The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-11-23
LETTERS FROM NEVADA.
NUMBER 8.
Ny OLD FRIENDS

Az Chb Il
1t was my good fortune last week to
have a ride to Washoe Valley, and
visit the Manhattan Mill located near
Washoo City. The valley have just
named is;tho garden spot Of Nevada;
titles about ten or twelve miles north
Of Carson in a direct line, and is a fa-
voritc resort for many reasons, with
pleasure seekers, On its borders af-
ter crossing Eagle valley, small valley
between the Carson and Washoe, you
find in q grove of beautiful trees, tho
splendid residence of "Sandy' Bowers,
our millionaire miner; little farther
on, the extensive mill and reduction
works of the Ophir mine; a mile or two
still farther, the model farm withits
fine residence and surrounding houses,
and the pleasure track" of Mr.. Thea
dore Winters; and in aceuple Of miles
more we come to Washoe City, Gas all
towns here arc dubbed) which is a
village about tho size Of Carson, Of
three or four thousand people. 1t is a
pretty place, tho like all Nevada
towns, barren in surroundings, and is
built on asmall lake ofthe same name
which affords fine skating in winter,
but STANCE to say, contains no hsh,
tho its waters are pure and sweet, -
After erossinga 'sditch,H or canal as
it would be called in Ohio, which con-
veys the water from the lake to q mill,
and driving a qua' ter Of a mile on the
bank ofthe lake, then crossing a low
ridge of hills, we come to the Manhat'
tan Mill. = ~ '''9 "
You perhaps will wonder, as l did,
when first came here why so many
of the Mills are built so far from the
mines. There is almost as little water
in this country as there is wood, and
in crushing orc, water is needed in
abundance either for q steam or wafer
mill, and a site is selected generally
with reference to this, and to the
question, (which would be the cheap
est to haul, wood to the ore, or ore to
the wood?" Washoe has been a favor.
!. itc site for all desiring water mills
,, but one or two dry seasons have com
PEELED the owners to put up an engnet tc
provide against a failure hereafter, and
in the fall it is deemed necessary tC
layin large supply of ore for'tht
wintcr, for sometimes the snow is Sc
deep the roads are impossible orheavy
teams, and at such times unless the
mill owner had provided himself will
orc sufficient, his mill must be idle
and so it is with water mills in o dry
c ltmo. .. II s.- ... -,.
Tho Manhattan Mill belongs to {
d company of New Workers who having
confidence in the wealth of this coun
: try, sent a gentleman here as thei
. lagont, with full power to buy mines
: and build mills, and when ! tell yo,
I, that this company has sent to thi
country several hundred thousan,
:. dollars in gold, and the most Of it toe
at time when gold was the highest
y and have found their business here .
Is largely paying one, you can imagin
y, something of the wealth of our mines
r This company owns now several mill:
s and two mines, but the Manhattan wa
II their first construction, and contain
g two batteries of eight stamps eacl
= and is moved generally by a waite
:. wheel, tho in dry times they use
il steam engine. Connected with tn
l. mill is an amalgamating room, and
- rctort, but they have no furnace 70
% casting the silver into tho "bricks" /
!. which forms it is generally carried t
(, market, i. O. the assay officer and min
.o in San Francisco, or shipped East an
" to Europe. t..
<. There are almost as many "process
If es' for extracting the silver from th
IL ore "a there arc mines, and zach mil
Is cr tries to procure that which wi
r. save tho largest per cent of the prec
J. ious metal, as all silver is found nike
J. with bascr metals in greater or les
y, degree, and some silver is always los
in re lucting it, Some mills think th
old German process, the FricOurg tn
best, others will not use it ut all, an
some m lis try every now process
" that comes along, until they brea
70 themselves, and oil they can intere'
N with them, entirely up, experiment
8. ing, and so you will hardly find tw
ss mills in the State out of considerabl
90 over q hundred that are arrange
III alike
i. The Goold & Curry mill is situate
9 three milcs below Virginia in a cow
ID nicnt gulch, and is the largest and
N nest mill in Nevada, looking with i
fl several buildings attached, as you a
to proach it, like compact village;
was built at an expense OF three hui
drcd thousand dollars, and has CO.
nected with it perhaps the most CON
O. pletc assay rooms, and has employ'