact
"Drilling in the Lazy Bill Shaft disclosed good ore at 547 feet, which is yet untouched
Then dropping on down to the southwest to what is now known as the Bon Air, the drill
again found the contact, and some ore at 540 feet
"My backers in Denver were much worried about the further sinking of the Penrose
shaft In tears of disappointment they quit With courage and determination, 'Excelsior,'
34
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no such word as fail, the intrepid firm of Smith and Moffat were approached, and with
the showing that I made they were willing, and did take hold of the Penrose and pushed
the shaft down to the ore, at very heavy expenses and outlay of money "
The Smith and Moffat operations disclosed enormous bodies of ore, as far north as Fifth
Street, and extending south to the Bon Air shaft Capital became interested, and other
enterprise followed, and the activity of the Leadville basin continued until 1896, when
operations ceased, owing to the strike (H-D, 1/1/04)
Mining patent number 16289 for the Penrose claim, U S Survey 4311, was issued to Lewis
J Chamberlin on May 21, 1890 (USDI Bureau of Land Management 1998) The Penrose
shaft is less than one-quarter of a mile to the west-southwest of the Elk shaft described by
Major Bohn
Even during this first period of rich ore and good production, water was a problem The
"Our Yesterdays—famous files of 46 years ago" column of The Herald-Democrat for July
20, 1939, includes a July 20, 1893, item "Penrose- ore production ceased water battle,
Sixth Street mine closed- water to Penrose, if no prospect of improvement, the pump will be
pulled"
Production did continue until August of 1896, but water continued to be a problem
(Henderson 1926, H-D 1/1/04) The layout of the mine buildings and extent of the dump
and the locations of surrounding houses as they were in 1895 are shown in figure 2
Labor Turmoil
On May 25, 1896, a committee representing the Cloud City Miners' Union (CCMU) asked
several Leadville mine owners for a 50-cents-a-day wage increase for all mine workers who
were not making $3 00 a day In his 1995 monograph, The Lessons of Leadville, William
Philpott details the events of the months leading up to and the long and bitter strike in
Leadville in 1896-97 References in the brief summary of events which follows are to his
volume The union, Local 33 of the Western Federation of Miners, was almost a year old on
that day in May, 90 percent of the district's miners were members (p 2), and 65 to 75
percent of all miners were on the $3 00 a day scale The exceptions were those working in
the downtown mines or in the Little Johnny (p 95, note 1) The mine owners rejected the
request and a second one on June 19 On June 20, 968 miners walked out. On June 21 the
mine owners closed down all the city's mines and locked out another 1,332 employees For
two months there was no overt movement on either side, but secretly the mine owners had
agreed not to recognize the union or negotiate with it On August 13, the mine owners
issued a proclamation offering to pay $3 00 during any month when the price of silver
exceeded 75 cents an ounce, if the unionists returned to work immediately The offer was
rejected, the mine owners
35
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5T_H , ... ST.
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issued an ultimatum five days later, retracting their August 13 proposal If strikers did
not return to work by August 22, management now hinted, and if they did not accept the
wage scales that had been in effect when the strike was called, the mine owners would
reopen the mines using strikebreakers (pp 2 & 3)
As tensions rose, the union responded by putting together paramilitary companies to
intercept trains and stages to make sure no scabs reached the mines A few mines reopened
paying the $2 50 daily wage, using strikebreakers Other mines "shut down their pumps in
late August and early September, allowing the tunnels to flood and effectively giving notice
that they would not be reopening for a long time" (p 3) The Penrose was one of these, it
and the Bon Air pulled their pumps on August 30 (p 105, note 14)
When violence erupted in early morning on September 21, it was directed at the Coronado
and the Robert Emmet, which had reopened with strikebreakers Philpott reports no damage
to the structures at the Penrose Troops sent by Governor Mclntire began to arrive the night
of September 21 and within a few days there were boxcars of strikebreakers (p 3-4) It was
not until March 9, after months of "shootings, beatings, and incidents of harassment," of
union members (pp 5 & 39) that the badly beaten union voted to end the strike which the
militia, vigilante police from Denver, and strikebreakers assured would fail (p 5)
Hodges (1897, quoted in Henderson 1926) summarizes the situation in Leadville at the end
of the year
The Leadville strike, which terminated in March, 1897, was the single labor trouble
occurring in any camp of the State during the year * * *
The labor strike in Leadville in 1896 and 1897 caused the suspension of pumping in the
large down-town mines Up to this time the operators have been unable to effect an
agreement in adjusting pumping expenses, which has caused a large number of
Leadville's greatest mines to lie idle the entire year * * *
Arrangements for unwatering and reopening these mines are in a fair way to be
consummated * * * (p 151)
The Second Period of Production, 1899-1907
New Pumping
Almost a year after Hodges' comment, pumps were being installed at the Penrose The
Denver Times for October 11, 1898, reported in its State news under the headlme, "Leadville
Pumping Association Planning Its Penrose Plant,"
36
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WILL SOON LIFT THE WATER
Actve (sic) Work in Progress by the Lead-
ville Pumping Association
Leadville, Oct 11 (Special) Operations are
progressing very satisfactorily at the big Penrose
property, a great double sinker weighing 12,000
pounds being lowered and put in place today Pipes
are going in and connections are being made so that
Manager Sherwin expects to be raising water
Thursday The Bon Air pumps will not be started for
the present, and perhaps not until the Penrose pumps
are in full operation As soon as this main pump is
started the other mines will be ready to start their
pumps General satisfaction is expressed throughout
the camp over the pumping prospects (p 4, col 2)
Three weeks later (November 3), the Times reported that a visit to the Penrose-Bon Air
properties which are operated by the Leadville Pumping association to take water out of the
downtown mines
shows that good progress has been made The big pumps now in operation are handling
the water at the rate of 2,000 gallons per minute, and it has been lowered about seventy
feet
Superintendent Vivian is in charge of the work, and Mr Sherwin, manager of the
Pumping association, is on the ground several times a day It is believed the pumps
which were drowned out will be reached in about four weeks, and when they are
uncovered they will greatly assist in the work in the levels below (p 2 col 2)
These must have been auxiliary pumps not pulled at the time of the strike The following
April the Times reported that the Leadville Pumping association which was draining the Bon
Air would soon be finished with that mine, finishing one of "largest enterprises in the camp "
Preparations were being made to begin pumping at the Coronado (April 16, 1899, p 4, col 2)
And on July 18, 1899, the Times reported on the activity resulting from the unwatering in the
Down-Town
MAW Working With Good Results
in the old Wolftone Shaft—Cloud City Mines
Leadville, July 18,--(Special) It is really most
encouraging to see so much new work again in
37
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progress in what is known as the down-town
section This rich area of ground laid idle for so
long a time during the years that water ran at full
away through it But now that the Leadville basin
is drained the old propositions in the locality are
being operated, while a number of new deals that
were on foot at the time that mines closed down
are now being fought to the surface, and some of
them are already under way It has always been
the belief that the down-town ground would show
wonders when properly and systematically
developed, and this belief is being strengthened by
the work that has already been done, as well as by
new work under way (p 6, col 1)
The success of the pumping is clear in Hodges' year end summary (1899, quoted in
Henderson 1926) The Penrose's second period of production had begun
The Leadville district was never more active since the famous carbonate discoveries of
1878 than in the year 1899, especially during the latter half of the year Well-known
producers were worked to the limit, and an exceptionally large amount of exploration and
new work was undertaken
The stupendous task of unwatering the Leadville basin or Downtown mines was
completed in May by the Home Mining Co This company was capitalized at 50,000
shares, par value $1 It successfully drained these properties, cleared away the drifts, and
speedily discovered high-grade chloride iron and lead bodies Shipments were made on a
large scale from the Penrose, Bon Air, and Starr shafts, the Penrose being especially
prominent in the output of silver chlorides
* * *
The result of this pumping victory was the resumption of work by the Wolftone, Weldon,
Bohn, Northern, Midas, Colonade (Coronado?), and Sixth Street properties * * * (p
152)
The force behind this effort was once again Major Bohn (H-D, 1/1/04, 1/1/20)
Infrastructure for Production
To facilitate the movement of the booming production, railroads added spurs to major mines,
the Penrose was one Martorano and Killam (1994.89) give the date as 1898; Hodges in
Henderson (1926 152) identifies the year as 1899 It is shown on the 1906 Sanborn map
38
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(figure 3) and of the sources on compiled map 3, the USGS 1913 special map (field date
1911) is the first to include the tracks
On September 8, 1900, a corporation called the Down Town Mining Company was organized
under the laws of the State of Colorado with total capital stock of $1,000,000, $999,995 of
which were issued for property, at the rate of $1 per share The document was notarized in
Suffolk County, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the residence of two of the three
incorporators, William G Reed and Guy M Spear The third was John A Ewing of
Leadville No evidence has been found linking this company to the development of the
Penrose or the general dewatering of the mines (Colorado State Records)
Progress of the new Bohn-organized company in Leadville during 1900 is reported by
Hodges who once again describes the Leadville mining situation
The advancement in mining in the Leadville district during the past year has been along
the line of consolidation of old properties into new companies This has been especially
emphasized in the formation of home companies The most striking example is that
incorporation known as the Home Mimng Co This company secured a large territory
within the city limits, worked through the Penrose, Star, and Bon Air shafts Two
years ago the effort was made to get a sufficient number of home people interested to
furnish the capital to unwater this territory and prospect the ground for the great ore
shoots which were thought to continue from Carbonate Hill into this ground
It is the history of a long and desperate struggle with a heavy flow of water, with
insufficient pumping arrangements, and of final triumph in placing the Penrose and Bon
Air shafts again in the list of producers
The Penrose, of the Home Co, is producing daily 350 tons, (Henderson 1926 154)
On February 8, 1901, the Denver Times reported on changes which had occurred in Leadville
during the past ten years, drawing on material from the Leadville Herald-Democrat Among
the changes described between 1890 and 1900
In 1890 there were about sixty producing mines in operation The number in production
today is the same, but while the tonnage for 1890 was about 400,000 tons that for 1900
was 818,000 tons
Of the sixty producing mines ten years ago, there are now but eighteen which are Of
this list, with a few exceptions, there are no heavy producers today
The Gold Belt was then practically unheard of The Breece was taking out a little iron,
but the Little Jonny was a mixed and indeterminate quantity and the Resurrection was
undreamed of The Little Ellen was shipping a little ore, but had not yet demonstrated
39
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-W AVC
—'•*>"~< j^vjris
Hon.
'/fyfSS/Z floo? *1 J*."«VV wr /x;j
<>/ T*\tn A
-------
the value of the surrounding territory Forty-two mines have dropped from the list and
forty new ones doubled the output of the camp, not only in the new sections of the Gold
Belt and the down town territory, but in the heart of Carbonate and Iron hills, then
supposed to have been practically exhausted
In ten years the productive area has been doubled by the addition of the Gold Belt and
Leadville Basin sections, both of which counted for nothing at the commencement of the
decade and are now the most important factors in the future of the camp (p 11, col 2)
A month later, on March 8, 1901, the Denver Times reported on a meeting to reorganize the
Home Mining Company in Leadville The article reported that
There seems hardly a doubt that the company will be recapitalized on a basis of
2,000,000 shares giving forty shares for one share now held The name of the company
will be changed to either the New Home Mining company or the Home Mining and
Reduction company
The outlook for the Home was never better At present the physical condition of the
company is first class The output for this month will be a great deal more than it was
durmg the month of February and the dividends in the future will amount to about
$20,000 per month (p 11, col 2 & 3)
The Denver Times continued to follow the story and on April 20 reported that the Home
Mining company would pay dividends on May 1 of $12,500. The "mine" is producing now
about 200 tons per day The article continues
It is probable that in the Penrose shaft, now that the water in the Valentine is no longer
being handled, some more pumping will have to be done There has been a noticeable
increase of water since the Valentine closed down, but at present pumping three times a
day is sufficient to handle the flow
It is clear from these reports that the Penrose is a major component of the positive
developments. An article on the Leadville Basin in The Herald-Democrat for January 1,
1920, which includes a history of the development of the Down Town area, states that the
Home Mining Company was reincorporated and after (wards) taken over by Western Mining
Company, headed by S D Nicholson In 1901 Hodges refers to the Home Mining Company
as the New Home Mining Company for the first time (quoted in Henderson 1926),
presumably reflecting the reorganization which began in March
In its 1903 New Year's report on mining during the past year, the Herald-Democrat under
the heading "In Iron Kingdom," reported that
40
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During the early months of 1902 the New Home shipped large quantities of iron from its
Penrose shaft The company had every reason to suppose that the iron bodies were
continuous but suddenly they showed evidence of exhaustion on the main horizon, and
the shipments rapidly deceased A sublease was given to John Evans & Co and some
further shipments made, but at the last meeting of the stockholders, it was decided that
the only way to keep the property alive was to raise additional money by loan and carry
on a thorough and systematic plan of prospecting There is much ground in the Penrose
yet to be explored and some known iron bodies which can be reached by additional
drifting The stock holders have agreed to subscribe the loan among themselves and the
present year will see an active resumption on a property that has in the past three years
produced over a million dollars in value (page 10)
Continued Pumping, 1903-1907
In 1903, the Midas Mining and Leasing Company, under the control of S D Nicholson,
began work at the Coronado and Midas shafts, dewatering, repairing and deepening the shafts
and exploring for important zones Large pumps were installed at the Coronado which was
handling most of the water (1,000 gallons/minute) for the downtown area The exploration
was expensive, but successful, as ore was identified below the quartzite The major problem
was the volume of water encountered (H-D, 1/1/04) In his 1904 report Downer discusses the
Midas developments and closes with a comment on the pumping capacity of the Penrose
"The mines are wet, and pumps at the Penrose have handled as high as 1,100 gallons per
minute" (quoted in Henderson 1926 161)
In his annual report on developments for the Leadville District for 1905, Lindgren notes that
important developments have taken place in the Down-town section
The Midas Co has sunk the Penrose shaft to a depth of 920 feet and is draining it by
means of powerful pumps. The Coronado shaft, in the same vicinity, is 790 feet deep
and is now drained by a drift from the Penrose (quoted in Henderson 1926 162)
There is no indication in this item whether the pumps in use in 1905 are the same ones put in
use in 1898 or are new ones The 1903 report in Henderson notes that pumps were installed
at the Coronado during the year, but no mention is made of a change at the Penrose An item
in the January 1908 issue of the journal Mines and Minerals "Correspondence" section may
suggest that the pumps at the Penrose were installed after 1898 as it refers to the past four
years during which the pumps drained the Leadville Basin The item reads
On the 16th of December the Midas Mining and Leasing Co, operating in the down-town
district of Leadville, began to pull the pumps from the Penrose Mine These pumps
during the last four years have drained the entire, so called, Leadville basin and have
made possible the operation of mines over a wide territory, which before could not be
operated on account of water The pumps have a capacity of 3,000 gallons per minute
41
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from a depth of 900 feet, but for the last year have only been pumping about 1,500
gallons per minute, although previously they were worked to their full capacity
The effect of pulling the pumps from the Penrose shaft on these mines, cannot be
accurately told at present, but the operators have good cause to feel uneasy, and as the ore
bodies have not been fully developed the loss which is threatened is hard to estimate
The direct object of the Midas Mining and Leasing Co in pumping in the Penrose shaft
has been to mine the ore bodies through the lower works of the Coronado Mine The
Coronado has been one of the largest producers of Leadville for the past five years and
the closing down of this mine alone, will mean throwing out of employment about 300
men and a curtailment of Leadville's tonnage by 400 tons per day In addition to this,
many men in the smaller mines nearby will be laid off, and the tonnage of Leadville, will
for a least the present, be considerably reduced
The Coronado works were known to contain ore enough to last for two or three years
more, at the end of which time the pulling of the pumps was expected The great slump
in the price of metals, lead, silver and zinc, however, has precipitated this action, so that
it came as a surprise to the majority of Leadville's operators (p 287-288)
An Interim, 1908-1911
For the next seven years the downtown mines were idle, filled with water A photograph of
the Penrose taken by U S G S geologist J D Irving in 1908 documents the mine as it
looked at the end of a very productive period (See Appendix H ) Although the view is
narrow, it appears that the location of the buildings matches the location recorded on
Sanborn's 1906 map, included here as figure 3 It appears that the main buildings were
moved or new ones constructed after the strike, perhaps during the 1898-1899 reopening or
when the large pumps mentioned in the Mines and Minerals article were installed
Although the downtown mines were idle, other activity that would be critical to the mines'
last period of production was underway The Herald-Democrat for January 1, 1911, reports
on the expansion of availability of electrical power in the Leadville District Early in 1907
the utility company built the first two transmission lines supplying power to the mines By
the end of 1910, 52 mines were on line (Section 3, p 3) And, the paper reported, Carbonate
Hill mines under control of Western Mining Company and Star Consolidated Mines
Company continued production, employing a total of 300 men
In 1913, at the bottom of the hill near Fifth Street, the Jolly Mine had encountered a deposit
of excellent grade iron, as well as of lead (H-D, 1/1/14, p 1)
The Final Period, Pumping and Production on a Grand Scale, 1913-1919
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Getting Started Again
In its January 1, 1915, annual review of mining activity during the previous year, The Herald-
Democrat affirmed the affect of discoveries of carbonate of zinc on the formation of the
company and future of the downtown
Had it not been for the discoveries of carbonate of zinc in the mines of Carbonate and
Fryer hills it is doubtful whether practical consideration would have been given to the
present possibilities of the Down Town area It certainly gave a fresh impetus to the
mining industry when the revelations of the Wolftone and other properties of Carbonate
hill gave a promise of what must unquestionably be found in the submerged ore bodies of
the Penrose, the Bon Air, the Coronado and other properties In fact a close examination
of the Penrose dump resulted in the finding of a quantity of this material, and four
carloads were actually shipped (Section 2, p 4, c 4)
Jesse F McDonald, former Governor of Colorado, believed in and collected data to support
the existence of a large deposit of carbonate of zinc in the downtown properties The task of
dewatering the area was seen as virtually impossible No pumping equipment was known
that could do it Mr McDonald persevered, as had Major Bohn more than 20 years earlier,
and over many months secured 20-year leases from a large number of downtown claims,
including the Penrose The value of previous production at key mines under the leases was
$12,000,000, and below the quartzite, almost no material had been recovered
By the end of 1913, Mr McDonald approached and secured the support of St Louis
capitalists for development of the mines On March 27, 1914, the Down Town Mines
Company was incorporated to do business in the State of Colorado The officials of the
company J L Goff, President, J C Waldeck, Vice-President, Charles J Walker, Secretary
and Treasurer, C W Chamberlain and W T Nardin, Directors, and Jesse F McDonald,
General Manager (H-D 1/1/15, section 2, p 4, c 4 and 1/1/20, p 6, Horton 1916).
The Penrose would be the mine from which the new dewatering would be done Initial work
included the repair of the surface plant, installation of efficient electrical hoisting equipment,
and retimbering the 4 Vi-foot by 15-foot shaft to the water level at 276 feet below the collar,
and installing pumping machinery The Herald-Democrat reported on January 1, 1915, that
surface improvements were well underway the concrete transformer house was completed,
electrifying the hoist was in progress, and buildings, gallows-frame, boiler, railroad
sidetracks, etc, were being put in the best possible condition (H-D 1/1/1915, Section 2, p 4,
c 4, and 1/1/1920, p.6)
A photograph of the new concrete transformer house was published in The Herald-Democrat
on January 1 of both 1915 and 1916 (See Appendix H) Sanborn Insurance Company's
1906 map shows a different location for most of the mine buildings than does the company's
1895 map and theUSGS 1913 special map The locations on the Sanborn 1937 map are
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different from those of either of the earlier maps, but are very close to the one from 1906
(The difficulties in accounting for differences in scale and repeated copying may account for
some, but probably not all of the differences ) The Downtown Mines Company's
improvements in the mid-1910s probably included more than repair and cleanup
The Herald-Tribune for January 1, 1915, also notes that one of the largest problems in
unwatenng has always been the cost of pumping and that with the new operation the problem
has been partially solved by choosing electrical power, which is now m "feasible and
practical form " All operations will be powered by electricity except for the winches which
will be driven by steam, a precaution put in place to save the pumps should the electrical
power supply be lost (section 2, p 4, c 5, Horton 1916)
The New Pumping Operation
W H Horton, Jr, a Denver employee of the General Electric Company, which supplied the
motors for the special pumps provided a detailed account of the project and equipment and its
cost effectiveness in the February 1916 issue of General Electric Review. A Monthly
Magazine for Engineers The entire article is included here as Appendix I to allow readers
access to the in-depth discussion and illustrations Copies of photographs in the article
obtained from the Hall of History Foundation, Center of History for the Electrical Industry in
Schenectady, New York, are included in Appendix H as well
Mr Albert E Guy, "in compliance with the wishes of some of the members of the Colorado
Scientific Society," also reported on the installation of the pumps in the Mining and
Engineering World for January 22, 1916 He was assigned to supervise the starting of
operations at the Penrose
A brief discussion drawn from these articles and The Herald-Democrat for January 1, 1916,
is included here to continue the history of the development of the Penrose Mine
Originally the Down Town Mines Company had planned to purchase electrical centrifugal
pumps from the Sulzer Brothers of Switzerland, but the war in Europe intervened and a
contract was developed with Providence Engineering Works of Rhode Island through the
company's representative in the East, the J G White Engineering Company of New York
The Herald-Democrat carefully tracked progress on installation and reported that on
April 9(1915) Work of installing electrical pumps at Penrose shaft begins
April 19: Pumping operation starts at Penrose
And May 8, a day The Herald-Democrat believed should be celebrated as a holiday, marked
the beginning of active operations on unwatering (section 2, p 2, c 2, section 5, p 5), which
Mr Guy reported has continued until the time of his article (p 160).
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Figures 7 and 8 of Horton's article (in Appendix I) illustrate the lay-out of the shaft and the
pumping equipment and provide details of the pumps Each of the four identical pumps was
designed to pump 2000 gallons per minute at 425 feet of head The central portion of the
shaft was left clear for access and ultimately for mining Two relay pumps were installed at
the 470 foot level Water was sent directly to the relay pumps, no sump was installed
between the relay and sinking pumps Provision was made for adding extension pipes to the
water column of the sinking pumps just above the pump Mr Guy notes that the cables "of
special make" supplying current to the motors are "connected directly to the switchboard in
the engine room The high tension current is brought from the lines of the Colorado Power
co to the transformer house, which is located conveniently close to the engine room" (p 162)
Of interest in understanding what physical remains may be present today from the pumping
operation is the illustration in Horton's Figure 7 of a tunnel at the 60-foot level through
which the pumped water is released outside the mine His figures 14-17 show water
cascading from the tunnel The Herald-Democrat reported that the pumps had a capacity of
over 4000 gallons per minute as shown by tests at the shops and by water measurements in
the Starr Ditch (1 /1 /1916, sec 2, p 2) The Herald-Democrat for January 1, 1919, mentions
water rushing from the spillway (p 6, c 6)
Progress was good and, by December 14, the water level was lowered to 724 feet The
Herald-Democrat for November 18, 1915, noted, however, that the pumping plant had shut
down for repair and that on November 24, operations resumed with one pump Trouble
developed again on December 21 (H-D 1/1/1916, p 5)
As the water receded work went forward to retimber, or repair, all levels of the mine The
bottom was reached early in 1916
Mr Guy comments in closing that
The apparatus having proven its ability to meet the hydraulic and power conditions, the
operators set to work with great will and, thanks to their experience and highly intelligent
efforts, met successfully one after the other the thousand and one problems that beset
their novel task The retimbering of the shaft as they proceeded through soaked soft
ground was not the least of the difficulties (p. 162)
On August 26, 1916, A E Moynahan, Colorado Bureau of Mines Inspector for District 3,
also reported on the pumps and their capacity as well as the work underway to retimber and
mine He indicates that the shaft is now 875 feet deep and is completely unwatered Mining
is only occurring on the third level, from which drifts are being driven to the south and east
of the shaft, along with upraises to prospect the ground This level is in fine shape with a No
5 American Blower near the shaft taking in fresh air from the shaft and putting it into all the
working faces He also notes that "a connection has been made with the Star Shaft on the 6th
level The 4th level when cleaned out will connect with Cornado and Grey Eagle shafts and
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the 9th level will connect with the same level from the Cornado Shaft" (Colorado State
Archives)
The Herald-Democrat for January 1, 1919, notes that "during all this time, the pumps were
throwing between 2,500 and 3,500 gallons of water per minute," and "During the latter part
of 1916, a small tonnage of manganese and silver-iron was extracted from old workings on
the upper levels, " In 1917 a considerable output, reaching at times to 300 tons daily and
including several classes of ore, was maintained (p 6, c 6)
For 1918 the operations at the Penrose which employed 150 men are described as follows
In the twelve months that have since expired operations have been conducted upon an
exceedingly broad and comprehensive basis with the same progressive thoroness that has
marked the undertaking thruout its entire course Prospecting has spread in all directions
and has uncovered a large reserve of ore Manganese and silver-iron have been
encountered in the upper workings along the blue lime, and a big tonnage of these ores
has been blocked out In the underlying zone, immense deposits of lead-silver carbonate
have been discovered, and, during the past year, formed the main source of production
Zinc carbonate in strong bodies and lead-silver-copper carbonate have been found still
deeper in the white lime horizon, while on the bottom level in the sulphide contact
extensive shoots of silver-lead-zinc and silver-lead-copper ores have been discovered
Despite the huge tonnage produced during the year, the ore reserves in the property have
not been materially diminished . Great success has attended prospecting work in the
area between the Penrose and Coronado shafts where the large bodies of silver-lead
carbonate have been encountered Only recently the task of retimbering the
Coronado shaft was undertaken and is being advanced rapidly (H-D, 1/1/19, p 7, c 6)
Lead was the primary output of the mines, along with manganese and a small amount of
copper, by both the Down Town Mines Company and lessees. The author of the Herald-
Democrat article reminds readers that the reason production is excellent and the future good
is the enormous success with pumping, supplying the following figures For the 18 months
after May 8, 1915, an estimated 2,234,000,000 gallons of water were removed and since that
time (25 months) an additional 1,137,320,000 gallons have been removed, an amount
sufficient to create a reservoir one square mile by 75 feet deep
(H-D, 1/1/19, p. 6, c 6)
In the spring of 1919, management proposed a reduction of miners wages and miners
prepared to strike. On April 19, The Herald-Democrat reported that the Penrose was
preparing to save its equipment and other salvaging actions against the proposed walkout
On April 23, conditions were reported to be normal (1/1/1920, p 4) and on January 5, 1920,
115 men were employed (100 underground) (Colorado Bureau of Mines 1920)
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Decline and Closure, 1920-1929
By October of 1920, the Down Town Mines Company determined they would no longer
continue to operate at a loss and ceased operations The reasons given for the closing were
high mining costs and unsatisfactory smelter rates Pumping would continue until spring at
least, with the belief that conditions would improve, particularly the demand for zinc Nine
men were employed (Colorado Bureau of Mines 1920) Pumps were throwing 1400 gallons
per minute (H-D 1/1/1922, p 1) And, indeed, by August of 1922, the Penrose employed 45
men to ship lead to the A V Plant of A S & R Co, and zinc to Western Zinc Oxide
Company (H-D 8/20/1922, p 3)
Problems with water were again a primary concern when, on January 1, 1923, The Herald-
Democrat reported that no spirit of cooperation existed among the large mining companies in
dealing with this issue The pumps of the Down Town Mines Company were caring for the
flood which had increased considerably over the past year Exploration was continuing in
parts of the district, and prospects were good, but capital was not generally good (sec 2, p 1)
The Penrose shaft shipped only a small tonnage of different ores late in 1922, and much of
the downtown area was under contract (H-D 1/1/1923, Sec.2, p 1)
Big Pumps Pulled
On December 9, the following item appeared quietly on page 5 of The Herald-Democrat
MORE LENS FILED AGAINST DOWNTOWN MINES COMPANY-Three more
liens were filed in the office of the county clerk yesterday, against Down Town Mines
company The Western Hardware company and the Williams Lumber company filed the
liens claiming that they had furnished materials for the operation of the Down Town
Company The S L Smith Lumber company also filed an amended lien Previously
they had filed a similar claim, but yesterday's document is more comprehensive
The Colorado Power company several days ago took a similar action because of power
service furnished before the pumps were pulled from the Penrose, (emphasis added),
operated by the Down Town company, and requested that its claim be considered
superior to all others
Ex-Governor Jesse McDonald, manager of the company, who paid the last months
payroll to the men, also filed a lien some time ago (c 4)
In its yearly chronology for 1923, The Herald-Democrat for January 1, 1924, noted the
following
October 16 - McDonald ordered pumping operations to cease
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November 7 - Emil Bartel was injured at the Penrose shaft as huge electric cable broke
from fastenings and slipped down the shaft
Henderson (1926) noted that the pumps were pulled at the Penrose Mine in November
(1923)
On January 1, 1925, The Herald-Democrat included the following item from 1924
"Sept 30- The machinery of the Down Town Mines Company is sold to satisfy creditors
of the company" (p 5, c 3)
The Index to State Domestic Corporations bears this entry beneath the Down Town Mines
Company
"defunct & inoperative"
10/10/33 filing #26
A Last Try
R J Murray, State Mine Inspector, District No 3 reported on August 21, 1927, that the
Penrose Mine was operated by the Penrose Mines Company, Jesse F McDonald, Manager
Twelve men were employed to retimber a tunnel under the dump where the discharge water
flows through, also putting in new bicycle-type sheave wheel, hoist, new head frame, etc A
new double drum hoist was being built for this mine at the Denver iron works New pumps
were also under construction at Providence, Rhode Island, and delivery was expected very
shortly These pumps were of the very latest type, and would be operated by 550 horse
power, vertical type motors The water in this mine was within 300 feet of surface
State Mine Inspectors' reports for years after 1927 included the following information for the
Penrose June 10, 1928 - two men were employed as watchmen and ore was dumped directly
into railroad cars, November 25, 1929 - sixteen men employed, unwatering for several
months to 440 feet The new pumps mentioned in 1927 must have been installed
The annual report from the Penrose Mines, Inc to the State Bureau of Mines for 1929 reports
that all leases have been forfeited and there was no production
After multiple cycles of spectacular pumping and large production followed by idleness, the
Penrose Mine would produce no more It was the year of the beginning of the great
depression
The Mine's Name
In the history of mining in Colorado, the surname Penrose may not be as recognizable as
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Tabor or Brown, but it is surely included in those who made fortunes in the late 19th century
It seemed probable, then, that the Penrose family would be associated with the Penrose Mine
No evidence has been found of such a connection Two brothers of the socially elite
Philadelphia Penrose family made or left their marks in the Colorado Rocky Mountains
One, the businessman investor Spencer, stayed in Colorado, the other, the geologist and
selective investor Richard A F , Jr, continued to have Philadelphia as his home base A third
brother, Charles, a physician, lived in Wyoming for some period of time, his papers are said
to be at the University of Wyoming
A 1952 biography of Richard, Life and Letters ofR. A F. Penrose, Jr. , by Helen R
Fairbanks and Charles P Berkey, outlines the family history and the scientific and business
accomplishments of the man whose generous 1930s bequest to the Geological Society of
America assured its survival In the summer of 1938, the authors visited with Spencer
Penrose who was "much interested in the project and he put at our disposal all the material—
literally trunksfiil—left in his hands" (p vii) Miss Fairbanks also visited Cripple Creek and
Denver and interviewed "men who had known Penrose in his active days" (p vii), as well as
many others in other places Much of the story is told through letters Richard wrote and
received made available by Spencer and other family and associates These provide specifics
and hints of Richard's involvement in Colorado mining While no letters from Spencer are
included, Spencer and his activities are mentioned in a number of letters and the supportive
nature of their relationship is clear
Richard Penrose, Jr, first came to the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1882 to camp and
hunt while he was a student at Harvard, something he continued to do the following two
summers and at other times in his life He brought his brothers Bois and Spencer (p 43)
Daniel Moreau Barringer, a friend who became his business partner, was on the first trip
After Richard began work in the fall of 1884 in Texas and then in 1889 in Arkansas, his trips
to Colorado were not as regular nor designed primarily for pleasure He visited Colorado and
four other western states, the middle Atlantic seaboard, New England, and some southern
states, in 1889 to study the problem of manganese in preparation for his job in Arkansas (pp
43,75,141)
It is clear that by 1890 Spencer was actively seeking good investments m the mining world, a
proposed one which did not work out was on the Ute Reservation Richard thought Spencer
should look into the hot springs on the West slopes of Colorado (which Spencer had told him
about the previous winter) for possible commercial development as had been done in Hot
Springs, Arkansas (pp 152 & 3) In the summer of 1891, Richard left his position at the
Arkansas Geological Survey and made a trip to Montana with his brothers "roughing it" He
then "continued his professional labors with observation trips to Butte, Phillipsburg, Cooke
City, Leadville, and other western mining regions, for the avowed purpose of studying ore
deposits" (p 163) These labors were in support of the firm, Penrose and Barringer,
geologists and mining engineers, which he had established with his friend in Philadelphia in
April of 1891 (p. 164) The letterhead of the firm defined the services offered "Reports
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made upon Mining Properties and advice given concerning the working of Mines" (p 164)
Investors were interested in the services and over the next decade, many projects were
investigated for many clients In 1892 the firm did work on iron and coal in New Mexico,
Richard sold his interest in the iron 20 years later
In 1891 when gold was discovered in Cripple Creek, Spencer had recently moved to
Colorado Springs He joined with his friend Charles Tutt to invest there, with a claim to the
COD mine The success of this venture laid the foundation of his fortune (p 171) In
1892, Richard visited Cripple Creek, "and his notebook records the fact that at that time there
were 15 paying mines—some mines paid for development—too soon to estimate output
Possibilities—good" (p 171) Two years later, Richard returned to Cripple Creek with
Whitman Cross "to make the detailed study of Cripple Creek which was published as
Annual Report 16 (1898) of the United States Geological Survey, The mining geology of the
Cripple Creek district, Colorado" (p 171)
There are no letters or discussion in the biography stating that Richard counseled his brother
on the opportunity at Cripple Creek in 1892, but it seems highly likely given their
relationship After his work for the USGS, he may or may not have done so, as he wouldn't
use knowledge gained at Cripple Creek for his own gain, even though the Geological Survey
had no rule about this type of activity at the time (p 182)
For his own investments, Richard told Dr Berkey at Columbia that he had examined
hundreds of mines and carefully weighed prospects before he put a penny into one (p 190)
He found the right one in Cochise County, Arizona in 1895 With his partner Barringer and
John Brockman he formed the Common-Wealth Mining and Milling Company, developed
the funding, including $50,000 from his brother Charles, and the mining plan for The
Commonwealth Mine It made them very wealthy, in 1903 when the mine ceased to pay
$100,000 a month, "Penrose decided to get out and he sold his interest for something under a
million dollars to Count Pourtales and his associates" (p 195)
That the Penrose Mine is not mentioned in the biography of Richard Penrose does not prove
that there was no family connection, but it lends considerable weight The papers of Spencer
Penrose in Colorado Springs which would seem to include those referenced by the authors of
the biography were not available to the author at this time The possibility that papers which
might answer the question of the family's involvement with the Penrose Mine might also be
at the Geological Society of America, Inc in Boulder, Colorado, was also pursued to no
avail Dr Tom Noel, University of Colorado at Denver historian who has written a soon-to-
be- published volume on Spencer Penrose, recalled nothing in his research in the papers in
Colorado Springs that would indicate that Spencer was involved with the mine The
Pennsylvania Historical Society in Philadelphia holds the papers of Richard Penrose, Sr and
another brother of Richard and Spencer, Bois In the index to the papers, the archivist found
no reference to the Penrose Mine
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As noted above, the patent for the Penrose claim was issued on May 21, 1890, to Lewis J
Chamberlin Richard visited Colorado in 1889 Leadville is not mentioned and the work
seems to have been on the western slopes, but he could have visited the claim area Major
Bohn reported that the mine shaft was begun in the summer of 1891, the same summer that
Richard Penrose visited Leadville after leaving the Arkansas Survey Perhaps Richard
visited the operation and gave his support to the operation Was there some social connection
between the Bohn or the Chamberlin and Penrose families in the East*? Perhaps it was
brother Charles who invested, he was in Colorado Springs in 1891 and in Cheyenne,
Wyoming, in 1892 This possibility was not investigated The connection of the Penrose
family to the Penrose Mine, if any, remains unknown If there is one, at this time it seems
likely to have been honorary rather than business
The Results of Monitoring During Remediation Construction at the Penrose Dump
The mitigation plan for the Penrose Dump required periodic monitoring during remediation
construction to document any uncovered historic remains, including particularly the tunnel
which carried away the water pumped from the downtown area
Under its Memorandum of Agreement with EPA, the Bureau of Reclamation entered into an
agreement with the National Park Service to complete Cultural Resources field work for OU
6 and to monitor construction at the Penrose Dump. Ms Diane Rhodes completed this work
during the summer and fall of 1997 and, as noted above, prepared a stand-alone report on the
monitoring and documentation The results of monitoring and of documentation of features
uncovered at the Penrose are included here
Efforts to locate drawings or other information which defined the orientation of the tunnel
which carried the water from the Penrose beyond that included in the ID & E report before
remediation construction began were not successful The Hall of History Foundation
Archives, which held the original photographs for the 1916 General Electric Review article
did not have the manuscript or other information about the schematic figure showing the
tunnel
When the tunnel was uncovered during construction, it was badly deteriorated The portion
which could safely be entered was photographed and its construction and alignment
documented The drawings and photographs are in Appendix J
The Tunnel
Rhodes describes the tunnel
On August 11, 1997, a 7-foot-long section of the Penrose dewatering tunnel was
uncovered by construction equipment working along the north side of the site (map 3 and
figures 20-24) This section of the tunnel ran roughly northwest-southeast The tunnel
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section was drawn, photographed, and recorded Part of the top of the tunnel was
uncovered by hand shoveling and troweling, and this section was recorded (figure 23)
Next, a second section of tunnel, running west/northwest-east/southeast, and at the west
end of the first segment, was uncovered by heavy equipment It was also photographed
and recorded (figures 25-28)
There appeared to be at least two bends in the tunnel underlying the mine waste piles
near 4th Street (map 3) The reason for the bends is unknown The northernmost bend
was visible after the second segment of tunnel was uncovered (figure 24) Using a
flashlight, the southernmost bend could be seen beyond the opened section perhaps 15 or
more feet to the south Unfortunately the bend was too far away and too dark to register
clearly in photographs of the tunnel interior The walkway floor at the southernmost bend
was filled with rocks and debris, possibly shaken loose by the passage of heavy trucks on
the nearby temporary haul road
The tunnel is basically a linear feature, measuring approximately 3-1/2-feet by 4-feet on
the interior, with timbered sides and top which rests on a ground surface A raised
walkway runs along the center of the bottom, 1-1/2 feet above the base (figures 27 and
28) The raised walkway was probably intended to allow workers to check the condition
of the tunnel, or possibly, provide access to the shaft The top of the tunnel was an
estimated 1-1/2 to 2-feet below the present ground surface at the nearby 4th Street level
(figure 20) Thus the base of the tunnel would be 7- to 7-1/2-feet below ground surface at
4th Street (Because of damage and debris no measure of tunnel slope could be
determined) No pre-mining ground surface was visible at the contact between the tunnel
and the adjacent soils, which were a mixture of mine waste and large clods of very heavy,
wet greenish-yellow clay
Judging by the size and placement of the timbers and the complexity of the design, the
tunnel was obviously constructed to withstand great pressure from surrounding mine
waste For example, at fairly regular intervals of about 3+feet, six to eight large timbers
averaging from 6- to 8-inches square were set vertically against the outside tunnel wall,
usually four on either side opposite each other (figures 25-28) These timbers supported
large 8-inch square or half-round crossbeams which were in turn covered by half logs (ca
7-inches diameter) laid parallel to the long axis of the tunnel (figures 23, 27 and 28)
Planks averaging 2-inches by 4- or 6-inches in size were laid at undetermined intervals
perpendicular to and across the logs A second set of planks, 2-inches by 6-inches, was
laid parallel to the underlying logs (figures 27 and 28) In figure 23, the uppermost two
sets of boards appear to be stepped and overlapping This is thought to be a result of the
lifting and pushing action of the backhoe as it moved materials to the west It is not
known just why the long axis of the tunnel was developed in a gentle backwards "S"
curve (map 3)
The sides of the tunnel were lined with 2- by 10- or 12-inch boards laid on edge parallel
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to the long axis of the tunnel and held in place by the vertical posts and by 2- by 4-inch
vertical boards nailed to the vertical posts The wall boards were bowed inward,
reflecting the pressure of the adjacent soils when the mine waste and the top of the tunnel
were removed
The reported flow of water could have been carried in a much smaller conduit Since the
tunnel was much larger than needed to carry the flow, it appears that the tunnel design
was intended to give construction access No pipe was visible within the tunnel, and the
flow apparently ran beneath the walkway
Unfortunately, given the condition of the tunnel (e g damage by the heavy equipment),
the overlying debris and mine waste, and the restriction on entering undamaged portions,
it was nearly impossible to determine the exact type of joints used in tunnel construction
or rehabilitation Judging by the routed portions of the tops of the upright timbers (figures
25-28), and of the ends of the cross timbers, the joining method MAY have been as
illustrated by Harold A Linke in a 1916 publication on the Details of Practical Mining
(McGraw-Hill Book Company Staff) Linke notes that if "all available strength of set
timbers is required, then it is advisable to frame as shown in [item] 3. [FIG 80]" The
illustration in figure 42 is adapted from the McGraw-Hill drawing In this method, the
cross piece [end plate] and the lengthwise piece [wall plate] are cut and dovetailed to
form a perfect 90° angle, an additional cut on the bottom of the wall plate fits snugly over
the routed cap on the upright timber (figures 26-29)
It is not clear which structural elements were replaced during the 1927 retimbering
operation. Some variation in sizes and placement of walkway supports, cross timbers, and
vertical support posts suggest that much of the tunnel framework is probably original to
the 1915 construction, and that only rotted or damaged elements were replaced in 1927
The type of wood used in the tunnel construction could not determined, but there
appeared to be little variation in wood type among the various boards and large timbers
Bits of bark on some of the logs used in the tunnel construction appeared to be from
lodgepole pine or another coniferous trees readily available in the Colorado mountains
Water in the tunnel was about 6-inches deep It was very clear and did not appear to be
moving The base of the tunnel beneath the water was stained a characteristic yellowish-
red suggesting the presence of heavy mineral saturation Much of the wood in the tunnel
(especially the vertical posts) was waterlogged It was extremely soft and "punky" and
could easily be pulled away in large chunks with a touch of the finger The tunnel
smelled moldy, but otherwise appeared to be in excellent condition
Following documentation, open portions of the tunnel were backfilled by the contractor,
and the rest of the waste materials were removed to the Hamm's area Extant portions of
the tunnel are believed to lie both south and west of the tunnel area indicated on map 3,
53
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but no openings or historic drainages were found along Hazel or 4th Streets (Rhodes
1998 19-21)
In planning for monitoring of construction at the Penrose, a general assumption was made
that the tunnel was constructed during the last period of production at the Penrose Mine when
the installation of the specially designed electric pumps made engineering news After
additional historic research and reflection, it seems likely this assumption was incorrect or
partially incorrect
Large volumes of water had been pumped from and through the Penrose in earlier periods of
production The water would have had to be directed away from the shaft and buildings It
may well be that a portion of the tunnel was constructed in conjunction with the earliest
development It could then have been extended as dumping increased on the west side of the
shaft
The 1882 Bird's Eye View of Leadville (See Appendix A, attachments) shows a ravine in the
area of the Penrose Dump It would seem logical for a tunnel to open out into an available
natural depression Such an arrangement would match the photographs in Horton (1916),
which would have been taken in 1915, perhaps soon after pumping began in May and before
additional dumping occurred on the west side of the shaft The 1913(1911 field date)
U S G.S. map shows only a small mound of dump material on the west side of the property
No noticeable depression is shown on this map, but given the contour interval of 25', the
feature shown in the bird's eye view is certainly possible The houses shown on the northern
edge of the ravine to the west of the shaft in the Bird's Eye View and also in figure 2 were
removed between 1906 and 1937, probably in preparation for the renewed activity in 1915
The location of the tunnel relative to the present ground surface reported by Rhodes would
seem to allow for extending the tunnel into a natural depression of no more than ten feet in
depth and subsequently covering it with mine waste Such an arrangement would have
continued to provide access to the shaft area and direct the water away from the plant
Extention of the tunnel at different times could also explain why it apparently was so
crooked
When or why the opening was completely covered is not known, perhaps it was during a
period when more pumping was handled by the Coronado or for safety in the post-production
period
Penrose Shaft
The original remediation plan did not include removal of sufficient material to expose the
massive foundation for the headframe over the Penrose shaft When this occurred during
remediation, the feature was photographed and measured before it was removed Rhodes
describes the feature
54
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During the remediation process, the wood and concrete Penrose shaft building was
uncovered due west of the transformer building (map 3, figures 32-35) Former resident
Felix Jimenez pointed out the original location of the Penrose shaft just south of the
concrete foundation Removal of the adjacent waste pile(s) had undercut the feature on
the north, south, and west sides The feature was photographed and measured Following
documentation, the feature was removed because it posed a safety hazard The
remediation plan did not include removal of this feature
Two concrete piers south of the filled-in shaft may have been supports for the headframe
One of these supports had been badly damaged and overturned Both supports apparently
had been pushed aside by construction equipment (figures 36 and 37) (Rhodes 21)
Penrose Transformer Building
Rhodes also describes the transformer building and its documentation
As part of the remediation process, mine waste was scraped away from the north side of
the transformer building Three new concrete supports were poured along the north wall
of the transformer building to stabilize the structure (figure 18) The exterior of the
structure was photographed, drawn to scale, and described (figures 15-19) (1998 21)
Mine waste surrounded and was beneath the transformer building which is currently
being used by former resident Felix Jimenez as an equipment repair shop A small wood
frame lean-to was added to the north side of the concrete structure some time after 1915,
and soil and mine waste has accumulated along the building foundations (compare
figures 7 and 15) Since 1915 the building's flat roof has been covered with at least two
layers of rolled asphalt roofing (black over green), and the windows have been boarded
over (figures 16-19) The rolled roofing extends over the back edge of the roof perhaps 2
inches The back (north) side of the building is covered with sheet metal in two different
patterns, corrugated and partially corrugated One piece of sheet metal bears the
following inscription. TONCAN COPPER Molybden-um 24 IRON REPUBLIC
STEEL CORP'N Youngstown, OHIO, USA
A basketball hoop has been added to the front of the transformer building, and tie rods
have been inserted in the building walls to stabilize it In figure 7 note the electrical wires
running from the poles to the east side of the structure; the wires have since been
removed, but what appear to be some sort of ceramic insulators are still visible in the east
wall of the building Faded green fiberglass in a corrugated pattern covers the upper parts
of the double doors on the west side of the building (1998 18)
Artifacts from the Penrose Site
Very few artifacts were recorded during construction monitoring and none were collected
55
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Rhodes describes the ones she observed at the Penrose Dump-
A pile of bones was found north of the transformer building. Analysis by the author
using skeletal materials provided by the Colorado Archeological Society Bone Lab
indicated the find was the partial carcass of a young deer of relatively recent vintage. The
bones were photographed, but were not collected.
Artifacts in the vicinity of the transformer building included a few shards of clear glass,
metal fragments, nails, both soft and hard plastic, cigarette butts, and an occasional piece
of hard whiteware ceramics. These items were generally south and west of the structure
in an area unlikely to be disturbed by the remediation work and so were not collected. A
tie anchor, identical to those used to stabilize the walls of the transformer building, was
left lying on the southwest comer of the building foundation (note the tie anchors in
figures 53 and 54) (1998.24-25).
Photographs and Photo Documentation of the Penrose Dump
Contemporary pre- and post-construction photographs of the Penrose Dump are in Appendix
K. These include the complete photolog and a selection of the archival photographs taken by
Mr. Roger Whitacre. One complete set of the archival photographs and the negatives will be
placed in the Archives of the Colorado Historical Society; the second set will be placed with
an appropriate repository.
Plan Map of Penrose Mine Buildings
A plan of the map of the archaeological remains of buildings of the Penrose Mine Plant is in
Appendix L.
CONCLUSION
The historic research, construction monitoring and photographic documentation completed to
mitigate the adverse effect of remediation on the Hamm's Tailings and the Penrose Dump
historic properties have created a record of the features which will assure their importance
and pre-remediation appearance are known in the future
Neither the Hamm's Tailings or the Penrose dump has the same volume of material or
appearance it had prior to remediation construction Thus, the features no longer contribute
to the Leadville Mining District.
56
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REFERENCES CITED
Civilian Production Administration, Bureau of Demobilization
1947 Industrial Mobilization for War, History of the War Production Board and
Predecessor Agencies, 1940-1945, Volume 1 Program and Administration
Washington, D.C Government Printing Office 1969 Reprint New York
Greenwood Press, Publishers
Ebbley, N E, Jr and J I Schumacher
1949 Examination, Mapping, and Sampling of Mine Shafts and Underground
Workings Leadville, Lake County, Colorado U S D I Bureau of Mines,
Report of Investigations 4518 Washington, D C
Fairbanks, H R and C P. Berkey
1952 Life and Letters of R A F Penrose. Jr New York The Geological Society of
America. Baltimore, Md Printed by Waverly Press, Inc
Ferguson, B H
1995 Final Report on the Cultural Resources Identification and Evaluation for the
Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis of the Hamm's Tailings, Penrose Dump
and Starr Ditch, Operable Unit 6, California Gulch Superfund Site, Lake
County, Colorado Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Services Center, Denver
Guy, A E
1916 Pumping installations in the Leadville district In Mining and Engineering World
44 f4V 159-162
Hamm, J P
1992a Deposition of John P Hamm on Behalf of the Plaintiff U S District Court for
the District of Colorado, Civil Action No 83-C-2388 (consolidated with 86-C-
1675) Volume I, pages 1-179, September 3, Volume II, pages 180 ff,
September 4 Denver
1992b The Life and Times of John Percy Hamm, an Autobiography. Menlo Park,
California The Hamm Press
1994 Personal Communication to Dick Wiltshire and Patricia McCoy, October 21
Henderson, C M
1944 Report on Activities of Metals Reserve Company from June 28, 1940 to
November 1, 1944. Manuscript available from the University of Missouri
Library, Columbia, Missouri
57
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Henderson, C W
1926 Mining in Colorado, a History of Discovery, Development and Production
U S G S Professional Paper 138 Government Printing Office, Washington, D C
Horn, J C and S M Chandler
1997 Cultural Resource Inventory Report of a Remediation Area at the California
Gulch Superfund Site, Operable Unit 6, Lake County, Colorado
Horton, W H , Jr
1916 The Unwatenng of the Down Town Mining District of Leadville General
Electric Review, the Monthly Magazine for Engineers. XII.2 (Feb ) 96-106
Martorano, M A and D G Killam
1994 Identification and Evaluation Plan for Cultural Resources, California Gulch
Superfund Site, Lake County, Colorado Foothill Engineering Consultants,
Cultural Resources Report No 11 Denver, Colorado
Myers, Dwight L
1944 Leadville, A Report to the Colorado Mining Association on the Leadville
District for the Year 1943 In 1944 Mining Year Book 37-39 Colorado
Mining Association Denver, Colorado
Nelson, D M
1946 Arsenal of Democracy, the Story of American War Production New York
Harcourt, Brace and Company
Penrose Mines, Inc
1930 Report to the Bureau of Mines for the Year 1929 Colorado State Archives
Denver
Philpott, W
1994 The Lessons of Leadville. or Why the Western Federation of Miners Turned
Left Monographs in Colorado History. No 10 Denver Colorado Historical
Society
Rhodes, D L
1998 Archeological Report on Monitoring of Remediation at the Penrose Dump and
Drainage Tunnel, and Hamm's Tailings, Operable Unit 6, California Gulch
Superfund Site, Lake County, Colorado U S DI, National Park Service,
Denver Service Center
58
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Sanborn Insurance Company
1895 Map of Leadville, Colorado
1906 Update of 1895 Map of Leadville, Colorado
1937 Map of Leadville, Colorado
State of Colorado
Domestic Corporation Index, 1914-1935, A - E Colorado State Archives, Denver
Reports on the Inspection of the Penrose Mine on August 26, 1916, January 5, 1920,
August 21, 1927, June 10,1928; and November 25, 1929. On file Colorado
State Archives, Denver
United States Code Congressional Service
1942 Acts of 77th Congress, Second Session, January 5 to December 16, Containing
Executive Orders, Congressional Comments, Presidential Proclamations, and
Administrative Regulations. St Paul, Minn . West Publishing Co
1943 Laws of 78th Congress, First Session St. Paul, Minn West Publishing Co
United States Department of the Interior
1913 Leadville Mining District, Special map. U.S G S. Washington, D C
1998 Personal Communication, Bureau of Land Management, Mining Claim Records
for Penrose Mine. Denver.
Willits, J. H
1895 Leadville, County Seat Lake County, Colorado (Map) Denver Colorado
Wiltse, C. M.
1946a Evolution of Premium Price Policy for Copper, Lead, and Zinc, January 1940
to November 1943. Historical Reports on War Administration: War Production
Board Special Study No 4 (February 22). Civilian Production Administration,
Washington, D. C.
1946b Lead and Zinc Policies of the War Production Board and Predecessor Agencies,
May 1940 to March 1944 Historical Reports on War Administration War Production
Board, Special Study No 8 Civilian Production Administration, Washington, D C
1908 Pulling the Pumps at Leadville Mines and Minerals "Correspondence Section,"
January 287-288
59
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1963 "Reconstruction Finance Corporation " Encyclopedia Britannica 19 15 William
Benton, Publisher. Chicago London Toronto' Geneva
1973 Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation, 1932-1964, Record Group 234 National Archives and Records
Administration Washington, D C
AVAILABILITY OF NEWSPAPERS REFERENCED
The Herald-Democrat, on microfilm at the Lake County Library
1904 Issue of January I
1911 Issue of January 1
1914 Issue of January 1
1915 Issue of January 1.
Issue of November 18.
1916 Issue of January 1.
1919 Issue of January 1.
Issue of April 19
1920 Issue of January I
1922 Issue of January 1
Issue of August 20.
1923 Issue of January 1.
1924 Issue of January 1
1939 Issue of July 20
The Leadville Miner
1900 Issue of December 20, provided by Mr Carl Miller.
The Denver Times, available on microfilm at the Denver Public Library, Central
1898 Issue of October 11
Issue of November 3
1899 Issue of April 16
Issue of July 18
1901 Issue of February 8
Issue of March 8
Issue of April 20
60
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APPENDIX A
Effects and Mitigation Plan; Letter of concurrence from
the Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer
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COIORADO
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
The Colorado History Museum 1300 Broadway Denver. Colorado 80203-2X37
September 24, 1996
Ms. Rebecca J. Thomas
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region VIII
999 18th Street, Suite 500
Denver, Colorado 80202
Re: Mitigation Plan for Hamm'3 Mill Tailing and Penrose Mine Waste
Dump.
Dear Ms. Thomas:
Thank you for your correspondence concerning the mitigation plan
for the Hamm's Mill Tailing and Penrose Mine Waste Dump. Our
office have reviewed the presented documentation and find that it
is an acceptable level of documentation to address this adverse
effect. Please forward to our office a completed set of archivally
stable documentation on each site for our files.
If we may be of further assistance, please contact Joseph Bell, our
Architectural Services Coordinator, at 866-3035.
sincerely
'James E. Hartmann
State Historic Preservation Officer
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Description of the Undertaking,
Determination of Effect and Adverse Effect, and
Proposed Mitigation Plan
for the
Tailing and Mine Waste Containment
Hamm's Penrose Removal Action
California Gulch National Priorities List Site
Operable Unit 6, Leadville, Colorado
under the
First Amended Programmatic Agreement
Among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the
Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer,
Regarding the California Gulch Superfund Site
Leadville, Colorado
Introduction
To assure that historic properties would be identified,
evaluated, and where necessary, mitigated in a thoughtful but
expeditious manner throughout its work at the California Gulch
Superfund Site, EPA entered into a Programmatic Agreement with
the Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (Advisory Council) to
govern the process. The current (1st amended) version of the
agreement was signed by the Executive Director of the Advisory
Council on July 22, 1994. This document is submitted within the
framework of the Programmatic Agreement.
In its investigation of toxic materials at the California Gulch
NPL Site in Leadville, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has determined that two features within Operable Unit 6 require
treatment to control threats to human health and the environment.
Specifications for construction actions at the Penrose Mine Waste
Pile (Penrose) and the Hamm's Mill Tailings Impoundment(Hamm's
Tailings) include the complete removal of or the reshaping of the
waste material, construction of drains, installation of culverts,
placement of permanent access barriers, placement of geosynthetic
and natural clay liners, capping of the final configuration with
a cover material, and seeding the cover with a mix of grasses and
flowers.
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Accomplishing these actions requires borrowing of material, a
staging area, and transportation of material by haul roads. The
Area of Potential Effect (APE) incorporates all noncontiguous
areas needed for the work shown on attached drawings and figures
and discussed below.
Historic Properties with the Area of Potential Effect
Both the Penrose and the Hamm's Tailings features have been
determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places (National Register) as contributing elements to
the Leadville Mining District (5LK856), (Letters of January 14
and February 13, 1995, from the SHPO to EPA.) Attached drawings
1556-600-43 and -45 from the construction specifications show the
location and existing size and shape of the two features.
At the time the initial identification and evaluation of cultural
resources was completed (1994), the haul road from the Penrose to
the Hamm's Tailings, borrow sources, and a staging area needed
for the removal had not been identified. The locations of these
areas of activity, for which cultural resources identification
and evaluation have now been completed, are shown on drawings
1556-600-43, -44, -45, and figure 1. The results of
identification and evaluation for these features are reported in
the following documents.
In Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Haul Road
between Hamm's Tailings and Penrose Dump. Lake County. Colorado.
Ireland (1996) reports that no cultural resources were identified
along the haul road connecting the Penrose and the Hamm's
Tailings. This report was provided to you by EPA by letter of
July 10, 1996.
In Draft Cultural Resources Intensive Survey and Evaluation of
the Proposed Stray Horse Gulch Settling Pond Dam Embankment
(Sediment Dam). Operable Unit 6. California Gulch Superfund Site.
Leadville. Lake County. Colorado (Sediment Dam report), Ferguson
(1996) documents the presence of historic trash and two features
(5LK900) in the vicinity of the identified staging area.
It is EPA's opinion that since these historic period resources
lack integrity, and despite substantial research, cannot be
associated with particular activities, they are not eligible for
listing in the National Register. Additional research prompted
by comments on the report from the Lake County Historic
Preservation Board has also failed to identify the features.
Consultation with the Colorado State Historic Preservation
Officer (SHPO) on the eligibility of the site 5LK900 is in
progress. If significance should be established for this site as
a result of consultation, the mitigation plan defined in this
document would be modified appropriately.
2
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In Cultural Resource Inventory of a Proposed 15-Acre Borrow Area
and Access Road. California Gulch Superfund Site. Operable Unit
6. Lake County. Colorado (1996), Horn and Chandler document the
presence of seven cultural resources sites within the general
area of the Leadville Gold and Silver, Inc. borrow source and
associated haul route. Three of these (5LK50, -498, and -687)
had been recorded previously and 5LK50 and 5LK498 have been
determined to be individually eligible for listing in the
National Register. The EPA has determined that three of the four
newly recorded sites (5LK921, -922, and -925) and one previously
recorded one (5LK687) are individually eligible for listing in
the National Register and each is a contributing element to the
Leadville Mining District (5LK856). Site 5LK923 has been
determined to be a contributing element to the Leadville Mining
District. 5LK50.2, a segment of the Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad (D&RGRR) and 5LK4 98.2, a segment of the Colorado and
Southern Railroad, are considered to be contributing elements to
these National Register eligible sites. 5LK50.1 and 5LK50.3,
segments of the D&RGRR not considered to be contributing elements
to this National Register eligible site. This report is under
review by the Lake County Historic Preservation Advisory Board
(Board) and will be provided for your review when the Board's
comments have been received. Based on the results of the survey,
the final boundaries of the borrow source have been drawn to
exclude cultural resource sites. (See figure 1.) The access
route will follow an existing road through the east end of
5LK925, the archeological remains of Finntown, but will be
restricted to avoid features adjacent to the route (figure 2).
In her survey of the area of the Malta Gulch Tailings
Impoundment, Pfaff (1993) recommended and the SHPO agreed by
letter of that no located cultural resources are
eligible for listing in the National Register.
The EPA has determined that no cultural resources are located in
the vicinity of the Hecla Borrow Area.
Thus, it is EPA's conclusion that the Penrose and Hamm's Tailings
are the only historic properties which have been identified in
the areas which will be affected by the undertaking. The
remainder of this document concentrates on the undertaking and
the Penrose and Hamm's Tailings.
Summary Descriptions of the Penrose
and Hamm#s Tailings Historic Properties
The following summaries are based on detail found in Final Report
on the Cultural Resources Identification and Evaluation for the
3
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Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis of the Hamm's Tailings.
Penrose Dump and Starr Ditch. Operable Unit 6. California Gulch
Superfund Site. Lake County. Colorado (Hamm's Tailings and Penrose
ID&E report). Please see the report for in-depth discussion.
Penrose Mine Waste Pile (5LK853)
Substantial quantities of minerals were removed from the Penrose
during its three main periods of activity, 1891-1896, 1889/1890-
1907, and 1916-1919/1920, contributing to the wealth and fame of
Leadville. However, the greatest contribution of the Penrose was
as the mine through which, during the last period, the group of
mines known as the "Downtown Mines" were dewatered, without which
process production from this group of mines would not have been
possible. In 1915 four large General Electric pumps were installed
in the Penrose to begin the largest undertaking of this type on the
continent. The water was pumped from adits and connecting tunnels
into a tunnel which ran beneath the Penrose mine waste pile to its
edge. From this opening the water ran downslope to the west and
into the Starr Ditch. The orientation of the tunnel has not been
discovered to date.
Of the buildings associated with mining at the Penrose, only the
concrete structure which served as the transformer house for the
electrical power supply survives, without its equipment. See
figure 3 for the location of the transformer house and the
foundations of other buildings, all of which are outside the APE.
Hamm's Tailings (5LK852)
The Hamm's Tailings were created between 1937 and 1947 by the
milling of mine waste rock available within the California Gulch
Mining District. The volume of the tailings impoundment
(approximately 250,000 cubic yards) gives some indication of the
volume of material which was removed from the mining landscape and
partially reconstituted in tailings at this location. In 1937 when
the HGN Mining & Milling Company contracted for large volumes of
this waste rock which had been produced during earlier boom
periods, it was the first company to recover free gold from dump
material. It was then and continued to be the only small,
privately owned mill in Leadville. Aware of the likely need for
other metals for war production, Mr. John Hamm began research on a
lead-zinc operation and in 1942 began construction of a separate
plant near his original (gold) mill. Production began in 1943 and
ended in 1947 when the premium price plan was eliminated.
Mr. Hamm was commended by the War Production Board for his
contribution to the War effort.
4
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Detail of the Undertaking
Penrose
All of the 160,000 cubic yards of mine waste at the Penrose will be
removed and placed on the Hamm's Tailings to the east using the
haul route shown on drawing 1556-600-45. If total volume should
exceed the estimate, it is possible that the excess would be placed
at the Malta Gulch Tailings Impoundment (drawing 1556-600-44).
Hamm's Tailings
The Hamm's Tailings will serve as the repository for all or
virtually all of the approximately 160,000 cubic yards of Penrose
material. A volume of approximately 62,000 cubic yards of the
Hamm's Tailings will be excavated and moved elsewhere on the
tailings pile to accommodate the Penrose material, which will be
segregated from the tailings. Some of the sloughed tailings
material, primarily along the west end of the tailings, will be
pulled back up onto the main tailings area. All of the tailings
and the Penrose material will then be reconfigured in uniform
terraces, portions of which will be lined with geosynthetic
materials. Perimeter drains lined with geosynthetic or natural
materials will be constructed to ensure no moisture penetrates the
tailings. An estimated 63,000 cubic yards of cover material from
the Leadville Gold and Silver, Inc. borrow area will be placed over
the terraces of the reconfigured waste and tailings material. A
barrier of large boulders will be placed along the base and on the
west side of the new configuration, while a steel flume barrier
will be placed along the east and upper edges. See drawing No.
1556-600-53 for detail of the boulder and steel flume barriers.
The artist's rendition of the steel flume (figure 4) provides
additional detail. The reconfigured feature will be seeded to
stabilize the surface.
Determination of Effect of the Undertaking
on the Historic Properties
As required under section V. D. of the Programmatic Agreement, the
EPA has determined that the planned undertaking will have an effect
on the Penrose and Hamm's Tailings historic properties, and that
the effect will be adverse.
An examination of the before and apparent after conditions at each
of the two historic properties defines the adverse effect of the
undertaking on each of these properties.
Drawing No. 1556-600-46, Inferred Contour Plan, shows the probable
appearance of the Penrose site after the removal of all mine waste
5
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rock. A comparison of the appearance of the extant Penrose in
drawing -45 with the same location in drawing -46 and in the
photocopy of the appropriate portion of the 188- Bird's Eye View of
Leadville 9 (figure 5) , shows the dramatic difference in the
landscape the complete removal of this feature will bring.
A comparison of drawings 1556-600-45 and -48 illustrates the
difference in the existing and reconfigured Hamm's Mill Tailings.
While the feature still exists on the landscape, its volume,
composition, and appearance will change substantially.
Particularly notable are 1) the change in volume: approximately
223,000 cubic yards will have been added to the estimated original
volume of 250,000 cubic yards, an increase of approximately 90 per
cent; and 2) the change in appearance resulting from the
installation of the uniform terraced embankment necessary for
erosion control in contrast to the original shape which was the
outcome of the disposal process at the mill. The addition of
grasses, flowers and other forbes, and a shrub will also change the
appearance of this now barren feature.
Discussion of Possible Alternatives to the Undertaking.
The design for the undertaking is the result of the integration of
many detailed discussions with all concerned parties and
engineering and scientific considerations. No appropriate
alternatives to this particular removal action are available and
the adverse effects are thus unavoidable.
Section V.D.2.b.i. of the Programmatic Agreement requires
development of a plan to mitigate unavoidable adverse effects. The
measures selected to mitigate these adverse effects, detailed
below, flesh out the activities agreed to by EPA and the SHPO
during consultation on the significance of the two properties,
described in the Hamm's and Penrose ID&E report on pages 30, 31,
G12, G13, G25, and G26.
Mitigation Measures
Penrose
The History of the Mine
The documentation of the Penrose Mine developed in the Penrose and
Hamm's Tailings ID&E report to provide the basis for evaluation
will be expanded through additional archival research and personal
interview to complete the history of the mine. The research for
the evaluation report identified and focused on the last period of
production and the notable dewatering. Little attention was given
to the earlier dewatering through the mine using steam powered
6
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pumps, to the production which created the waste pile, or to the
individuals who provided economic support or who worked in the
mine. Particular emphasis will be given to locating
drawings/photographs which provide clues to the location and
orientation of the timbered tunnel which carried the water from the
mine.
Monitoring of Construction
Removal of the mine waste pile will be monitored by a cultural
resources professional to assure documentation of the timbered
tunnel (and any other significant buried features which might be
discovered) should it or they be located and be sufficiently intact
to do so.
Documentation will include a map showing the alignment of the
tunnel, a cross-section of one end, and, as noted below,
photodocumentation. Should the tunnel be collapsed and jumbled,
the alignment will be mapped and a limited number of photographs
taken.
After the tunnel has been located and defined, monitoring by the
cultural resources professional will decrease to one day a week,
plus response to calls from the Bureau of Reclamation's
construction inspector to examine uncovered materials.
The construction specifications include provisions for cultural
resource professionals to examine discovered materials.
Photodocumentation
Photographs which define the Penrose as a landscape feature and
document the transformer house and the building foundations will be
completed to the standards in Athearn's (1994) Level II as detailed
in Attachment I.
If documentable remains of the timbered tunnel are identified,
these will be recorded to the same standard as well. The negatives
and one set of prints of the photographs will be deposited in the
Archives of the Colorado Historical Society or another approved
facility to assure long term use and preservation. The other set
will be .
Map of the mine building foundations
A measured plan of the building foundations, which are outside of
the APE, will be completed as a supplement to the official state
site record.
7
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Final Report
The results of the supplemental historic research,
photodocumentation, monitoring, and mapping will be integrated with
the research completed for the Hamm's and Penrose ID&E report, and
included with the results of mitigative measures for the Hamm's
Tailings in a final report. The final report will be printed on
archival bond paper.
Hamm's Tailings
Background Research
To supplement the documentation of the Tailings provided in the
Penrose and Hamm's Tailings ID&E report and provide context and
structure for the oral history interviews with Mr. Hamm, some
additional research will be conducted in the records of the War
Production Board, on milling processes of the period, in
photographic collections, and by other interviews, if individuals
knowledgeable of this period and of the mill are located.
If historic drawings, pertinent documents, or photographs are
located, these will be printed on or affixed to archival paper.
Limited additional efforts will also be make to document the
condition of the historic mines which underlie the tailings at the
time the tailings were created.
Oral History
Mr. John P. Hamm, the principal in the milling operation, has
generously agreed to provide information and commentary on the
operation of the mill and related subjects. If conditions permit,
interviews/discussions will be in Leadville; if not, these will be
in Menlo Park, California. Interviews will be audio-taped and
transcribed. The transcript will be printed on archival paper and
deposited with the original tapes in the Archives of the Colorado
State Historical Society or another approved repository. A copy
will be provided to the Lake County Public Library for its
Leadville Collection.
There may also be an opportunity to have some of Mr. Hamm's
comments captured by video camera. If so, the coverage will
supplement the planned audio recording.
Monitoring of Construction
Monitoring of removal and shaping of the tailings by a cultural
professional will be routinely conducted one day a week and as
needed in response to calls from the Bureau of Reclamation's
construction inspector to examine uncovered materials.
8
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PHOTODOCUMENTATION
Photographs which document the mill and the tailings as landscape
features will be completed to Athearn's (1994) Level II as detailed
in Attachment I.
Map of the Hamm's Mill
A measured plan of the remains of the mill will be completed as a
supplement to the official state site record.
Steel Flume Fence
Although not designed primarily as a mitigation measure, the steel
flume barrier which will be placed around the perimeter of the
upper portion of the reconfigured Hamm's Tailings is based on
photographs of the wooden flume used at the site and will enhance
the historic context.
Final Report
The results of the background research, photodocumentation, any
documentation from monitoring of construction, the content of the
oral interviews, and the plan map will be integrated with the
research completed for the Penrose and Hamm's Tailings ID&E report
and included with the results of mitigation measures at the Penrose
in a final report which will be printed on archival bond paper.
Curation
The mitigation measures do not include recovery/collection of items
from the historic properties. Should items of unique importance or
interest be discovered during monitoring, these will be documented,
collected, and stored at the Bureau of Reclamation Office in Denver
until final curation arrangements are made as required under
section VIII of the Programmatic Agreement, at which time all
materials will be transferred to the curation facility.
REFERENCES
Athearn, F.J.
1994 A Window to the Past- A View to the Future: A Guide to
Photodocumentinq Historic Places. U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land
Management Cultural Resource Series, Volume Number 30.
Colorado State Office, Denver, Colorado.
Ferguson, B. H.
1995 Final Report on the Cultural Resources Identification and
9
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Evaluation for the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis of the
Hamm's Tailings. Penrose Dump and Starr Ditch. Operable Unit
6. California Gulch Superfund Site. Lake County. Colorado.
U.S.D.I. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, for U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region VIII, Denver.
1996 Draft Cultural Resources Intensive Survey and Evaluation
of the Proposed Stray Horse Gulch Settling Pond Dam Embankment
(Sediment Dam). Operable Unit 6. California Gulch Superfund
Site. Leadville. Lake County. Colorado. U.S.D.I. Bureau of
Reclamation, Denver. Prepared for U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region VIII, Denver.
Horn, J.C. and S.M. Chandler
1996 Draft Cultural Resource Inventory of a Proposed 15-Acre
Borrow Area and Access Road. California Gulch Superfund Site.
Operable Unit 6. Lake County. Colorado. Alpine Archaeological
Consultants, Inc., Montrose, Colorado. Prepared for U.S.D.I.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, contract No. 1425-96-PG-81-
20117.
Ireland, S.K.
1996 Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Haul
Road between Hamm's Tailings and Penrose Dump. Lake County.
Colorado. U.S.D.I. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver. Prepared
for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII,
Denver.
Pfaff, C.
1993 Cultural Resources Survey. Leadville Corporation;s
Stringtown Mill/Tailings Site. Leadville. Colorado. U.S.D.I.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver. Prepared for U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, Denver.
U.S.D.I.
1996 Tailing and Mine Waste Containment. Hamm's Penrose
Removal Action. California Gulch NPL Site - Operable Unit 6.
Leadville. Colorado: Solicitation No. 1425-6-SI-60--7750:
Specifications No. 60-C0346. Bureau of Reclamation, Great
Plains Region, Billings, Montana.
Letters cited:
SHPO to EPA, 1993, Malta Gulch Tailings Impoundment
(Leadville Corporation's Stringtown Mill/Tailings Site)
eligibility.
SHPO to EPA, January 14, 1995 and February 13, 1995, Hamm's
Tailings and Penrose waste rock pile eligibility.
EPA to SHPO, July 10, 1996, Hamm's-Penrose haul road, negative
survey findings.
10
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ATTACHMENT 1
Requirements for Photodocumentation
of the
Penrose Waste Rock Pile and the Hamm's Mill Tailings
-------
PHOTODOCUMENTATION OF THE
HAMM'S MILL TAILINGS AND PENROSE MINE WASTE PILE
DESCRIPTION OF WORK
BACKGROUND
Actions to be carried out at the Hamm's Mill Tailings and Penrose
Mine Waste Pile in Leadville, Colorado, under the Environmental
Protection Agency's Superfund Program will substantially alter
the appearance of these two features which have been determined
to be contributing elements to the landscape of the Leadville
Mining District (5LK856). In the case of the Penrose, all mine
waste material will be removed, exposing the pre-mining ground
surface. The locations and some detail of the Hamm's Mill
Tailings and Penrose Mine Waste Pile are shown on Maps 1, 2, and
3 .
The plan to mitigate the adverse effects of the removal action to
the historic features includes photodocumenting the appearance of
the features within the surrounding landscape. Successfully
completing the work described below prior to the beginning of the
removal action will meet this requirement.
DISCUSSION OF MINIMUM STANDARDS
A general discussion of the standards to be met for this
documentation are described under "Level II" in A Window to the
Past-A View to the Future: A Guide to Photodocumenting Historic
Places by Frederic J. Athearn. Other sources, such as Swedlund
1981, provide detailed discussion of processing and printing of
photographs for archival purposes.
Following are specific requirements and additional discussion:
Camera format:
Medium; perspective correction is desirable but not required.
Film:
Black & white 120, 100 speed; Kodak T-Max recommended.
Negative size:
Six by seven cm
Technical:
All areas in the photograph must be in sharp focus. Negatives
must be correctly exposed.
-------
Processing:
All processing must be to archival standards which include, but
are not limited to, the critical ones of ensuring that all fixer
has been removed through extensive washing or the use of a
washing aid and hypo eliminator designed for such processing, the
use of pure water not contaminated by minerals or other
substances, and ensuring that equipment is clean.
Printing:
Images will be printed on a fiber base, grade 1 or 2, double
weight paper. Two 4 inch by 5 inch prints of each exposure are
required.
If the contractor plans to have film developed or printed at a
commercial business other than his/her own, the company must be
identified at the time the bid is placed.
DESCRIPTION OF REQUIRED PHOTOGRAPHS
The following views are required:
Hamm's Mill Tailings
Three views from the north from a sufficient elevation to
show the extent of the tailings and place these within the
context of other landscape features to the east and west;
one view to the east/southeast showing the tailings and
Fifth Street/Stray Horse Road along the north edge of the
tailings;
one view to east/northeast from Penrose Mine Waste Pile
showing the east end of Hamm's Tailings and some cultural
feature(s) for context;
one view to the west of the tailings from a vantage point
above on the east, including if possible the town in
background;
two views generally to the south/southeast showing the
extent and setting of the remains of Hamm's Mill (see the
enclosed photocopy of photograph of mill in 1943); and
one view generally to north/northwest or west showing the
Hamm's Mill remains in relationship to the tailings and/or
other features.
2
-------
Penrose Mine Waste Pile:
Two views generally to the northwest from the slope of
Carbonate Hill to the East to illustrate the waste pile's
position relative to downtown and surrounding buildings;
one view to the southeast from a downtown setting
documenting the mine waste pile in relation to Carbonate
Hill;
one view to the north from a high point between East Third
and Cresent Streets, including as much of the Mine Waste
Pile as possible with good resolution;
one view to the south or southwest from an appropriate
vantage point to show relationship to California Gulch to
the south;
one view of mine building foundations located in the area
just north of Third Street and east of Alder Streets, shown
in red on Map 3, from a sufficient elevation to capture
location and relationship to a least one of the surrounding
landscape features;
one view of the transformer building, shown in green on map
3, from same perspective as that of attached figure 19;
one view of the transformer building to the northeast or
east-northeast from the vicinity of one of the 193 7
buildings shown on map 3; and
one view showing the west end of the Mine Waste Pile,
including the decorative street sign and at least one
building for reference.
DELIVERABLES
Items
Prints:
Contact
Contact prints of exposed film with recommendations for final
view will be submitted by the contractor to the Bureau at the
address shown below. The contact prints will be returned with
final selections within 3 working days of receipt from the
contractor.
3
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Final
Each negative and each print of required views will be placed in
an archival (acid-free) envelope. Using a soft lead pencil, the
envelope will be labelled with the name of the feature (Penrose
Mine Waste Pile [Site 5LK853] or Hamm's Mill Tailings [5LK852]);
Leadville, Colorado; the view of the photograph; date of the
photograph; and negative roll and frame number.
Index to Photographs:
Two indices of the final prints will be prepared: one for the
photographs of the Penrose Mine Waste Pile and one for the
photographs of the Hamm's Mill Tailings. Items on the index will
include: negative roll and frame number, date of photograph; and
a brief description of the content of the photograph.
Process:
Date of Delivery:
Contact prints: 8 calendar days from award
Final prints: 3 calendar weeks from receipt of selected
contact prints
Place of Delivery:
Deliver by mail or in person to:
Bobbie Ferguson
Bureau of Reclamation
Denver Federal Center, Building 67, Room 578
P. 0. Box 25007
Kipling and 6th Streets
Denver, Colorado 80225
REFERENCES
Athearn, F. J.
1994 A Window to the Past- A View to the Future: A Guide to
Photodocumenting Historic Places. U.S.D.I. 3ureau of Land
Management Cultural Resource Series, Volume Number 30.
Colorado State Office, Denver, Colorado.
Swedlund, C. with E.Y. Swedlund
1981 Photography. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York.
4
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Cost Estimate
Photographer: salary, expenses, and overhead,
1 day $500
Processing and printing to archival standards,
set of contact prints of all exposures and
2 copies of 18 final views $400
$900
5
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ATTACHMENT 2
Drawings and Figures
-------
LIST OF DRAWINGS AND FIGURES,
in the order referenced in text
Construction drawing
or figure No.
Brief description
1556-600-43
-45
-44
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
1556-600-53
Figure 4
1556-600-46
Figure 5
1556-600-48
Hamm's/Penrose (H/P) Site
Location and Vicinity Map
H/P Site Existing Conditions
Malta Gulch Tailing
Impoundments and Hecla Borrow
Area Plan
Plan Map of Proposed 15-acre
Borrow Area and Access
5LK925, showing proposed
widening for access road
(Map 3) Penrose Dump
Remediation Site with Historic
Information
H/P Removal Action Surface
Drains/Barriers Typical
Sections & Details
Steel Flume Barrier
Penrose Site Inferred Contour
Plan
Portion of Bird's Eye View of
Leadville, COLO, 1882
Hamm's Tailings Impoundment
Plan
-------
PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY
-------
PENROSE MINE AREA
Penrose Mine area - Bird's Eye view of Leadville in 1882
-------
Courtesy of the Denver Public Library, Western History Department
-------
PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY
-------
APPENDIX B
Historic Photographs of the Hamm's Mill
-------
B 1
The H. G. N. / John Hamm Mining and Milling Mill, ca 1942
' . ~ *r
-------
B 2
The H. G. N. / John Hamm Mining and Milling Mill. eg. 1942
-------
B 3
The H. G. N. / John Hamm Mining and Milling Mill. ea. 1942
-------
Mr. Seagrist's Pioneer Crushing Plant
Hamm's Mill Tailing Flume
-------
B 5
The Jig Plant for Premium Metals Production at John Hamm Mining and Milling - 1944
Jig used in gravity separation of lead and zinc in John Hamm Mining and Milling Plant -1944
-------
B 6
Mr. John Hamm, Marc, the Pointer, and P.F. Best - 1944
All photos in Appendix B. provided by Mr. John Hamm. Those on pages 5 and 6
were published in the 1944 Mining Yearbook of the Colorado Mining Association.
-------
APPENDIX C
Executive Orders Establishing the War Production Board
-------
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
[No. 9023]
extension of the provisions of EXECUTIVE ORDER NO 9001
OF DECEMBER 27, 1941, TO CONTRACTS OF THE TREASURY
DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THE
FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY, THE PANAMA CANAL, THE GOV-
ERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, AND THE NATIONAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS
By virtue of the authority vested m me by the act of Congress entitled
"An Act to expedite the prosecution of the war effort" approved De-
cember 18, 1941,11 and as President of the United States, and deeming
that such action will facilitate the prosecution of the war, I hereby ex-
tend the provisions of Executive Order No. 9001 of December 27. 1941i-'
to the Treasury Department, the Department of Agriculture, The Panama
Canal, the Federal Works Agency, the Government Printing Office, the
National Advisory Committee foi Aeronautics, and such other agencies
as I may from time to time designate, with respect to all contracts made
or to be made by such agencies, and subject to the limitations and reg-
ulations contained in such Executive Order, I hereby authorize the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Governor of The
Panama Canal, the Administrator of the Federal Works Agency, the Pub-
lic Printer, the Chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Aero-
nautics, and the heads of such other agencies as may be designated, and
such officers, employees, and agencies as each of them may designate, to
perform and exercise, as to their respective agencies, all of the functions
and powers vested in and granted to the Secretary of War, the Secretary
of the Navy, and the Chairman of the United States Maritime Commis-
sion by such Executive Order.
Feanklin D Roosevelt
The TV elite House,
January 14, 1942.
[No. 9024]
ESTABLISHING THE WAR PRODUCTION BOARD IN THE EXECUTIVE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND DEFINING ITS
FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES
By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and stat-
utes of the United States, as President of the United States and Commander
in Chief of the Army and Navy, and in order to define further the func-
tions and duties of the Office for Emergency Management with respect
to the state of war declared to exist by Joint Resolutions of the Congress,
approved December 8, 1941, and December 11, 1941,is respectively, and
for the purpose of assuring the most effective prosecution of war pro-
curement and production, it is hereby ordered as follows
1 There is established within th'e Office for Emergency Management
of the Executive Office of the President a War Production Board, herein-
after referred to as the Board. The Board shall consist of a Chairman,
to be appointed by the President, the Secretary of War, the Secretary
of the Navy, the Federal Loan Administrator, the Director General and
the Associate Director General of the Office of Production Management,
the Administrator of the Office of Price Administration, the Chairman of
the Board of Economic Warfare, and the Special Assistant to the Presi-
dent supervising the defense aid program
2 The Chairman of the War Production Board, with the advice and
assistance of the members of the Board, shall-
a Exercise general direction over the war procurement and production
Program
"SflSCjl Appendix, 55 601-622
SC'odo Cong Service 1141, p 992
50 U S C A Appendix, note preceding 5 I_
U S Cong Sekv '42—1 49
-------
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
D Determine the policies, plans, procedures, and methods of the sev-
eral Federal departments, establishments, and agencies in respect to war
procurement and production, including purchasing, contracting, specifi-
cations, and construction; and including conversion, requisitioning, plant
expansion, and the financing thereof; and issue such directives in respect
thereto as he may deem necessary or appropriate
c. Perform the functions and exercise the powers vested in the Supply
Priorities and Allocations Board by Executive Order No. 8875 of August
28, 1941 i*
d Supervise the Office of Production Management in the performance
of its responsibilities and duties, and direct such changes in its organiza-
tion as he may deem necessary
e. Report from time to time to the President on the progress of war
procurement and production; and perform such other duties as the Pres-
ident may direct
3 Federal departments, establishments, and agencies shall comply
with the policies, plans, methods, and procedures in respect to war pro-
curement and production as determined by the Chairman; and shall
furnish to the Chairman such information relating to war procurement
and production as he may deem necessary for the performance of his
duties
4. The Army and Navy Munitions Board shall report to the President
through the Chairman of the War Production Board
5 The Chairman may exercise the powers, authority, and discretion
conferred upon him by this Order through such officials or agencies and
in such manner as he may determine; and his decisions shall be final
6 The Chairman is further authorized within the limits V>f such funds
as may be allocated or appropriated to the Board to employ necessary
personnel and make provision for necessary supplies, facilities, and serv-
ices
7 The Supply Priorities and Allocations Board, established by the
Executive Order of August 28, 1941,n is hereby# abolished, and its per-
sonnel. records, and property transferred to the Board The Executive
Orders No 8629 of January 7, 1941,is No 8875 of August 28, 1941,
No 8891 of September 4, 1941,16* No. 8942 of November 19, 1941,it No
9001 of December 27, 1941,is and No 9023 of January 14, 1942,i" are
hereby amended accordingly, and any provisions of these or other perti-
nent Executive Orders conflicting with this Order are hereby superseded
Franklin* D Roosevelt
The \Vhite House,
January 16, 1942.
[No. 9038]
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 9017 OF JANUARY 12, 1942, TO
PROVIDE FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
OF THE NATIONAL, WAR LABOR BOARD
By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the stat-
utes of the United States, it is hereby ordered that Executive Order No
9017 of January 12, 1942,20 entitled "Establishment of the National War
Labor Board", be, and it is hereby, amended so as to provide for the ap-
pointment of associate members of the National War Labor Board Such
associate members shall be authorized to act as Mediators in any labor
dispute pursuant to the direction of the Board.
"US Code Cong Service 1941, p 867.
"US Code Cong Service 1941, p 849.
"US Code Cong Service 1941 p 867
"•US Code Cong Service 1941, p 871.
"US Code Cong Service 1941, p 877
"US Code Cong Service 1941, p 992
"US.Code Cong Service 1342. p 49
»US Code Cong Ser\ ice 1942, p 47
50
-------
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Associate members shall receive compensation and expenses during any
period of service in like manner as regular members of the Board.
Fraxklin D Roosevelt
The White House,
January 24, 1942.
[No. 9040]
DEFINING ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE
WAR PRODUCTION BOARD
By virtue of the authority vested id me by the Constitution and the
statutes, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief of
the Army and Navy, ana for the purpose of assuring the most effective
prosecution of war procurement and production, it is hereby ordered as
follows
1. In addition to the responsibilities and duties described in paragraph
2 of Executive Order No, 9024, of January 16, 1942," the Chairman of
the War Production Board, with the advice and assistance of the members
of the Board, shall
a. Perform the functions and exercise the powers heretofore vested
in the Office of Production Management
b Perform the functions and exercise the powers vested in the Supply
Priorities and Allocations Board, by Executive Order No 8942, of Novem-
ber 19, 1941
c Perform the functions and exercise the authority vested in the
President by Section 120 of the National Defense Act of 1916, (39 Stat
213).SJ
2. Paragraph 1 of said Executive Order No 9024 of January 16,
1942,-* is amended to provide that the Lieutenant General in charge of
"War Department Production, and the Director of the Labor Division of
the War Production Board shall be members of the War Production
Board vice the Director General and Associate Director General of the
Office of Production Management
S. The Chatrman of the War Production Board may exercise the pow-
ers, authority, and discretion conferred upon him by this or any other
Order through such officials or agencies and in such manner as he may
determine, and his decisions shall be final
4 The Office of Production Management, established by Executive
Order No 8G29 of January 7, 1941,2' is abolished and Its personnel, rec-
ords, property, and funds are transferred to the War Production Board.
a Executive Order No 8629, of January 7, 1941," is rescinded, and
Executive Order No 9024, of January 16, 1942,2<> and any other Executive
Orders the provisions of which are inconsistent with the provisions of
this Order, are amended accordingly.
Frahkus D Roosevelt
The White House
January 24, 1942.
[No. 9046]
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER No 8771 OF JUNE 6, 1941, EN-
TITLED "AUTHORIZING THE UNITED STATES MARITIME COM-
MISSION TO TAKE OVER CERTAIN FOREIGN MERCHANT VES-
SELS"
By virtue of the authority vested In me by the act of Congress entitled,
"An Act to authorize the acquisition by the United States of title to or the
use of domestic or foreign merchant vessels for urgent needs of commerce
and national defense, and for other purposes", approved June 6, 1941,
{Public Law 101, 77th Congress),si it is ordered that paragraph (c) of
*¦ U.S Code Cong Service 1942, p 49
It' S Code Cong Service 1911, p 87".
»«iCSCA 8 80
~ L S Code Cong Service, 1942, p 49.
**L S Code Cong Service, 1941, p 819.
„ V SCofle Cong Ser\ice. 1912, p 19
46 X, S C A note preceding § 1101
51
-------
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
No. 9116
Extension of the provisions of EXECUTIVE ORDER NO 9001
OF DECEMBER 27, 1941, TO CONTRACTS OF THE OFFICE OF
THE COORDINATOR OF INTER-AMERICAN AFFAIRS, THE CIVIL
' AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION, THE NATIONAL HOUSING
AGENCY, THE VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION, AND THE FED-
ERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
, gy virtue of the authority vested in me by the act of Congress entitled
uAct to expedite the prosecution of the war effort" approved December
^ 1S41,J and as President of the United States, and deeming that such
on will facilitate the prosecution of the war, I hereby extend the pro-
-as of Executive Order No 9001 of December 27, 1941,2 to the Office of
-Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs m the Office for Emergency
gement, the Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Department of
erce, and the National Housing Agency, with respect to all con-
made or to be made by such agencies, and to the Veterans' Adminis-
on with respect to all contracts hereafter made by it, and subject to
limitations and regulations contained in such Executive order, I hereby
*onze the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, the Administrator of
'Aeronautics, the National Housing Administrator, and the Admmis-
1 of Veterans' Affairs, and such officers, employees, and agencies as
of them may designate, to perform and exercise, as to their respective
~«ies, all of the functions and powers vested in and granted to the Sec-
¦ of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Chairman of the United
; Maritime Commission by such Executive order: and I hereby extend
contracts of the Federal Communications Commission those pro-
tib of the said Executive Order No 9001 2 which relate to statutory
ements for advertising for bids, and I hereby authorize the Federal
onications Commission, or such officers or employees as it may
«te, to enter into contracts without prior advertising for bids, under
regulations prescribed by that Executive order Provided, hoitevei,
provisions of this order shall be applicable only to contracts re-
rto the prosecution of the war effort.
Fbanklin D Roosevelt
^White House,
ch 30, 1942.
No. 9125
<6 ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS, DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE
AR PRODUCTION BOARD AND THE OFFICE OF PRICE ADMINIS-
TION
oe of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes
Mfrnted States, as President of the United States and as Commander
¦ of the Army and Navy, and for the purpose of assuring the most
i prosecution of war procurement and production, it is hereby or-
*8 follows
.addition to the responsibilities and duties described in Executive
¦ 9024, of January 16, 1942, s and in Executive Order No 9040 of
'24, 1942,4 the Chairman of the War Production Board, with the
assistance of the members of the Board, shall perform the addi-
ctions and duties, and exercise the additional powers, authority
PA Appendix, 5? 601-622
e Cong Service 1941, p 992.
e Conp Service 1942, p 49
® Cong Service 1942, p 61
355
-------
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
and discretion conferred upon the President of the United States by Title
III of the Second War Powers Act 1942 5
2. The Chairman of the War Production Board may perform the func-
tions and duties, and exercise the powers, authority, and discretion con-
ferred upon him by this or any other order through such officials or agen-
cies, including the Office of Price Administration (created by the Act of
January 30, 1942, Pub Law 421, 77th Cong , 2d Sess ), 6 and in such man-
ner as he may determine In any and all such cases the decision of the
Chairman of the War Production Board shall be final
3 The Chairman of the War Production Board is authorized to delegate
to the Office of Price Administration or the Price Administrator such of his
functions, duties, powers, authority, or discretion with respect to priorities
or rationing, as he may deem to be necessary or appropriate for the effective
prosecution of the war, and in the administration or enforcement of any
such priorities or rationing authority or any priorities or rationing au-
thority heretofore conferred upon the Office of Price Administration or up-
on the Price Administrator by the Office of Production Management or by
the Chairman of the War Production Board, the Price Administrator is
hereby authorized:
(a) To exercise all functions, duties, powers, authority or discretion
with respect to such priorities or rationing in the same manner, and to the
same degree and extent, as if such functions, duties, powers, authority or
discretion had been conferred upon or transferred to the Office of Price Ad-
ministration directly by Executive order.
(b) To delegate the functions, duties, powers, authority or discretion
mentioned in subparagraphs (a) and (d) hereof, including tlie authority
and power to sign and issue subpenas, to such person or persons as he may
designate or appoint for that purpose, to be exercised by such person or
persons in any place and at any time.
(c) To institute civil proceedings in his own name to enforce any such
priority or rationing authority or any regulation or order heretofore or
hereafter issued, or action taken, pursuant to such authority, and to inter-
vene in any civil proceedings in which any such regulation or order is or
could be relied upon as ground for relief or defense or is otherwise involved,
in any Federal, State, or Territorial court. The Price Administrator shall
be represented in any such proceedings by attorneys appointed or desig-
nated by him
(d) To exercise, to the extent necessary for the purposes of this order,
the functions, duties, powers, authority or discretion conferred upon the
president by paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (a) of section 2 of the
Act of June 28, 1941 (54 Stat 676), as amended by the Act of May 31,
1941 (Pub Law 89, 77th Cong ) and by Title III of the Second War Powers
Act, 1942 (Act of March 27, 1942, Pub Law 507, 77th Cong ) 7
4. War Production Board Directives No 1 of January 24, 1942 (7 FR
$62j. No 1A of February i, 1942 (7 F R. 698), No IB of February 9,
1942 (7 F R. 925), No. 1C of February 28, 1942 (7 F R 1669), and any
other authorizations of the Office of Production Management or the Wai
Production Board with respect to priorities or rationing, and all regulations
or orders issued, or actions taken, by the Office of Price Administration oi
the Price Administrator pursuant to such Directives or authorizations, arc
hereby, until withdrawn or superseded, continued in full force and effect
as if issued pursuant to this Order or under authority conferred pursuant
to this Order No provision of this Order shall be construed to impair th<
right of the Administrator to maintain pending, or to institute, civil pro
ceedings, or to talce any other action with respect to violations prior to th«
date of this Order of any priorities or rationing regulation or order hereto
fore issued.
Franklin D Roosevelt
Tee White House,
April 7, 1942.
•US Code Cong Service 1942, p 244.
« 60 U.S C A Appendix, 33 901-946
* 41 TJ S C A Note preceding: i 1
356
-------
A P PENDIX D
"Leadville, A Report to the Colorado Mining Association on the
Leadville District for the Year 1943"
-------
L :A 3VI _ _ :
A REPORT TO THE COLORADO MINING ASSOCIATION
ON THE LEADVILLE DISTRICT FOR THE YEAR 1943
&
By Dwight L Myers
I CiINNINCi with the youngster in the 6th grade who
is nuking $60 i month in his spare time, and continuing
through the mininj, circle to Miyor John Cortellini, who had
u> (.lose down his mine beciuse it carried nothing but gold,
«c bud th it the Leid\illc District manifests a mirror image
ol th condition ot affurs to which the mining industry has
ken subletted Quotis premium prices, loans and projects
priority ritings from A to AA], withdrawal orders, soldier
miners closing orders determents these are just some of the
ore*, that hut been stoped upon by the mines and mills at
Lcidulle But the real ore, the kind that kills Japs, was won
the hard way and the men who got it out are justly proud
o' their 500,000 ton production figure for 1943
Leadville truly exemplifies the current vogue as it is being
pr Kiiccd todiy throughout the nation A visitor to Harrison
\\ cnuc will rub elbows with ski troopers, WACs, and MPs
Ironi nearby Limp Hale ll he gets a job in a mine or mill
lu \\ ill |oin up with the local local He will pay SI 50 for
» i * »
V"v -
Resurrection Mining Co s offict California Gulch
m\ oysters, (without catsup), when he eats on the main street
md he d better eat c irly He can get all he wants to drink
user the counter, but he can t get a bottle, and if he is wise he
won t wait until he s tired to find a bed to sleep in If he is
we'l known to the lo al pharmacists ' as a good Joe he might
get something in a fifth A stranger is just out of luck
Sime the country h is been getting drier and drier, Lcadville,
i eitv that has always offered and enjoyed a drink, has been
quick to feci the parch and to reflect the shortage of hard
Ih|ii >r
1 can inn toward the Democratic way of life the city of
I e td\ ille decided this year not to have an election As the
terms of office ot the city D ids approached the dead line last
\|>ril a statement was made and we quote, 'due to the fact
ill it no nsminuing petitions were filed there would be no
l>o nt in holding an election as the present officers would
int-tlv be returned to ofiee Now we wonder if Lcadville
isn I doing more than merely reflecting the trend of the times
By Executive order No 9337 and public land order No
184 the Secretary ot the Interior, using the proposed Leadville
Dr uinge Project as an excuse, had withdrawn from mineral
entry all public lands situated in six certain sections ot land
embracing the heart ot the Leads ille District Since the arei
ol the District is about 20 square miles, it is seen that all
jmblie lands th it were in 30°o ot the mineralized area have
thus been lost by the mining fraternity to the Department
s
DWIGHT L MYERS
Engineer of Mines
of the Interior Lands previously filed upon and patented
were excluded in the order This act against the miner and
the prospector has been committed in other sections of the
country, the Leadville District is not the first victim But
she makes a good example md re-echos the current custom
ol the day
This year Leadville fully matriculated into standard gauge
No longer are there any narrow gauge railways emulating—
to or from this metropolis ot the stratosphere After hauling
more than two million tons of freight over her 36-inch spread
to Climax, the Colorado and Southern can now take anything
that the great railroads of the nation have to offer The
change to standard gauge was completed on August 25th, and
was dedicated by high officials of the Colorado and Southern
and by the Climax Molybdenum Company dunng a colorful
luncheon at Climax The line has been in operation since
1884 and claims the highest industrial railroad elevation in
the U S, 11,320 feet above sea level Now Leadville has
some 36-mch cabooses for sale that would make nice ham
burger stands for anyone who has any hamburger See the
Colorado & Southern
S v,
Fortune Mine
34
B - 1
1 9 4 4 MINING YEAR BOOK
-------
'"Gadgets and Leadville Mine Dump Sampling." Wi Yearbook of
Colorado Mining Association, p. 69.
Left to right, John Hamm, Marc the pointer, and P. F*. Best.
The Naw Plant. Maid of Erin dump in background.
john Hamm Mining and Milling, Ltd., pioneer operating
mill in the Leadvillc District, continued its expansion during
i943 with the completion of an 800 ton jig plant. Dump ores
from the Maid of Erin, Wolftone, and Adams properties are
treated in this new plant, the entire operation being devoted
to the production of zinc, lead, and copper.
This successful milling venture, known locally as the
Hamm Mill and situated on Carbonate Hill overlooking the
historic Cloud City, had its inception in 1937. For six and
a half years the growth of the enterprise has been rapid and
in pace with the changing times. The original plant was a
50 ton mill designed for the treatment of lowgrade gold-
bearing ores contained in dumps in the Leadville District. In
1939 the plant was enlarged to 150 tons capacity, and in 1940
to 300 tons daily capacity. From the start the enterprise re-
solved itself into more or less of a manufacturing process.
Immense quantities of dump ore were available, certain re-
coveries were possible, and the problem was one of obtaining
low enough operating costs to make the handling of the
marginal ores profitable. Inasmuch as foresight in the original
construction had provided facilities for future expansion, these
enlargements were effected with comparative ease.
The Hamm Mill has truly pioneered in the milling of
the Leadville dumps having many firsts to its credit. The
concern was the first to screen the dumps at the source, re-
jecting oversize and milling the screenings; this process ob-
tained lor the mill an amazingly low operating cost |x-r ton.
It was the first to crush at the dumps; this was done during
the winter months when screening was impracticable. The
Hamm Mill was the first mill in the Leadvillc District to re-
cover the free gold present in the dump ores; the first Denver
Equipment cleaner jig manufactured was installed in the cir-
cuit, and over 50% of the gold recovered in the mill was in
bullion form. The mill ranked first in Lake County for a
number of years as a gold producer. Recovery of gold through
jigging and amalgamation and production of flotation and
table concentrates comprised the flowsheet of this mill.
With the advent of the United States into global conflict
the concern turned its attention to the production of strategic
base metals. The Hamm Mill had under lease and owned
over half a million tons of zinc and lead dump ores, and so
prior to Pearl Harbor men had been sent to the Tri-State
District to see how they handled their zinc and lead ores. It
was felt that something new and different in the beneficiation
of Leadville zinc and lead dump ores would be necessary;
WAR WEAPONS ARE BORN IN THE MINE
presence of large amounts of soluble sulphates in the oris made
flotation difficult, and selective flotation costs on the crude ore
seemed prohibitive in comparison with recoveries. What was
needed on these ores was some form of pre-concentraiion at
coarse sizes which would effect reasonable recovery aking with
production of an enriched product which could be subjected
to further treatment. Only two practical processes for this
treatment presented such possibilities: namely, sink and float
and coarse jigging. Both processes are used extensively in
the Tri-State Mining District: operations of both ty|K-s were
consulted, records were examined, and both installation and
operating costs were compared. Preliminary hatch tests were
carried out using both methods, and the jigging process was
finally selected. The reasons for the choice were the follow-
ing: The installation cost on the jigging plant was consid-
erably less, and the possible operating difficulties were lewer:
Jigging is carried out on all of the ore including the minus
8 mesh size which contains considerable zinc and lead values:
Jigging produces a certain amount of lead concentrate clean
enough for direct shipment to the Leadville smelter. In
general, it was felt that a jigging operation would be more
compatible with the size and scope of the Hamm operation.
Accordingly plans were laid for the construction of a jig
plant. Concurrently the Hamm Mill enjoyed a great stroke
of good fortune in that the U. S. Bureau of Mines included
in its plan to further base metal production the sampling and
investigation of mines and dumps without direct cost to own-
ers and lessees. Mr. H. W. C. Prommel conducted for the
Bureau an exhaustive sampling campaign on the Maul of
Erin, Wolftone, and Adams dumps.1 Such thorough sampling
was reassuring and of inestimable value, ami test work on the
composite samples from this work was conducted in the
Hamm laboratory. These tests showed that the ores could
be concentrated at a ratio of 2.7 to 1 into a product assaying.
10.05% zinc, 7.85% lead, 35% copper, and 5.21 ounces silver
per ton. Recoveries were 64.62% of the zinc, 85.89° of the
O. R. C. Steal Jig. Star-gatas clearly visible, alio elevators. Desliming
drag in background. Tailings drag in foreground.
-------
7 Jaw Crusher
Conveyor
Crushed
Ore Bin
Ore Reclamation Co- Steel Jig
Trommel Screen
42 Rolls
Desliming Drag \ffeciprocating
Feeder /
Elevator
Tailings
Bin
Conveyor
Tailings Drag
27 Rolls
Elevator
Vibrating Screen
Cleaner Jigs
/K~.
Witflev Tables
Concentrates
JIG FLOW SHEET
John Hamm Mining a Milling, Ltd.
Leadville, Cola January, 1944
Concentrates
lead, 6431% of the copper, and 78.17% of the silver, poor
recoveries on zinc and copper being due to the aforementioned
soluble sulphates of zinc and copper and the presence in the
crude ore of a considerable quantity of non-sulphide zinc.
These results were satisfactory inasmuch as a market was
available for such an enriched and clean product.
The site chosen for the new plant, first of its kind in the
Rocky Mountain area, was such that the dump ores would
be literally at the mill door. An Ore Reclamation Co. four-
cell steel jig was chosen to do the primary concentration, and
The Ore Reclamation Co., Picher, Oklahoma did the engi-
neering work as regards flowsheet and plant layout. In gen-
eral, the plant utilizes a Tri-State flowsheet. The ore is loaded
from the dumps by means of a power shovel and trucked the
38
B - 3
1 9 4 4 MINING YEAE BOOK
-------
few hundred feet to the crusher hopper. Ore is crushed pri-
marily by a Cedar Rapids 36" jaw crusher and conveyed to
a 400 ton crushed ore bin. The crushed ore is fed by means
of a reciprocating feeder into the boot of a 24" wet elevator
and discharged into a 4'x8' trommel screen with %" open-
ings. Oversize from the screen goes to a set of 42" Webb
City crushing rolls, the discharge from these rolls returning
to the elevator boot. Minus %" material posses through the
screen to a desliming drag. A trommel screen was chosen
for the screening job so that some scrubbing action could he
obtained to break up talcy material present in the dumps.
Slimes from the drag pass over two Wilfley tables which re-
move the fine concentrates present. The dcslimcd ore is
discharged to the Ore Reclamation Co. jig. This jig has four
cells, the screen area of each cell being three feet wide and
four feet long. The hutches are equipped with Dowsett auto-
matic discharge density valves permitting constant discharge
of the hutch concentrates. Each cell is also equipped with
star-gate drawoffs and dewatering elevators to remove the
coarse bedding concentrates. The star-gate drawoffs operate
individually allowing sensitive bedding control for each cell.
Hutch concentrates run by gravity to an elevator which de-
livers them to three cleaning jigs. Bedding concentrates are
conveyed to a set of 27"xl4" MacFarlane Eggers crushing
rolls close circuited via the elevator with a vibrating screen
with 14" openings. The minus '4" concentrate is fed to
the three cleaning jigs. These three jigs are a 24" Bendelari
jig, an 18"x24" Denver duplex jig, and a 12"xl8" Denver
duplex jig set in tandem. These cleaner jigs, also equipped
with Dowsett valves, draw a high-grade lead concentrate
which is shipped to the Arkansas Valley Plant, Leadville.
The combination zinc, lead, copper, and silver concentrate
remaining is shipped to The Resurrection Mining Co. to be
subjected to selective flotation in their newly completed plant.
Tailings from the big jig discharge into a dewatering drag:
the dewatered tailings are conveyed to a storage bin anil
jtrucked to disposal. Table tailings go to the tailings pond.
Water in addition to that purchased from The Leadville
Water Co. has been obtained by the installation ol a Pomona
deep-well pump at the Star Five shaft; this pump produces
400 gallons of water per minute. Electric power is purchased
from The Public Service Co. of Colorado.
Tonnage and results have exceeded the anticipation, and
shipment of base metals now exceeds 600 tons of zinc, 27i
tons of lead, and 50 tons of copper per month.
Twenty men are on the payroll, and ten men work on
contract loading, hauling, and crushing. John Hamm is in
charge of operations as General Manager, P. F. Best acts as
Purchasing Agent, W. C. Cooper is General Superintendent.
J. H. Roberts is Mill Foreman, W. C. Wilson contracts load-
ing and crushing, and John O'Connell has the trucking con-
tract.
The original gold mill is now shut down, and all existing
facilities and available manpower are directed toward achieve-
ment of maximum production of strategic war materials. The
new jig plant will operate at capacity producing zinc and
lead so long as the need for. these metals exists.
&eneral view of the Crushing Plant and Heavy-Media Separation Plant of the Ore and Chemical Corp. The roclc from
old mine dumps on the hills above Leadville, wnich is directly behind the plant, is trucked to the dump pocket on the
wtreme right. The primary and secondary crushers are located in the small structure, while a 750-ton ore bin and the
Heavy-Media Separation Plant are located in the larger building.
1 wav wwavnvs iWTS HftPN TN THE MINE 39
B — 4
-------
APPENDIX E
Results of Hamm's Mill and Tailings Construction Monitoring
-------
1230 Sharon Park Drive #54
Menlo Park, CA
April 30, 2002
Dear Bobbie,
Please pardon my delay in responding to your March 26th letter and
the copy of your prodigious report on my Leadville operation. My beloved
Suzie passed away March 28th, and thank you notes and piles of paperwork
have been demanding of my time. Also, the mail service was slow; Jim
Engelking reported receipt of his copy long before mine arrived!
I do question referral to my crude ore bin as a tipple, a place where a
hoisted mine car is dumped. Now if you had used the verb form and said old
John likes to tipple of an evening, I would be in complete agreement. Figure
51 on E3 depicts an ore car, but none was ever used in my operation. We did
employ an eccentric-driven plunger feeder below the ore bin; it rolled back
and forth on wheels, which might have led to the misconception.
Page iv lists #6 Table as my production report, but I am unable to
locate it.
I do not mean to be a nitpicker and congratulate you on the depth and
detail of your splendid piece of work.
Here's hoping you enjoy your well deserved years of retirement.
Warmest personal regards,
n r i ? -
^ , o-a_ v. ,y«.
John P. Hamm
cc: James F.Engelking, P.C.
-------
E 1
Front of tipple of Hamm's Mill after remediation - Photograph by John Groy.
-------
E 2
Main
Chute
NW >
Chute
Chute
Ore
Car
Rhodes 1998
Figure 49: Diagram of tipple at Hamm's Mill site, Groy (1996). Drawing is not to scale.
71
-------
22"
to
regulating
slide door
handle
36"
iron wheel
rail
] Figure 50: Ore car front view, Groy (1996).
~ i
—*—
L >- ^ "i
Figure 51: Ore car at Hamm's Mill tipple.
Photograph by John Groy.
Rhodes 1998
m
u>
-------
E 4
Detail of construction of tailings flume - Hamm's Mill. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
Detail of Fastener, metal flume liner at Hamm's tailings. Photograph by Diane Rhodes
-------
PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY
-------
Figure 47: Two examples
of flume support.
sheet metal flume liner
Rhodes 1998
-------
?V ' . ¦ J
Remains of Hamm's Mill flume - white tape marks alignment. Photographs by Diane Rhodes.
-------
APPENDIX F
Contemporary Pre- and Post-Remediation Photographs of the Hamm's Mill
and Tailings
-------
F 1
Hamm's Tailings. View to southwest. Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
Hamm's Tailings. View to northwest
-------
F 2
Hamm's Tailings from Mill site - views to west. Photographs by Roger Whitacre.
-------
F 3
Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
Hamm's Mill
Prior to
Remediation.
View to east-southeast
Photograph by
Bobbie Ferguson
-------
F 4
Hamm's Mill. View to northwest. Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
-------
Figure 6. - Remains of Hamm's Mill.
FERGUSON (1995)
I
cn
-------
F 6
Tailings impound
Early 20th century view of portion of Carbonate Hill from
Fairview Hill looking south-southeast. Hamm's Mill area outlined.
Post-remediation view of Hamm's Tailings area from same Fairview
Hill location as historic photograph. Photograph by Dick Wiltshire.
-------
F 7
Post-remediation view of Hamm's Tailings from Fairview Hill - view
slightly to west of previous photograph. Photograph by Dick Wiltshire.
Post - remediation view of Hamm's Tailings taken from Highway 24 at north end of
downtown Leadville. View to southeast. Photograph by Dick Wiltshire, June 1998
-------
F 8
Post-remediation view of Hamm's Tailings to the west along Stray Horse Gulch Road.
Toe of post-remediation Hamm's Tailings. View to west along Stray Horse Gubh Road.
-------
F 9
Post-remediation view across Hamm's Tailings to northwest from tipple area.
Post-remediation view of Hamm's Mill.
-------
F 10
Photograph Log
Hamm's Mill Site #5LK 852 Lake County, CO 7/12/96
Log#l View #1 Northeast corner of tailings - looking southwest neg #2
Log #2 View #1 Northeast corner of tailings with town in background - looking southwest neg #12
Log #3 View #1 North side of tailings from Fryer St. - looking south neg #12
Log #4 View #2 Hamm's Mill - looking northwest neg # 1
Log #5 View #3 Southwest corner of tailings - looking northeast neg #8
Log #6 View #4 West side of mill towards town - looking west neg # 8
Log #7 View #5 Remains of Hamm's Mill - looking east neg #12
Log #8 View #5 Remains of Hamm's Mill detail - looking east neg #4
Log # 9 View #6 Remains of Mill towards town - looking west neg # 8
Log #10 View #7 Northeast view of tailings with town in background - looking southwest neg # 4
Log #11 View #8 Overall view of Hamm's Mill - looking west towards town neg #11
-------
APPENDIX G
As-Built Drawing of the Hamm's Tailings and Mill
and Plan Map of Hamm's Mill Remains
-------
PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIG IT ALL Y
-------
APPENDIX H
Historic Photographs of the Penrose Mine
-------
H 1
Figure 18. - 1908 view of Penrose by USGS Geologist, J.D.Irving (10) - Courtesy
of U.S. Geological Survey. (Ferguson 1995)
-------
Penrose shaft and transformer house. The Herald Democrat - January 1, 1915
Penrose shaft and transformer building, 1915 or 1916 (Horton 1916:96)
-------
Flit. 16 Fig. 17
Fig*. 14, 15, 16, 17 Various View* of the Creek Formed by the Discharge of the Pumps in the Penrose Shaft
See Appendix I for complete article by Horton (1916), Photograph courtesy of the Hall of History Foundation, Schenectady, NY. w
-------
235236 TYPE 1 4-300 HP-1800 R.P.M.-550 VOLT MOTOR DIRECT CONNECTED
TO CENTRIFUGAL SINKING PUMP. PENROSE SHAFT. DOWNTOWN MINES
COMPANY. LEADVILLE:. COLORADO.
See comments on the centrifugal sinking pump, Figure 5, in Horton (1916).
Photograph courtesy of Hall of History Foundation, Schenectady, NY
-------
234376 175 HP HOIST MOTOR REPLACING ENGINE AT MINE OF
DOWNTOWN MINES COMPANY. LEADVILLE, COLORADO.
INDEX E-318.32
EC
See Horton (1916) Figure 12 and discussion Guy (1916). Photograph courtesy of Hall of History Foundation, Schenectady, NY. w,
-------
APPENDIX I
"The Umvatenng of the Downtown Mining District of Leadville"
-------
Fig. 1. Surface Plant of the Penrose Shaft
96 GENERAL ELECTRIC REVIEW
THE UNWATERING OF THE DOWN TOWN MINING DISTRICT OF
LEADVILLE
By W. H. Horton, Jr.
General Electric Company, Denver, Colo.
The author describe? one of the most interesting and difficult pumping propositions ever undertaken,
giving such details as will enable the reader to understand the work. The equipment is described. The intro-
duction of electric pumps enabled the "work to be carried to a successful conclusion. In an appendix the author
gives most valuable statistical data which should be of much use to others interested in such undertakings.
The comparisons of costs for steam and electric operation speak for themselves.—Editor.
The unwatering of the Down Town section workings. A cross section showing the for-
of the Leadville Mining District by the Down mation under the surface is shown in Fig. 3.
Town Mines Company, by means of elec- and was taken on a line at about "AA"
trically driven pumps, is the largest under- shown in Fig. 2.
taking of its kind in the mining history of this It-will be noticed that there are several
continent. In view of the fact that 17 years faults or slippage planes with the various
ago, when this district had been worked to a strata duplicated on each side but at a dif-
depth of only 540 ft., it was unwatered by-
means of steam equipment and that the Down
Town Mines Company have already un-
watered this same" district to a considerably
lower depth than this, it is interesting to give
a comparison of the equipment and cost of
the two methods. But first a brief descrip-
tion and history of the district will give a
clearer conception of the undertaking.
The Down Town District of Leadville, as
its name implies, is that portion of the Lead-
ville Mining District on which the city of
Leadville is built, and embraces an area
about 2miles long ,and miles wide,
containing some 30 miles of underground
ferent elevation and with a different slope.
Thus it is seen that the Carbonate Hill fault
separates the Down Town drainage area
from the other drainage areas because of the
different direction of the slope of the strata
on the two sides of this fault. A cross section
taken at right angles to this would show these
strata as having an inverted bow shape; the
lowest part of the bow being about at the
Penrose shaft.
During the strike of the mine workers in
1896-7, when, of course, these mines were
producing no revenue, this entire district
was allowed to flood, because of the high
cost of keeping the pumps running.
D -1
-------
Carbonate Hill Fault
LLLib,Ms
Northern
etnq Oratnea
*» One Mile
¦I Starir
6*"St
Bonn
•> One# Half Miles
To Fault Line
Estimated
Section
Fig. 2. A Sketch of the Drainage Area of the Damn Town 3>J iiowmg 1
Rdfltivo Position of the Various Shaft* Located Tiewa
UNWATERIXG THE DOWN TOWN MINING DISTRICT OF LEADVILLz.
Early in 1898 the Le&dviile |
Home "Mining Company was
formed which acquired a lease
on the Penrose proper:-, and
bought the Penrose surface
and underground equipment.
They, together with six other
companies, formed a pump-
ing association for urnvater-
jng this district with steam
pumps. E ach company turned
over its equipment to the
-primp association, who then
assumed entire charge of the
unwatering operations and
who assessed each member
their portion of the operating
cost as well as their portion
of the cost of equipment
which the Pump Association
found necessary to purchase.
Active pumping began on
October 10, 1898, and ended
about July 25, 1899, covering
a period of 9J^ months.
The Pump Association was
discontinued on the first of
October,- 1899, only to be
again organized a few months
later -in order to justly
apportion the cost .of operat-
ing the permanent pumping
equipments among the sev-
eral mines then operating in
this district.'
The district was then worked
for several years bv many-
different companies, but al-
lowed to fill again when the
price of metals in 1907-8 fell
to such a low point that
further operations were un-
profitable. During the period
from 1898 to 1907 the Pen-
tose shaft was sunk to its
present depth of 875 ft.
Later, better smelting pro-
cesses giving a greater incen-
tive, large deposits of zinc
mostly in the form of zinc
carbonates were found in
adjacent properties which
were operating. Also, eviden-
ces of large deposits were
found in the Down Town
"strict. In 1914-15, the
Down Mines Company was
organized and acquired 20-
Garborazz*'TMt
firrmraz* X'_
Loose 'and Sand
Lakt Beds
Granite
aran/t*
Fig. 3. A Croat
uf the Drainage Am of the Down Town Dtonet
\&ean
\Ma
1—v
=—:s
_ FhFrarn Cellar of Shaft at
beginning of Operations
1 MayQtn. I9I&.1 ' 1 1
400
soo\
TOO
i I
i I
J%Aune wtbtitorlttj
-I.-L
n
fto/ay Started-
luted Relay Station
>1
Started.
£
n
^ ' June ' ' July W ^ **
1 1915
Nov
Dec
Fig. 4. Proems Com of the Pomps to the Femoee Shaft
-------
9S
GENERAL ELECTRIC REVIEW
year leases on the various properties in this
district as well as perpetual pumping con-
tracts. So, on May 8, 1915, active operations
on the second unwatering began, but this time
by means of electrically driven unwatering
pumps.
The entire operations are now confined to
the Penrose shaft, which has three compart-
ments. The two outside compartments are
Telay the water after the first two reached a
head of more than 425 ft.
These pumps were furnished by the Provi-
dence Engineering Works of Providence, R. I.,
and are two-stage centrifugal pumps, approxi-
mately 2 ft. 4 in. in diameter, designed for
2000 gallons per minute, each at 425-ft.
head. The curves in Fig. .9 show the opera-
tion of these pumps while under test. The
Fig. 5. The Unwatering Pump Ready to be Lowered
for Service
Fig. 6. This same pump in operation just opposite the
Relay Pump Station at the 470-ft. level
used for the unwatering pumps, and are each
3 ft. 4 in. between the guides and 4 ft. 6 in.
long, and 5 ft. 6 in. long respectively. See
Fig. 8. On September 7, 1915, these pumps
reached the 540-ft. level, but, of course,
continued on down and to date are at the
700-ft. level.
Beforq. comparing the costs of the two
methods ^of unwatering a brief description of
the present equipment would be in order.
There is a total of four duplicate pumps—two
of these pumps are arranged for suspension
in the shaft and the other two are used to
pumps were run during this test at 1760 r.p.m.,
while in actual operation they revolve at
1810 r.p.m., and therefore throw considerably
more water than the curves indicate.
A study of these curves will show at once
that these pumps are of a unique design and
specially adapted to the varying head
encountered in the process of lowering the
water in the shaft, and that full advantage of
the smaller power demand at the lower heads
can be obtained.
The motors were furnished by the General
Electric Company, and are each 300 h.p-
-------
UN WATERING THE DOWN TOWN MINING DISTRICT OF LEADVILLE 99
three-phase, 61.}4 cycles, 550 volts, open
vertical squirrel cage induction motors, mak-
ing 1S10 r.p.m. at full load.
The pumps and motors are mounted on the
same channel iron frame and their shafts are
connected by a flexible pin coupling. Each
pump and: motor carries its own revolving
wcicht—the motor by means of an oil lubri-
cated ball thrust bearing of the "SKF" type,
and the pump by means of a lignum vitae
water lubricated marine thrust bearing. The
^uide bearings of the motor are of hard
babbitt, and oil lubricated, while those of the
pump are the lignum vitae and water lubri-
cated. Thus it is seen that the pump end
of each unit is capable of being submerged.
The pumps are primed by submerging the
first stage. The total weight of each pumping
unit is about 16,000 lb.
The unwatering units are hung in the com-
partments by J-g-in. "Hercules" steel cable
in the manner shown in Fig. 7, which gives a
three-rope block and "tackle arrangement.
The only other support for these units is
through the shoes on the channel iron frame
which ride on the guides in the manner of the
usual mine cage. These shoes are not
shown in Fig. 8, but can be seen projecting
from the channel iron frame on the left in
Fig. 5.
After the unwatering pumps reached a
depth equal to a head of 425 ft., the station,
or relay pumps, were put in operation. The
discharge from the unwatering pumps is
connected direct to the suction of the relay
pumps with no sump between. The relay
pumps are mounted in the same, manner as
the unwatering pumps, but have a heavy
cast iron base, which holds the channel iron
supporting framework rigid in an upright
position.
The electric cable which supplies the power
to the pump motors is wire armored and sup-
ported by clamps. The cable fPr the unwater-
ing units is lowered by hand winches as fast
as the pumps are lowered. The cables for the
relax- units are installed permanently in" the
shaft.
The water columns consist-of 20-ft. lengths
of 10-in. steel pipe, with bolted flange joints
and each section is supported from the shaft.
Connection is made to the unwatering pumps
through a slip joint that is capable of a 20-ft.
extension. As each additional length of
pipe is necessary it is inserted at the lower
end of the column, next to the slip joint, and
secured to the shaft with cross timbers or
stulls.
The steam winches shown in the back-
ground of Fig. 12 are used for lowering and
hoisting the unwatering units. These winches
have a worm gear reduction which holds the
drums in any given position, without the use
Hand Y/ench
Electric Cable
Dump
Clamp
Tunnel
ft!
Relay Pump
Station
470 Ft.Level
Sinking Pump
sold Pump Station§ii
E^ersrt. Leve/^A
Fig. 7. Sketch showing the method of suspending the unwater-
ing pumps and of connecting the pipe between these
pumps and the relay pumps
of brakes. Steam is used for these winches in
preference to electric power because of the
necessity of raising the unwatering units in
case of an interruption of the power supply.
The main hoist which operates the cage in
the center compartment, and is used for lower-
ing supplies, etc., as well as in the retimbering
operations which are necessary when a poor
portion of the shaft is encountered, is an old
steam hoist converted to electric drive. A
175-h.p. hoist motor, controlled through a
-------
GENERAL ELECTRIC REVIEW
contactor panel, is used for this purpose.
The method of connecting this motor to
the hoist consists of gearing a crank disk to
the motor and then connecting this disk
to the crank disk of the hoist by means
of a very short link. Power is .supplied
to the electrical equipment by the Colorado
Power Company at 550 volts, three-phase
and 61cycles. Steam is supplied from a
100-h.p. boiler placed at the side of the hoist
room and fired by the hoist men at infrequent
intervals.
Coming now to the comparison of the costs
of the two methods of unwatering. Since the
first unwatering only went to a depth of
540 ft., the costs of the Down Town Mines
Company as shown, unless otherwise noted,
Fig. 8. General layout of unwatering pump units and their position in the shafts
-------
34W.34
UNWATERING THE DOWN TOWN MINING DISTRICT OF LEADVILLE 101
include only those expenses incurred before
^ept Sth, at which time the 540-fl. level was
reached.
The tables in the appendix give detailed
information as to the equipment and costs for
both the Pump Association and the Down
Town Mines Company. The relative costs
of the two methods can be summarized
approximately as follows:
the electric method of unwatenng is less than
35 per cent of the corresponding cost by the
steam method.
Sixth: The machinery accounts as given
show that the Plant Equipment investment
for the electric method is less than 50 per cent
of the corresponding steam cost.
Seventh: There are some further advan-
tages in favor of the electric unwatenng
Steam
Unwatenng
Electric
Unwatering
8174,286 13
52,424 67
57,930.42
31,456.58
5316,097.80
S80,000.00
15,120.00
13,287.63
20,000.00
3128,407.63
[•r-cstment in plant equipment
(iixrauon expenses:
Pay roll
Fuel or power costs
Overhead supplies and miscellaneous'
Total
The figures in the above table speak for
themselves, but in conclusion further attention
is called to the following facts, which, with the
exception of the sixth item are all based on a
study of the actual figures exclusive oi any
assumed figures'
First. The pay roll expenditure for the
electric unwatenng is less than 30 per cent of
the corresponding steam unwatenng cost.
Second: The total power and fuel cost of
the electric unwatenng is less than 25 per
cent of the fuel cost for the steam unwatenng.
Third: From 'a study of the vouchers it is
at once evident that the cost of repairs and
supplies for the electnc unwatering is but a
very small fraction of the same items for the
steam unwatering. This fact is forcibly
impressed upon one by the following state-
ment made by the manager of the local
machine shop, who had charge of all the
repair work during the steam unwatering
period:
"During the steam unwatering period. I
had two of our machinists working all the
time on repairs for the steam equipment and
at times there were a total of ten."
To date there has been spent by the Down
Town Mines Company since regular opera-
tions began less than $400 on machine sjiop
repairs.
Fourth: The time of unwatering by elec-
tricity is about 40 per cent of that required
by steam.
Fifth: Deducting the machinery account
investments from the totals as given in Table
VII, we find that the total operating cost for
method such as greater safety for the men.
There has not been a single accident at the
Penrose shaft to date. Also the rubber
clothing of the men lasts a much longer time,
and this is no small item.
soo
70
§ so • zoo
ft too
eo3 tzoc tcoo zooo
Gotfons Per Minute
Fift. 9. T«t Curvet of the Pumps
The management of this property is very
pleased with the showing that the electnc
unwatering equipment has made for itself.
APPENDIX
The figures used in the following tables were
obtained from the following sources, with the
exception of those noted.
The Pump Association costs were obtained
from their monthly vouchers and the August
-------
Fig. 10.^.Foxir 300-kv-a., 6600/550-v. Transformers
Fig. 12. The Hoist Room of the Penrose Shaft
FJg, 11. Switchboard for Controlling Four 300 h.p. Pump Motors and
One 175 h.p. Hoist Motor
Fig. 13. ' Landing Floor of Three Compartment Penrose Shaft. Two Thousand Qallon
per Minute Sinking Pump working in the right-hand compartment, Companion
Pump about to be lowered in the left-hand compartment. Hoisting Cage In center.
Colled Electric Power Cables for Pump Motors shown in right and left foreground
-------
Fig. 16 Fig. 17
Fig». 14, IS, 16, 17 Various Vicwa of the Creek Formed by llie Discharge of the Pumps in the Penrose Shaft
-------
104 GENERAL ELECTRIC REVIEW
TABLE I
LIST OF EQUIPMENT
1898-9
Steam
1915
Electric
Number of shafts operated for pumping
Number of pumps operated , s ...
Number of bailers operated
Number of boiler plants operated
Number of boilers operated
Number of hoists operated
Number of steam 'wrenches operated
Number of hand wrenches operated ...
I
3
5
19
5
8
unknown
i
i
i
i
IdCOMHHO^H
1
TABLE n
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
1898-6
Steam
1915
Eleetnc
Length of operations in months j 914 4
Gallons of water per minute lifted ' 2800 estimated 3600 to 4600
Feet gained per day average 1.03 2.5"
Total depth in feet 540 540 to Sept. 7th
Depth unwatered in feet 302 302 to Sept 7th
TABUS m
LABOR
I
1898-9
Steam
1915
Eleetnc
Number of hoist men
Number of firemen ....
Number of topmen
Number of men in pipe gang
Number of pump men
Number of miscellaneous and supervision
Average payroll per month not including miscellaneous and supervision.'
Average payroll per month, total.
15
21
12
5
24
12 to 20
$5518.00 from
the Pump Assn. i
Vouchers
3
0
3
4
12
S3360.00
TABLE IV
MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT ACCOUNTS OF THE DOWN TOWN MINES COMPANY
Boilers, steam piping, fire pumps, etc.
Equipment to handle the water column
Equipment to handle the electric cable
Equipment to handle the unwatering pumps
Unwatering and relay pumps*
Water pipe
Eleetnc cable and wire ....
Miscellaneous tools, cars, cages, etc.
Supplies, repairs, and cost of putting equipment in operating condition
Hoist and motor
Total machinery account
S3,600.00
700.00
1,800.00
6,000 00
15,000.00
3,000.00
4,500.00
2,000.00
6,500.00
5,000.00
850,000.00
* Includes cost of excavating station.
D - 9
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UNWATERING THE DOWft TOWN MINING DISTRICT OF LEADVILLE 105
TABLE V
EXTRACTS FROM THE STATEMENT OF THE PUMP ASSOCIATION FOR AUGUST 1, 1899
Weldon Mining Company, . ;
1/4 assessment . . $39,652.30 543,529 41
2/7 delinquency . . . . 3,877.11
I
Lcadvil'.e Home Mining Co., .
1 /4 assessment . .. 39,652 30
2/7 delinquency ! 3,877 11 43,529.41
Bonn Mining Company, ;
1 ,'S assessment . . . . 19,826 15
1/7 delinquency . 1,938 56 21,764 71
LeadviUe Basin Leasing Co ,
1/8 assessment . . ... ... 19,826.15
1/7 delinquency . 1,938.56 21.764 71
Coronado Mining Company, I
1/8 assessment . . . . . 19,826.15
1,7 delinquency 1,938.56 21,764.71
Leadville Mines Leasing Co.,
1 ,'16 assessment, paid only 4,575.92
Owed 5,337.15 4,575 92
Bison Mining Company,
1 .'16 assessment, paid only 781.25
Owed 9,131.83 781.25
Total expended by Pump Association to August 1, 1899 . $157,710.12
The difference between the total pump association expenditure, as shown in Table VI, and that given
above is accounted for by the slow payment of bills due at August 1, but not paid until further payments of
assessments were made by its members.
TABLE VI
TOTAL COSTS AS FAR AS THESE IS RECORD OF SAME
Pomp
Association
Leadville
Home
Mining Co.
Down Town
Company
Total pay roll
Total fuel account .
Total power account.
Total supplies, miscellaneous
Total machinery account.
Total
$52,424.67
57,930.67
31,456.58
35,188.33
$34,774.45
$177,000.00
$34,774.45
$15,120.00
700.00
12,587.63 to
Sept. 7th incl.
20,000.00
50,000.00
$98,408.63
TABLE Vn
TOTAL COST FOR UNWATKIUNC ON TUB DASSS
OF EQUAL TONNAGE OUTPUT
1898-9 Steam
1915 Electnc
Down Town Mines Co. cost to S6pt. 7th as shows in'Table VI
J^ost of permanent station equip, to be at bottom of shaft
l-ost of putting- additional- shafts in running order to get out equal ton-
nage
$177,000.00
34,774.45
104,323.35
$98,408.63-
10,000.00
20,000.00
run)P Association
Leadville Home Mining Co
Mtimated cost of the other companies for their plant equipment
Total
$316,097.80
$128,408.63
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106
GENERAL ELECTRIC REVIEW
1, 1899, statement of the association to its
members as well as the final statement on
October 1, 1899.
The costs of the Leadville Home Mining
Company were obtained from their cash
book covering this period as well as from the
minutes of their directors' meetings.
The estimates of the operating force and
equipment of the Pump Association are based
on information obtained from men who
worked on the pipe gang during this time.
[The pipe gang consists of the men who install
the piping, etc., in the shaft as the additional
lengths are necessary. The Down Town
Mines Company pipe gang have installed
a 20-ft. length of 10-in. pipe, removing the
necessary bolts and lowering the dip joint,
and then putting in the necessary bolts, with
the pump shut down in a total of 9 minutes
and 15 seconds.] These estimates are checked
where feasible by reference to the Pump
Association vouchers.
The figures for the Down Town Mines
Company's costs were furnished by Ex-
Governor Jesse F. McDonald, Manager of the
Down Town Mines Company.
Tables I, II, III, and IV give a general
idea of the equipment and operating force,
which need no comments.
Table V shows the payments made by each
member of the Pump Association up to August
1, 1899, and it is shown here that the Lead-
ville Home Mining Company paid one-fourth
of the total assessment to this data.
Now, a study of the Pump Association
vouchers shows no expenditures for any
surface plant or other permanent equipment
beyond that for five unwatering pumps and
their necessary auxiliary equipment. Thus
there has been accounted for in Table VI
only the surface plant of the Leadville Home
Mining Company. The records of the opera-
tions of the associated companies are not
available and, therefore, some assumptions
must be made to arrive at this missing figure.
Since the Leadville Home Mining Company
paid about one-fourth of the Pump Associa-
tion cost, it is assumed that the total plant
equipment not accounted for is proportionaj
to the amounts that these companies paid
the Pump Association. Table VII is based
on this assumption. To be sure this is open
to criticism but no better method of arriving
at this cost presents itself at this late date.
There is still a further possible criticism
that the associated companies had consider-
able plant equipment available, at no
additional cost to them, for use in their
regular mining operations which began
immediately after the unwatering period.
Ex-Governor Jesse F. McDonald, Manager
of the Down Town Mines Company, has
given considerable study to the output of the
associated mines and has arrived at the follow-
ing conclusions:
"It would require an expenditure by the
Down Town Mines Company of less than
$20,000 to put enough additional shafts into
operation to bring the future tonnage of the
Down Town Mines Company to a figure
equal to the combined tonnage of the
associated companies. Further, the per-
manent plant required for caring for the
water after the unwatering period will cost
less than 510,000. "*
For the above reasons, these costs have
been included in the totals as given in Table
VII. Also, it is well to bear in "mind that the
machinery account of the Down Town Mines
Company would have been considerably less
had this equipment been built with a view of
only going to the 540-ft. level.
* Thii pumping equipment hat already bees contracted lor by
the Down Town Mines Company.
D - 11
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APPENDIX J
Results of Penrose Mine Dump Remediation Monitoring
-------
Rhodes 1998, Figure 20, showing discovery of Penrose Dewatering Tunnel.
View to north-northwest. Photograph courtesy of Bill Beller.
Rhodes 1998, Figure 21, closer view of Figure 20. Photograph courtesy of Bill Beller.
-------
Rhodes 1998, Figure 22, showing Penrose Tunnel with minewaste and
top removed. View to southwest. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
Rhodes 1998, Figure 23, showing construction of top of Penrose
Tunnel. View to south-southwest. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
-------
J 3
Rhodes 1998, Figure 25, showing construction of Penrose Tunnel.
View to south-southwest. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
Rhodes 1998, Figure 26, showing
orientation of exposed Penrose
Tunnel. View to south-southeast.
Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
-------
Rhodes 1998, Figure 24, showing interior of intact portion of
Penrose Tunnel. View to south. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
-------
LLlnq
Street
;t
Penrose Dewatering T\innel
~
P
D
PENROSE DEWATERING TUNNEL I
DRAWING FROM RHODES (1998) '
~ ft
r?
r
T""
r
¦+
LJ
1 *1.
J~
>
n
&
r
-------
RHODES (1998) PENROSE TUNNEL
Figure 29: Details of wall and roof joints
J-6
end plate
divider
I
post
53
-------
PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY
-------
J 8
Rhodes 1998, Figure 33, showing Penrose shaft house remains.
View to north-northwest. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
Rhodes 1998, Figure 32,
Penrose shaft house foundation.
View to northwest.
Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
-------
J 9
Rhodes 1998, Figure 34. View of Penrose shaft house remains,
looking northeast. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
Rhodes 1998, Figure 35. View of Penrose shaft house
remains, looking south. Photograph by Diane Rhodes.
-------
north wall, shaft building
o\
o
N
Penrose shaft, filled in
displaced headframe supports
transformer building
10 5 0 10 feet
probable locations of headfrann
e supports
Figure 36: Plan view of Penrose shaft area RHODES (1998)
C_.
I
-------
J-ll
«
Plan View
^-inset wood beam
West Profile
'concrete broken away
1.1' deep depression
concrete
Figure 37: Han and profile views
of possible headframe support
RHODES (1998) '
0
scale l"=ri
61
-------
0-12
Figure 16: West wall of transformer building,
looking east. Photograph by the author.
4 3 2 1 0 2
scale 1" =4.0'
RHODES (1998)
-------
plate for stabilizing rod
basketball hoop attached here [see photograph]
Figure 17: South wall of transformer building,
looking north. Photograph by the author.
RHODES (1998)
4 3 2 1 0
scale 1" = 4.0'
C-i
I
CO
-------
to
maxk
S^O
-o^
Figure 18: North Wall
of Transformer Building,
View to the Southwest.
Photograph by the Author.
wall covered with corrugated sheet metal
rolled asphalt roofing..
N
I
scale 1 = 4.0
wood planks
ft)
wood posts
Figure 18: North wall of transformer building, view to the southwest. Photograph by
the author.
new concrete piers'
RHODES (1998)
c_,
-p»
-------
4 3 2 1 0 2 4
scale 1" = 4.0'
Figure 19: East wall of transformer building.. Looking West. Photograph by the
Author.
RHODES (1998)
-------
APPENDIX K
Contemporary Pre- and Post-Remediation Photographs of the Penrose Mine Dump
-------
Figure 11. - View to east of center of Penrose Dump.
FERGUSON (1995)
-------
Figure 10. - Western and central portion of Penrose Dump.
FERGUSON (1995)
7C
ro
-------
K 3
Penrose Dump
View to west
showing northeast
corner of minewaste.
Photograph by
Roger Whitacre.
Penrose Dump. View to northwest across southeast end. Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
-------
K 4
Penrose shaft and transformer building. View to sautheast. Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
Penrose shaft and transformer building. View to southwest across
foundations of mine buildings. Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
-------
K 5
Penrose Dump. View to the east showing west end
of the dump. Photograph by Roger Whitacre.
-------
K 6
Post-remediation view of west end of the Penrose Dump. View to southwest
BHHBSHrs
Post-remediation view of west central portion of Penrose Dump from north side.
-------
Post-remediation view of center of Penrose Dump, toward center, looking south-southwest.
, - -s-!
Post-remediation view of Penrose Dump, looking southeast. Transformer building at top.
-------
K 8
Post-remediation view of east end of Penrose Dump, looking from the north.
Post-remediation view of east end of Penrose Dump, looking to the west.
-------
K 9
Photograph Log
Penrose Site #5LK 853 Lake County, CO 7/12/96
Log #12 View #9 Southeast end of dump with town in background - looking northwest neg # 2
Log #13 View #10 From Leadville Hill - looking southeast neg #8
Log #14 View #10 From Leadville Hill - looking south - southeast neg #10
Log #15 View #11 From 3rd Street Hill - looking north neg # 7
Log #16 View #12 Northeast corner of dump - looking west neg #7
Log #17 View #13 Mine building foundations - north of 3ri Street - looking southwest neg # 1
Log #18 View #14 Transformer building - looking north neg # 7
Log #19 View # 15 Transformer building and foundations - looking southeast neg #11
Log #20 View #16 West end of dump - looking east neg # 5
Log #21 View #17 Penrose sign on west end of dump - looking east neg #11
-------
APPENDIX L
Plan Map of Penrose Mine Buildings
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PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY
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