The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-11-10
The New State OF Nevada.


The territory of Nevada, which has JUS
been admitted to the Union as State by
President Lincoln, was organized In March,
1861. For this purpose about ten thous-
and square miles were appropriated from
the northern extremity Of California, and
about seventy thousand from western Utah.
At the time Of its organization, the Terri
tory possessed population Of nearly seven
thousand white settlers. The development
of her mineral resources was rapid, and
almost without parallel, and attracted a
constant stream of immigration to the
Territory. AS the population has not
been subject to the fluctuations from which
other Territories have suffered, the growth
of Nevada has been rapid and steady. At
the general convention election OF 1868,
nearly eleven thousand votes We're cast
During the present year great accessions
to the population have been made.
Nevada is probably the richest State IN
the Union in respect to mineral resources.
No region in the world is richer in argen-
tiferous leads. These leads are found
scattered over the entire Washoe county,
the richest of which is tEat known as the
Comstock lead, of Virginia City. The
localities of the other principal mines in
the region east of the Sierra Nevada, are
the Emerald Mines, one hundred miles
southeast OF Virginia; the Humboldt, one
hundred and sixty miles northeast; the
Silver mountain, sixty. miles south; Pea
vine, thirty miles north, and the Reese
river country, one hundred and seventy
miles east northeast, embracing many dis
tricts, and fanked by two of more than
ordinary promise-thc Cortez, seventy
miles north, and the San Antonio, one
hundred miles south of Austin, now the
principal town on the Reese river.
A few months ago another deposit of
mineral wealth was brought to light, which
has proved of incalculable value to the
silvc miners. This was an immense basin
OF salt, FIVE miles square, near the sink of
the Carson river. This basin, says a
gentleman who writes from Virginia City,
appears once to have been the bottom of a
lake, and the salt is found good even on
the surface a covering of about three
inches is loose and indifferent, but below
this, for depth Of fourteen feet. pure
rock salt is found, as clear as ice, and
white "as the driven snow" Beneath
lliCIS 10 ndlSiy liISil oSShio " NC hA1OiSN
through salt for an unknown depth. The
whole of the fourteen feet in thickness
does not contain single streak of any
deeterious matter or rubbish, and is ready
for quarrying and sending to market. The
locality is one hundred miles west of Reese
river, and seventy miles east of Virginia
CITY, on the overland road
In January Of this year, there were one
hundred and twenty-five quartz mills In
operation in Nevada, which were erected
at u cost ranging from $4,000 to $780,
OO0 About three-fourths of the quartz
mills of Nevada are driven by steam, and
the balance by water power. OF the entire
number, four-ffths are in the vicinity OF
Virginia. There is an average of one
hundred mills in constant operation. These
will carry, on an average, ten stamps
each, making one thousand, with q capac-
ity for crushing one thousand tons per
day This ore viii yield at the rate of
$50 per ton, giving a daily production OF
$4,000, or sl5,000,000 per annum.