The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-12 00:00:00

NEVADA.

THE SILVER REDUCTION PROCESSES OF NEVADA.—An
important memoir under this title was read at the present
session of the National Academy of Sciences, at Washing-
ton, by Professor Silliman. This paper embraced a de-
tailed statement of the so-called Pan process of Nevada—
a kind of quickened Patio process, the pan being only a
highly-improved and perfected form of the old Mexican
Arrastra. The paper was illustrated by extended and
minute tabular statements of the results of this metallur-
gical process as drawn from the records and statistics of
the best silver mills in Nevada. The statistics of seventy
mills were also tabulated in a systematic manner. Ana-
lysis of the ores of the Comstock Ledge, the results of the
patio and barrel reduction processes of the Ophir Works,
in the Washoe:Valley, and other similar details, illustrated
the paper gleaned by Professor Silliman during his re-
searches in 1864 among the silver mines of :Nevada.
This paper was accompanied by interesting oral
remarks illustrative of the mineralogy and mining pro-
cesses of the Comstock Lodge, which, since its discovery
in 1859, has returned to America, in spite of the very ex-
travagant waste of ores at the outset, about $50,000,000
up to the close of 1865. The nature of this communica-
tion, full of interest for the miner, metallurgist, and states-
man, is such that no justice can be done to it in a newspa-
per abstract.
NATIVE IRON IN NEVADA.—T ho Virginia Enter-
prise says :—" Near Dog Valley Hill, on the ilenness Pass
Route, is a large vein of a mixture of quartz or country
rock, which has puzzled our miners over since 1860. in
1861 a company took up a claim, but could not make
out what it contained by any of the tests in common use
among miners, and the returns from rock sent to Cali-
fornia and other places for assay were very contradic-
tory and unsatisfactory. The ore contained a malle-
able metal which some supposed to be plating,
and for a time there was a good deal of excitement among
owners about the lead. However, there was no work done,
and finally the mine was about forgotten. The rich dis-
coveries in Excelsior attracting the attention of miners in
that direction, the lead was again located and slightly
prospected. The new owners were determined to find out
exactly what their ore contained, so they sent a quantity
of it to Richard and Wiegaud, assayers, at Gold Hill, for
chemical analysis. The result shows the rock to contain
a small per cent. of gold and silver, and a very consider-
able quantity of native iron, something rarely seen. This
was the malleable metal which had so long puzzled the
prospectors.

The Virginia Enterprise has the following mining intel-
ligence :—The yield of the Gould and Corry mine for the
year ending November 27, 1865, was 12,948 tons, valued
at $38.14 per ton, and amounting to $493,816.72. The yield
of the Chollar-Potosi mine for the same period was 12,509 i
tons of ore, valued at $30,75 3-5 per ton, amounting to
$884,742.10. The Savage yielded 8,036 tons, valued at $36
per ton, and amounting to $343,404. The Ophir yielded
3,000 tons, valued at $18.331-3 per ton, and amounting to
$55,000. The • Mexican yielded 1,791 tons, valued at
$17,92 2-5 per ton, amounting to $32,119.81. Total num-
ber of tons extracted, 32,2851 amounting to $279,101.68
from those five mines.
COLORADO.

In late papers from Colorado are statements concerning
the workings of old-fashioned mills, such as the follow-
ing:

Davos, DYES, &c.—The market has been quiet; sales
include 1 case opium at $5.80; 100 bales cutch, 13c., now
held at 131 c. ; 800 lb. poor western ginseng, 70 ; 20 casks
Dutch madder, 8 gold ; 10 do. cream tartar, 31 gold ; 90
tons soda ash, 8 to 101 ; 25 do. Sal Soda, to arrive, 21 to
2 1 gold ; 35 do.; here, 31 to 4 ; 10 do. caustic soda, 10i to
11; 200 kegs bi-carb. soda, 111; 250 do. to arrive, 7 gold,
cash.
tti;B—The market is firm, with a good trade.
$1 to %Al. Foreign fruits are plenty, and dull. Raisins,
5 for bunch and layer, halves and quarters in
proportion.
figs, 15c. to Clirra.lits, 141 c. to 15c. Turkish prunes, 151 c. ;
28c. to 29e. 20cie;
eeßrazil nuts, 81c. Sardines, quarter boxes,
110 to $l2 per bbl.
fruits are plenty. West India oranges,
per box. Domestic Icilydrie lemons and oranges, $2 to $3.50
p
12c. to 14c. per lb. '5l. ruits are quiet. Dried apples,
NAVAL STORES.—Spirits of turpentine is firm at 85c to
90c for whole and retail lots ; butt
hear of no movement
of importance. Rosins continue i:
g demand,mmon with
prices rather hardening. Sales include 300 0 bbls. Co
Tsarair:irved
at $4.371 to $4.50 ; 250 bbls straimed at 84 75
150 bbls. No. 2at $5.621. Crude turpenti,u; It: `1.87-1,
freely, but remains nominally at $6.75 to $7.
ir
at $2.62} to $2.75 for Washington, and $3.50 for Wiln • in
un g_
ton. Pitch is dull at $5 to $5 50.
Ons.=Linseed is selling slowly to the trade at 81.381
to $1.40. Lard oil is firm at $1.85 to $1.90. There is
some inquiry for both sperm and whale oil ; holders are
firm, but prices are unsettled. The transactions for the
week jincludo sales of 410 bbls. Sperm-200 bbls for
expott and the balance to the trade, and 170 bbls hump-
back, for manufacturing—all on private terms.
OIL OAR.E.—We only hear of sales of 131 tons city bag
part at $49 cash.
PAINTIL—The sales are 50 tons French snow white
oxide zinc, to arrive, at 141 c. ; 10 do. American dry white
lead, 142 c. ; 10 do. English do., to arrive, loi gold; 2,000
casks English, and 300 brls. American whiting, 31; 150
Venetian red, to arrive, 31 ; and 5 casks orange mineral,
to arrive, 17}, cash.
doli'rnorzum.—The market was rather firmer, with more
g at 28c. to 29c. for crude ; 45c. to 47c. for refined, in
bond, and 63 c. to 65c. for refined, free. MONTANA.
RicE._
lliere is a fair demand for Rangoon at p'c. to I MONTANA MLNES.—Captain Nick. Welland, an old citizenW

"Mr. Fitzpatrick shipped one hundred and fifty-two
ounces of gold yesterday morning, the result of a week's
run from thirty-five stamps, upon which Mr. F. assures
us there was a thousand dollars absolutely clear profits.
Mr. F. took charge of the Gunnel Company's works about
the Ist of August, since which time ho has shipped East
2,252 ounces of gold—at the generally prevailing rates of
premium during that period, worth $51,796."
The Smith and Parmelee Company shipped during the
same period sixty-one thousand nine hundred and fifty-
nine dollars, with even a greater proportion of net profits.

Most of the gold produced in Colorado is sent through
by private hands or special messengers, and yet Ben. Hal-
lemy's express is carrying at the present time over $lOO,OOO
per week of gold. The returns of the Philadelphia mint
showthat Colorado isat present second only to California in
amount of gold coined there, Colorado having furnished
for coinage nearly four times as much gold as any other
one of the new States and territories.

this will prove
ounted to $30,000,000. It is thought that
The receipts of gold from Colorado up to last year
am
ammost productive gold-bearing State. All the country
needs to develope and secure the rich mineral products of
Colorado is the building of the Pacific Railroad.
PROFITS ON COLORADO MINING.—Many encouraging
thare-
ports from the gold mines of Colorado Territory have come
to hand recently, but perhaps none deserve more attention
athPal: business-like letter, just published by the
"ears Dock Gold Company." From the figures given it ap-
Poorest qualities of Colorado gold ores can
a mill that canyiepluatotnhlryouthgrheef ohuuracdorte• cords now be worked to great advantage. On the basis stated
dollars(orfo rttoy
ore, that will
theton tons)
rod!
of ten tons, must net one thousand dollars per day clear
profit. Air. Bowles, who accompanied Speaker Colfax on
his recent Western tour, estimates that Colorado gold ores
will average $lOO dollars per ton, or about three times $3OO
per cord.
A despatch from Denver, Colorado, on the Bth, says that
150 pounds of bullion from Colorado ores were obtained
from
the first runs of a new smelting process on exhibition
there. The process exceeds the most sanguine expec-
tations.