OCR

The Marcona Mine and Mill Facilities From a virtually uninhabited desert to a large-scale mining operation in lei than four months - this was the record established in putting the Marcona Iron Mine in Peru into production. A project of the Marcona Mining Company and the Utah Company of the Americas, the port of San Juan and the nearby mine were rapidly turned into a productive, integrated and self-sustaining community. Situated some 550 kilometers south of Lima, San Juan is a beautiful, deep-water bay sheltered by land on three sides. Above and to one side of it lie the ore deposits which occur in an area of 20 by 30 kilometers at an altitude of about 800 meters. A 30 year contract for the extraction and shipment of the ore was signed by Marcona with the Peruvian Santa Corporation, a government entity which started the preliminary development of the deposits Actual work, following exploration surveys, got underway the middle of January, 1953. Heavy equipment and North American technicians and construction specialists began to arrive in Peru in increasing volume and numbers, and in conjunction with Peruvian help work went on around the clock. The bay of San Juan, empty and tranquil before, took on the ap- pearance of a thriving port as ship after ship entered it to discharge vital cargo. Building a portworks, setting up equipment and arranging to house and feed the ever-increasing work force as well as starting to mine the rich red ore made for a concentration of effort and urgency reminiscent of the early days of World War II. The impression was intensified by the fact that the first shipment of equipment was beached on landing barges before the pier was built. By April 27, the first ore was ready and just three days later the initial ship was loaded. Considering that the first group of men did not arrive until January 20 and that February marked the primary delivery of material and equipment, this time schedule is phenomenal. By Highway to San Juan - It is possible to reach San Juan from Lima, the capital of Peru, by highway. The Pan American Highway from the capital to Ica is excellent, but from there to Nazca the road, which negotiates several mountains is a poorer facility. Nazca, a town of about 20,000 persons, is the nearest settlement to San Juan and the mine. With 80 more eilometers to go from Nazca to San Juan, it is necessary to continue on the Pan American Highway for some 41 kilometers and then to turn off on the new heavy-duty highway built for the mining company by the firm of Grana y Montero. Personnel - Mr. Harlan A. Walker, Vice President and General Manager of Marcona Mining Co. arrived in Lima in the fall of 1953. Mr. Walker stayed in this position about six months and then retired and returned to the United States. Mr. Charles E. McGraw in 1953 was acting general manager for both Marcona and Utah. The demands of this job as well as the problems