Anaconda Company Builds
Oasis in Desert Badlands
BY MICKEY TOPPINO
United Press Correspondent
Grants, Ji. M. (U.P.I Deep in
the heart of New Mexico's desert
badlands, the Anaconda Co. has
established an oasis of econom
ic success.
The company, which started
80 3'ears ago in the copper min
ing business, today operates the
largest uranium processing mill
in the United States.
Tons of hard yellow rock pour
into the top-secret installation
each day. Barrels of "yellow
cake," a finely-ground sand yel
lower than gold and more prec
ious than platinum, are turned
out.
From a small opreation set up
four y-ars ago when uranium
was first discovered on this bar
ren, desolate desert, broken only
by occasional carrot crops and
jagged chunks of lava rock. An
aconda has developed one of the
most modern plants in the na
tion. Mechanical Operation
The firm employes some 500
persons, a large share of the pop
ulation still cramming into the
uranium boom town of Grants
not far from the Anaconda in
stallation. But the operation
represents the height of mechan
ical achievement.
Clanking instruments whirr
and roar in three separate plants
here. Men, however, are hard to
find.
"Sixty years ago we would
ies and wheelbarrows said
the assistant mill superintend
ant, William Stern. "Today we
don't need men except to roam
the catwalks and make sure the
machinery's in order."
From the time the uranium
ore is poured from truck and
train into the first of the crush
ing machines until it comes out
in the fine grain so valuable to
the United States defense effort,
the uranium is untouched by
human hands.
Most of the 500 company em
ployes are office workers, keep
ing books, testing ores, perform
ing the jnany varied functions
of big business.
All The Comforts
"We had it rough in the begin
ning," Stern said. "It was a new
field, and we made a lot of mis
takes. It was strictly trial and error."
But four months ago. Ana
conda doubled its operation. It
had been serving as the buying
agent for the Atomic Energy
Commission. Soon its develop
ment was so great the company
announced it would stop work
ing directly for the AEC and
devote its efforts to its own pro
duction. In addition to its plant and
comfortable, air-conditioned of
fices, the company has also built
about 100 homes on the prem
ises, called the Anaconda "town
site." Some of these are apartments
to house single girls attracted by
good wages and eligible bach
elors Their quarters are more
luxurious than college dor
mitories. Other employees are
men with their families.
"It's an ideal place for child
ren of young ages," Stern said.
"No traffic, no bad types, none
of the problems of city life."
There are parties and recrea
tion centers, clubs and informal
meetings. Television aerials
surge up out of the sage brush.
New cars are as common as jack-rabbits.
Sweet Home Youth
Deer Hunting Victim
Redmond (U.R) Marvin
Davis, 15, Sweet Home high
school sophomore, died Sunday
night in Central Oregon District
hospital here from shock and ex
treme loss of blood from a gun
shot wound in the chest suffered
while he was deer hunting in
the Metolius area.
It was the first reported deer
hunting death by gunshot since
Oregon's 1956 season opened.
The youth, son of Mr. and Mrs.
M. E. Davis of Sweet Home, ap
parently was shot by his own gun
when he tripped while he was
about to enter the family car.
He was alone at the time. Mr.
and Mrs. Davis were nearing the
car when they heard the shot
and heard Marvin call for help.
He was taken by ambulance to
the hospital here and died two
hours after his arrival.
Floyd O. Lake, 62, of Boring
died of a heart attack yesterday.
Lake's death was the 10th re
ported of natural causes, mostly
Week End Inventor
Develops Faster
Sail for Boating
Schenectady, N Y. (U,R) An
engineer, after three years of
week-end and vacation experi
ments, has come up with a rec
tangular sail on a U-shaped rib
which he says is faster and just
as maneuverable as the conven
tional boat sail.
This new type of sail swings
up from the bottom and not
only reduces the lean of the
boat, but makes a forward pull
ing force that tends to lighten
the craft in the water, according
to its inventor, Burnice Bedford
Bedford, a General Electric
Co. employee, said that in trial
runs of a 12',2-foot dinghy, he
has pulled away from standard-
type dinghies and, kept pace
with bigger sailing craft.
Bedford explained the greater
speed by the larger sail area, 120
feet compared to 72 on a stand
ard dinghy, and the sail angle
that causes the wind to pull his
boat instead of pushing it. The
sail tends to lift the boat, thus
reducing drag and adding speed.
Bedford said it also allows a
skipper to "spill" a heavy wind
to any desired degree and to
jibe safely in a stiff wind that
skippers conventional sail would
not attempt.
The engineer believes his new
design can be applied to any
small or medium-sized racing
sailboat.
The U-shaped rig pivots off-
center from a stubby four-foot
mast. Twin uprights, flexible
enough to bow slightly under
pressure, are 12 feet high. A
nine-foot long bottom of the U'
frame acts much like the con
ventional boom.
Die rectangular sail is
stretched on a slightly bowlegged
H-shaped frame, the two alumi
num sides of which are linked
by an eight-foot long wooden
crossbar.
Bedford estimated his sail
"probably weighs twice as much
as the ordinary tech dinghy rig
and the size and weight of his
experimental model is about the
most the craft can carry safely.
heart attacks, since the season
opened.
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BUILDING COLLAPSE KILLS 10 Rescue workers (bot
tom) stand quietly as they listen for possible sounds from
trapped men under pile of nibble after this four story
building under construction at Jackson, Mich., collapsed.
The iob superintendent said cranes will have to remove
big concrete and steel pieces before shovels can be used
to get at the bodies of victims.
Tueiday, October 9, 195S
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE THJIEE
Brother of Pitcher
Makes' Good Pitch
Memphis, Tenn. (U.R) Father
Raymond Crone, brother of Mil
waukee Braves pitcher of the
same name, made a good pitch
himself here.
The 33-year-old Crone, a Fran
ciscan missionary home on
leave, was browsing around a
junkyard looking for things he
could use.
The priest noticed a handy
air compressor, cost about $100.
"I sure could use that," he
said.
"Where?" said Jack Lazarov.
co-owner of a 13-acre combined
junkyard and surplus establish
ment. Only then, did Lazarov find
out that the priest wanted the
air compressor for his mission
in the Amazon jungles of Brazil.
"It's yours free," Lazarov
said.
Father Raymond was N. Gor
don Crone Jr., until he became
a priest, and was given the
name "Raymond." His superiors
did not know he had a younger
brother, Raymond Crone, now
23, a pitcher with the Milwau
kee Braves.
London (U.R) Moscow has
ordered its East European satel
lites to make up with Marshal
Tito but to avoid his private
brand of "independent social
ism," according to diplomatic
sources.
The average traffic sign can
be read at 225 feet by a person
with normal vision.
3H
Bp
Open or add to your
savings account by
October 10 and earn
interest from October 1
at U. S. National.
MEDFORD
BRANCH
DIliCT IIANCH OF
THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK OF POinANS
MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
USE TRIBUNE WANT ADS!
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