Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-04-09

lngiy Weli, ana many fortunes nave been
made.
The Indians of Idaho are the Snakes, Ban
nocks, Flathcads, Backfoots, Nez Perces,
and other smaller segments of once great
but now fading, nationalities. Beyond all
doubt hundreds of adventurous whites have
paid the penalty of life for the fatal quest of
gold in these mountain passes Party
after party has in time past been formed and
pressed forward, only to return scattered and
broken from the fierce assault of the lurking
savages.
Our Government has concluded treaty
with the Indians Of Idaho, by which, for q
cost of not over 100000, the Nez Perces
surrenders their portion of the Territory
About the "diggings" are traces of ancient
mines. 1t is believed that these mines were
the work of Spaniards, penetrating north
ward from Mexico in the last century, Mexi-
can chronicles referring to some such expe-
dition in quest of gold, which pushed far
north, beyond the Great Desert.
THE NEVADA SILVER MINES.
The Bannock City Mines are on latitude
- deg. 80 min., and the Virginia City
Mines about 45 deg 80 min They are
both situated in the Horseshoe Bend of the
Rocky Mountains, as it is termed. a vast de-
Election in that chain, making grand basin,
with n temperate climate. Virginia City is
the chief town in Nevada: Bannock the
gold centre of Idaho. The Washoe Silver
Mines are at present the great feature Of the
Nevada Territory. \ Virginia City CORES.
, pOndent says:
"Oue ci the CHIEF silyes ledge6 is known
rs the Comstock Ledge. worked mainly by
! IA" Savage, Ophir, spanish, and Could s.
/ Curry Companies. The last named compu-
ny have one of the finest mills in the world.
costinga million and half o: dollars. They
run eighty stamps of their own, besides
furnishing ore for several other mills, and
have three thousand in their employment.
weoSc wages are from four to ten dollars a
day each. The company took forty thous-
and dollars worth of silver daily. The
other companies named are large operators.
but Go not compare. Of course, with the ri.
gantic operations Just described. There are
between two uld three hundred mills alto
gether the proprletors of which have no
interest in the mines, buI crush orc on com-
mission Gold miningi is conducted precise
ly as 1t is in California, Australia. and other
auriferous lands. The silver all contains
more or less gold. Shares in COMPANY
called the the Central are held at $4,000
per foot.
The country round about the mines is of
barren and desert character, marked with
decided scarcity Of timber. Virginia City
therefore is artiticially sustained, the goods
and provisions used by the inhabitants being
brought in wagons from California. over the
Sierra Nevada Mountains. Lumberis worth
one hundred dollars per thousand feet, -four
fifteen dollars per hundred pounds, and
other things i'll proportion. Beer costs
twenty-five cents per glass, and cigars twcu-
ty-iive cents apiece. Gold and silver only
are current, and greenbacks are not seen
except behind the counters of the bankers
and brokers, of Thom there are ten doing
business in Virginia City.
AS in all new countries, aud at all min
ing centres, the population is reckless and
lawiess i'll character. Gambling thrives, and
life and limb are held in very slight estima-
ton. Artemus Ward was at the mines on q
lecturing enterprise, and expected to return
to the Statos by the overland route. J. Ross
Browne, formerly dragoman to the Ameri-
can Embassy at Cunstantinople, and well
kncwn in the magazine literature Of the day,
by his Hon4 dc pilm6 of 'Iussuf' was also
there, and would return VIA California
Carson City, about twenty miles southwest
Of Virginia city. is the capitol of the Terri
tory, and the place Of residence of General
Nyc, the Governor A Territorial Convcn-
ton adjourned there about the Goth of last
month, after adopting Constitution and II
memorial to Congress asking admission into
the Union as State"
the COPPER MINES or NEW MENlBo.
The Santa Fe Gazette brings to notice tie
value OF the copper mines in the southern
portion of New Mexico. Those mines. be-
sides producing the richest ore Of any in the
United States, not excluding those of Lake
Superior, yield the best metal in the great
est abundance and with the least labor
For few years before the beginning of the
war some of these mines were worked by
Messrs. Els5erg q Amberg of this city, and
the copper was shipped by wagons overland
to Port Labaca, on the Gulf of Mexico, and
thence 10y ship to New York, Yielding
handsome profit to the gentlemen who were
engaged III the enterprise. In the New
York market the New Mexican copper com
manded higher price than any other.
The rebellion and the irruption of the
Texans into this Territory in the spring of
1862 had disastrous effect upon the oper-
ating OF New Mexican copper mines, but
that effect will terminate with the war, and
those large beds OF almost pure copper will
again command the attention Of capitalists,
"hN NiAi t4iNhi hhONh ~ lift Nbll-
merce of me world at the best aud most
profitable mines in existence.
COLORADO AND UTAH.
Colonel Nicolay, the Presidents secretary,
who accompanied "a treaty expedition 10
Colorado, writes:
"Besidcs It's gold, Colorado appears TO
haze great wealth in other minerals To
supply the actual wadts of the community
Itself tho production Of coal, PETROLEUM,
salt, lead, and iron, has already been begun,
and is believed 10 bo capable OF inlehuitc
eXlention. Immense beds of gypsum have
been discovered Copper forms the princi-
pal pult Of the ore irom which gold Is al
present extracted, and silver i not unfrc-
quenlly found mingled with H. Large and
hne mineral springs, too, supposed go pos
sess active medicipal virtues, form char
octeris,ic feature % the country, aud appear
destined, Ia connection with the delightful
aud healthflh climate and the brauIilul and
romantic natural scenery in which they are
found, to become places Of great public re-
SORT
That there are vast deposits OF GOLD IN
these mountains, however, lac testiucs nom
observation al,o that large and Increasing
en0unts of II are now being extracted, hlt
with Hour AZ s21 t0 $50 pcr barral, aud ba
CON IRON. $50 Ia S3O pcE hundfcd, Nc must
doubt whvlheT majority of thuse who ruah
Into mlning Nlthout capital, seientihc