Nannie Beaird Mine, Orogrande, NM
Also known as the Nannie Baird Mine among other names...Ninnie Beaird, Mannie Baird, Nannie Beaird, the actual plat from the Jarilla Mining Company lists the mines of the Nannie Beaird Group as the Nannie Beaird, Dove, Anaconda, Maggie, Sophia and Helen Lodes. Mining started at the Nannie Beaird Group around 1896.
Among gold, other valid minerals for the Nannie Baird were Calcite, Chalcopyrite (a major source of copper) Garnet, Hematite, Limonite, Pyrite and Quartz. (Source: www.mindat.org)
The mine consisted of several 150+ foot vertical shafts and was recently closed under the provisions of the BLM Abandoned Mine Lands Cleanup Program due to a high school student falling to his death down a 200 foot shaft in March of 2000. This area has the highest density of physical hazards in the state, involving over 350 mine sites and 1000 mine features in a two square-mile area.
The building shown in the images is most likely the mining headquarters building. Several concrete pillars around the area indicate a substantial amount of machinery installed during the peak mining years.
The tin cans are quite unusual but were probably used in a Copper Cementation process. Copper Cementation was used to recover copper otherwise lost in mine waters, the cement copper process has several additional advantages. It is simple in principle and operation, usually requiring a minimum of human attention and no machinery.
Precipitation of cement copper requires only a source of copper-rich water, suitable pipe to convey it and precipitation launders containing scrap iron. Usually less than an hour of contact with the scrap iron suffices to precipitate virtually all dissolved copper. Periodically more scrap metal is added to the launders to replace that eaten away. The precipitated copper sinks to the bottom of the launders as a sludgy mass of fine particles. At intervals it is removed, dried, and shipped to the smelter.
Concentrates produced vary from about 65 to 95 per cent copper according to the procedures used. Through years of practice and experiment several principles have been recognized which lead to cheaper and more efficient copper precipitation:- (1) As much scrap as possible should be kept crowded into the precipitation launders at all times. (2) Rapid movement of solution through the tanks is more efficient than slow motion and prolonged contact. (3) The greatest surface area possible is desirable in the scrap iron, thin sheet metal being best. (4) Tinned sheet metal, such as tin cans, causes the copper to stick too tightly unless burned or otherwise detinned. (5) Any oil, grease, or paint on the scrap will slow the process and should be removed. (6) Aeration and agitation of the solutions in the tanks is helpful to loosen hydrogen gas bubbles and precipitated copper to bring fresh solution against the bare metal surface.
Cement copper is produced at some mines where the copper in dumps or in low-grade bodies is systematically leached. Ore of too low a grade to mine or mill is treated by causing water to percolate through it dissolving the copper which is then recovered as cement copper. After precipitation of the copper the water may be returned to leach again through the dumps or the underground ore bodies. Thus a continuous cycle of leaching and precipitation may be kept as long as sufficient copper is leached into solution. As little as 0.02 per cent. of copper in solution may, in some instances, be treated profitably. Sulphuric acid may be added artificially to the waters to increase their leaching power and increase the life of the operation.