n the dream that fir
st captured the Hearst family, and later the Comanche Co. Savannah made some improvement at the plan, and the smelter could allegedly handle between 250 and 300 tons or ore per day. Like Comanche, Savannah was also interested in buying ores from small mining oper
ations. Again, the Independent - the weekly predecessor to the Daily Press - had this to say in 1908: "The main ore supply will be drawn from the company's mines, but custom ore will be purchased and fair and square treatment accorded the miner," it said. The whole operation - like the narrow-gauge railroad - never really panned out. The operation was idle
for several years until 1913. Then, Romaine Fielding and the Lubin Moti
- on Picture Company came to town, and the abandoned smelter caught the director's eye. "Su
- ndy was a thrilling day for the Silver City people," said the Independent that year. "The Lubin Co. enacted
- a drama at the smelter below town, blew up the narrow gauge railroad bridge and two large wat
- er tanks and incidentally furnished amusement for 2,000 people scattered over the surrounding hills
watching the interesting events." Fielding directed a mock labor riot at the smelter and 200 actors rushed up the hill behind the sme
lter and set fire to the water tanks. As
EMRTCthey rand down the hill, the tanks blew up. "The site was a beautiful one, the tanks being shot fully 200 feet in the air and the rioters and spectators were covered with a shower of slingers and rocks." Later, when part of the narrow-gauge railroad was to be exploded, the cap didn't go off. Undaunted, Fielding grabbed a pistol and fired at the
dynamite. The following day, and old oil house near the smelter was also blown up as part of the bridge scene. Today, there isn't much left of the operation. L.
