Show MASON VALLEYS BLUESTONE PURCHASE PRESAGES resumption AT SMELTER while the deal reported about a year ago for a consolidation soli ioli dation of many mines mines in the mason mining district ne nevada vada did not materialize as outlined by the nevada press a at i the time it is now apparent that substantial headway is being made in plans to ta reopen the mason valley smelter A deal by which the mason valley mines company is to ao acquire the bluestone mines mills etc is now in process of consummation and if favorable outcome attends the efforts to make freight rates on ores more equitable than at present so that shippers can ca n move their products to the mason valley smelter on a basis that will allow a profit being made it is contended the old camps will spring into activity again 6 concerning the latest phases of the situation the reno journal of recent date has the following to say the mason valley mines company ow owner ner of the smelter at thompson nev has taken the initial step in the purchase of the property including mills and mines of the bluestone mining and smelting smelling Sm elting company in the mason valley district and this move is declared to be only a start toward the acquisition of facilities in the commencement of an aggressive campaign to make the mason valley smelter an important factor in western ore reduction affairs providing a favorable decision is reached in the so called wa buska rate case now pending before the interstate commerce com commission bluestone deal gives mason valley big assets A J mcnab general manager of the mason valley mines company arrived in reno a week ago Z leaving thursday night to a representative of the journal he stated that the directors of both companies had agreed upon the terms of the transfer and that letters had been trans transmitted mittel to the stockholders of both seeking their ratification a matter which he stated was merely pro forma insofar as the results were concerned there being no doubt as to their approval under the terms of the sale the bluestone shareholders take over a block of the stock of the mason valley co paying for it with their properties and in cash the mason valley disposes of its gray eagle mine in siskiyou you county california the purchasers being stockholders of the company the mason valley as a result of these transfers will have a treasury containing liquid assets in excess of a million and a quarter dollars the mason valley mines company in 1908 came under the control of the W B thompson interests the smelter was built in 1912 the equipment consisting of two blast furnaces with a combined capacity of 2400 tons per day at first matte was produced but in 1914 a converter plant was added which permitted the production of blister copper and the plant was worked until 1919 when it was shut down with a great majority of the copper mines of the united states because of the lack of market for copper created by the liquidation of enormous stocks accumulated during the war many mines were shippers in its period of operation the record shows mines large and small in nevada shipped ores to it and the items of labor supplies freight and power growing out of the service T it rendered to the mineral zone in which it lay ran into the figure of a year since its shut down scores of small low grade and siliceous mines mines through western est nevada have been deprived of smelting smelling sm elting facilities s since ince their ores will 1 I not sta stand nd shipment costs to utah and calif e 7 lain idle many of these therefore fornia smelters shelters sm elters an dhave will with the provision of resume smelting smelling facilities n near bear at hand the bluestone company was originally one of the holdings of the late captain J R de lamar and a associates prior to 1915 it shipped its ores to the mason valley smelter but later when a ton concentrating mill was erected on its property shipped the concentrates to utah the alie mason valley plant has not been prepared to handleton handle concentrates cen but it is now stated that additions to permit it to do so will be installed when operations are resumed the matter hinging on the outcome of the railroad rate case which should determine what may be secured in tonnage of plumas county concentrates previous owners of bluestone in 1919 sir mortimer davis one of the big figures figural in the bank of montreal acquired the bluestone from th the estate of de lamar sir mortimer and his associates are rt heavily interested in the dome mine at in the cobalt district canada the same causes which contributed to the shutdown of the smelter a demoralized copper market closed the bluestone but large ore reserves are reported and the property was left and maintained in excellent shape after several days spent in reno in conference with brown belford the attorneys of the mason valley company mr mcnab paid a visit to the plant at thompson and returned to new york planning to stop at magma on the way this property one of the important holdings of the thompson interests is situated at superior ariz it has been shipping its ores ares to the hayden smelter for treatment but is building a 1000 ton smelter of its own which will be in operation in the spring of 1924 mr mcnab was metallurgist of the trail smelter out oui of rossland B C prior to 1913 when he came to thompson as assistant manager of the mason valley under jules jul labarthe who was then the general manager he was ivas made general manager in charge of all the general properties in 1920 and has since made his headquarters in new york the railroad freight situation the mason valley company during the operation of t smelter began protesting against the rate which make it cheaper to ship ore from northern california Calif orpia A points to the utah smelters shelters sm elters than to the wabuska babuska Wa buska it in W bik the matter was brought up by the company and the pu service commission before the interstate commerce commer cc com c ifie mission and in 1922 the case was decided in favor adoro of smelter the western pacific however made the on ineffective by establishment of what is known as its V top car rate which deprived the nevada sin smelter bater of 01 advantage gained by the decision com Q the case was reported this y year ear and heard before Q oh missioner clyde aitchison at B broackway lake valla r aigy june 25 26 and 27 in this rehearing the mason jei the mines company attempted in effect to overcome ane of event top car rate discrimination and stated that in in the e to v a favorable decision on the rehearing it i is prepared PP pend large sums of money in the installation C of f a organ equipment to equip the thompson smelter as a fully ft V cop per iced custom reduction works capable of handling any a ores which may come to it affet rr the A decision on the rate case is expected shortly first of the year J G efforts made by thin the state through governor gove 0 of f coff C off in cooperation with the reno chamber cham DC rate sit ag yg merce to effect an amicable adjustment of the th and wes 5 tion by agreement between the southern fic aecus nealise realise e OI 01 of ern pacific railways accomplished dished no resul resu alts tsy federal ca in the of the proceedings bafo before re the mission |