Bell Mine

The New Golden Bell Mine, or simply the "Bell mine," was located about 3/4 mile southwest from the Rosedale mine. There is little to see at the site today. The Bell mine and mill was the 2nd largest gold producer in the Rosedale Mining District. The original mining claim was filed by L. M. Lasley in 1895 and described as located at sec.12 T.6S R.6W.

By 1895, the gold profits of the Rosedale mine was becoming legendary, bringing many prospectors and investors to Rosedale to stake their own claims. Some even compared the area to another "Cripple Creek," referring to the lucrative Colorado mining area. L. M. Lasley, a merchant from San Marcial, was one such prospector. His claim appears to be on the same rhyolite ridge and vein as the Rosedale mine, or one parallel to it. Lasley spent a fair amount of money developing the property with an adit and shaft to access the vein.

There are no known company records to indicate the amount of gold ore shipped or profits realized during this period. Newspaper articles in 1898–1900 newspapers report gold ore was being shipped to smelters in Colorado from the railhead at Magdalena. In November 1900, the Socorro Chieftain newspaper reported ore taken from the 9th level of the mine was yielding a fairly respectable return of over $500 per ton.

Mine Sale. Lasley sold the Bell mine in 1901 to three individuals, though "retains an interest in the property" – in effect bringing on three partners. TheSanta Fe New Mexican was the first to report the sale on May 10, 1901:

The Golden Bell Mill. Unlike the Rosedale mine using stamp mills, the Bell mine elected to use the relatively new Lane slow speed roller mill for crushing the ore. Made by the C.C. Lane Co. in Los Angeles, large crushing wheels slowly turned to crush the ore to recover the gold concentrate.

The Bell Mill went into operation late 1904 processing 40–50 tons of ore per day from the mine. Period newspapers report the success of the Bell mine and mill, implying nearly continuous operation, though no specific
details of tonnages shipped or value of the recovered gold are given.

By 1909, it is reported that Charles Capsul is the new mine manager and D.M. Farson of Chicago the principal owner, indicating a change in partnership and management. The Hanna brothers in San Marcial remain as partners. Also in 1909, the mine reports ongoing assessment work in new drifts, and a 300-yard tunnel has been completed that connects with an old tunnel through a shaft (winze) to access more of the vein.

The Bell mine continued to be a lucrative mine and the second leading producer of gold in the Rosedale mining district. However, by around 1915, it appears the gold ore was playing out and the output of the mine and mill was on a decline.

Mine Sale. In 1917, it was reported in the Socorro Chieftain that James Porters and W.T. McCaskey of Lordsburg had taken over the Bell mine. It appears the San Marcial Hanna brothers remained as partners, or at least significant investors. The mine was described as the main shaft now 430 feet deep with nearly 5,000 feet of drifts and cross-cuts. The vein was described as being nearly vertical and 5 to 14 inches in width – very similar to the Rosedale mine.

The C.C. Lane slow speed roller mill was 10-feet in diameter and consisted of six crushing wheels. Raw ore is fed at the top onto a circular table on which the crushing wheels rotated at eight revolution per minute to crush the ore – very similar to a flour grist mill. The advantage of this mill over a ball mill or stamp mill was it could be powered with an 8–10 horse power engine. When introduced in the early 1900s, the power source could be a small gasoline

combustion engine rather than a large, expensive boiler and steam plant common in most mills. One mill processed about 40–50 tons of ore per day, crushing the ore to quarter-inch pieces making it easier to separate the gold concentrate from the ore tailings.

The Last Days. In late 1917, it was reported gold shipments to the El Paso ASARCO smelter were yielding an average of $20 per ton, far less than the $50–100 per ton yields from earlier years. In the mining industry, $12 per ton was considered the minimum yield to sustain operations. Thus, the ore from the Bell mine was approaching the zero-profit point.

In 1919, it was reported the Bell mine and mill was now idle, like most of the other mines and prospects in the Rosedale region. The accessible gold ore was simply becoming exhausted. The Rosedale mine produced on a limited basis primarily because they hit water at 730 feet deep in the shaft, preventing the relatively rich gold vein from being worked any deeper. The Golden Bell main shaft, following the vein, had reached a depth of about 500 feet when the mine went idle. It is possible they, too, struck water and were unable to work the vein any deeper, though no documentation exists as to why the Bell mine went idle.

The 1920s marked the end of the Rosedale mining district. Most mines in the region were now closed or idle. Even the Rosedale mine continued only with a skeleton crew. The furloughed workers moved from Rosedale to find employment elsewhere leaving only a few hearty souls and a handful of miners left living in the town. Of course, mining was on a decline through the western states. Mining jobs were getting scarce, forcing many miners to seek employment in other than the mining industry.

There are no newspaper reports of any activity at the Bell mine from 1920 until 1927. In that year, some low level mining was reported. The last documented shipment of ore was in late 1927 when the mine was closed.

In 1929, a devastating flood roared down the Rio Grande. The Santa Fe Railroad and the entire business district at San Marcial were destroyed and the town abandoned. [More information and photos on the 1929 San Marcial flood here].

There are reports of some development work at the Bell mine in 1929, though no reports of any meaningful mining activity or ore shipments. It is possible the remaining owners of the property, the San Marcial brothers of Samuel and William Hanna, attempted to reopen the mine. Loosing their San Marcial business, homes and livelihoods in the flood, likely they made an attempt to reopen their mine to make a living. Whether due to lack of financing, access to only low grade ore, mill machinery not working or previously disposed of, or other difficulties, the 1929 efforts produced no paying ore. Furthermore, the ore shipping facilities at San Marcial were destroyed in the flood, making shipping ore to the smelters very difficult and expensive. There are no mentions of any activity at the Golden Bell mine after 1929.