Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-01-15
Mining Review for 1863.

AVh A0OOe
The San Francisco Bulletin of january
llth contains an elaborate and well writ
ten review Of the mining resources Of the
Pacific coast and the Territories adjacent
thereto. That portion referring to this
tHghborhood we transfer to our columns
SILVER MINING.
Of all dur metalliferous pursuits, silver
mining is the one that for the time being
engages most the public attention and ABB
sorbst the largest aaa1unts Of capital. It
is but four years ahdSG half since our poo
ple first entered upon this business, which
was initiated by the discovery of the Com
stock lead about that time, in the Washoe
country. Wholly unacquainted with this
branch of mining, it is not wonderful that
many mistakes should have been made,
followed by consequent loss, in these first
efforts at carrying it on. Everything had
to be lcarned-not only the management
of the ores, but the exploitation of the
mines, which, besides being far remote and
difficult of approach, were situate in
country remarkably destitute of every
thing needed for their speedy development.
That we should be shipping from those
mines in the fifth year of their discovery
$l2, ,00O, 900 worth of bullion, with good
prospect of increasing it largely the next,
should be generally satisfactory, however
few may feel sore over the losses they
have sustained. To show that this esti-
mate is well founded, we have the fact
that Wells, Fargo & Co. sent from their
Office in Virginia City, during the month
of November last, $746,75l in bullion,
which, as is commonly supposed, en-
braced only about two-thirds of the
amount taken from the Territory while
many persons conversant with the pros
pect are of opinion that the product for
1864 will exceed $20,000,00O. That it
will b. sufficiently large to justify the cal
culations made in certain quarters is not
at all probable, these evidently having
been based upon the tales of travellers, the
representations of stock dealers, and other
equally loose and unreliable data.
The argentiferous leads are not confined
to the neighborhood of the first discover.
les, but have since been found scattered
over all parts of the Washoe country.
None, however, have yet been met with
elsewhere carrying 20 large body of rich
ores as the original Comstock at Virginia
City. Some claiming to be equally rich,
but comparatively small, have been found
at other points. The localities of the
principal mines in the region cast of the
Sierra Nevadas, naming them in the order
of their discovery, are the Esmeraldn
mines, little over 100 miles sduth-south-
east of Virginia City; the Humboldt, l60
miles northeast the Silver Mountain, go
miles south; the Peavine District, 80 miles
north and the Reese Riverr eoanTy,;i7O 10
miles eas.-northeast, embracing, like the
other sections named, many districts, and
finnked by two of more than ordinary pro-
mise-the Cortez, 20 miles north, and thc
San Antonio, 100 miles south of Austin,
now the principal town in the Reese river
region. Besides these there are many
isolated districts in various parts of the
country, all advancing claims to great
mineral wealth, and perhaps none the less
meritorious from having been less talked
! about than the others. Thus there is a
Gordon of districts about Virginia, num-
boring score or more within a circuit
of as many miles, each containing nume-
rous lodges impregnated more or less with
precious metals, and upon which large
amount of work in the aggregate has
been done.
Lying south of Virginia, and extending
| from the town of Gold Hill to Carson
River, distance of miles, is q tract of
country embracing Gold Hill, Devils
Gate and Sulphur Spring Districts, con-
taining a multitude of ledges, many Of
them large and exhibiting fair prospects
in the outcrop, and upon which vast
amount of work has been done, operations
having been commenced upon some of
them in the fall of '59, and continued
steadily ever since. Here are scores Of
tunnels, some of them over 1000 feet long,
and shafts without number, varying in
depth from so to 800 feet Within this
tract, large enough for two or three good
sized townships, there Is hardly square
mile but has its work of this kind, while
in some sections every acre contains its
shaft, tunnel, incline, open-cut or other
monument of the laborious enterprise OF
the hardy and industrious miner. In
some instances these works are executed
BY companies, in others by individuals,
and frequently by persons who having
nothing to invest but their own labor,
have themselves toiled necessarily for
years, engaging in other pursuits only
| long enough to earn sufficient to support
them meantime.
After being prosecuted for a few months,
most of these works were suspended, and
in many cases entirely abandoned, the
ledges not turning out, so far as explored,
according to expectation. Subsequently
many of them were resumed, and for the
past eighteen months have been pushed
vigorously, the suct ess of few demon
strating that the pay ores throughout the
region lay far benlath the surface; and
the theory is now held that only great
depth is required to establish for these
districts avery general success. However
this may be, certain it is, the opinion Is
supported by a number of practical tests,
while few have tended to establish an
opposite conclusion. From some of these
ledges, considerable quantities of pay ore
of medium quality are now being raised,
while others promise soon to be contribu.
ting their quota. Several mills on Gold
| Canon and Carson river are now running
upon it with results satisfactory to parties
concerned.
What has been said of the three districts
above mentioned might aptly be applied
to several others in the vicinity Of Vir-
ginia City, as for example the Flowery, a
few miles east, in which several small
mills have been running, in good part, on
rock procured in the neighborhood, and
where recent developments would seem to
show that only depth is required to justify
the reputation that attached to certain
ledges in that district At an early day.
Of the Palmyra district lying east Of Car
son river nearly the same is true. Here,