New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

During the period from 1890 to 1925 the San Juan Mountains of Colorado achieved world-wide recognition as a gold mining district. The story of three of these mines, the Campbird, the Tomboy, and the Smuggler-Union, is well known. The fourth of these major gold producers, the Liberty Bell mine of Telluride, is rarely mentioned today. Although its history lacks the fame of a Thomas Walsh and Hope Diamond or the English charm of the Tomboy, the Liberty Bell is the classic example of American innovation achieving success under difficult conditions.

The Liberty Bell mine was discovered in 1876 by William Cornett in the basin north of Telluride, Colorado that bears his name today. Some development occurred on the high outcrops when the property was acquired and consolidated by Arthur Winslow in 1897. Unlike most of the local mines, the company was formed and capital was raised in Kansas City, Missouri where Winslow had been state geologist. The company began production in December 1898. In 1899 a young mining engineer, Charles A. Chase from Georgetown, Colorado, joined the firm. Chase soon rose to be Superintendent and spent the next twenty years managing the property.

Production was increased from 50 tons per day with a 20-stamp mill to 400 tons per day and an 80-stamp mill. Because of the oxidized nature of the ore, the mill was the first in the San Juans to use new South African cyanide-process technology. A notable disaster occurred on February 28, 1902 when a snowslide destroyed the portal and tramhouse at the mine. Rescue teams sent up from Telluride were hit by a second slide at the mine, and yet a third ran down others on the trail. Sixteen people were killed. The company immediately devised a snowslide deflector to help in future winters and began a 3000-foot-long crosscut tunnel at a lower and safer elevation.

The mine was a pioneer of low-cost mining techniques using the latest technology. Though the grade of ore decreased in later years, profits stayed high as costs decreased. By the end of mining of the orebody more than 750,000 ounces of gold had been produced from 2.5 million tons of ore. More than $16,000,000 had been invested in production, and more than $3,000,000 in dividends had been paid to stockholders. Rather than waste assets looking for more ore that was unlikely to exist, the company was liquidated in 1923. All debts were paid and investors obtained many times their original capital in profits.

The story of the Liberty Bell mine is presented with more than 130 original photographs of the operation taken by Charles A. Chase and others. The collection is being presented on slides through the courtesy of the C. H. Chase family of Tucson, Arizona. The program will also feature photos of other famous San Juan mines taken during the period 1902-1919.