The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1869-06-19
The Silver Mines of Nevada.
tFrom the Norfolk Yirginiln. May 3d.l


From private letter, dated Treasure City.
Nevada, April llth, 1869, to gentleman in
this city, we have been kindly permitted to
make the following extracts, which will be
read with interest 10y many of our readers /:
" But, perhaps you might be more inter
ested IN what might say of the present than
the past. ! write from the summit of Treasure
Hill, the great concentration Of the wonderful
silver mines Of White Pine, 1900 feet above
the level Of the sea-and III fact up among
the clouds. In ynnr Virginia home perh APPS,
the birds are singing and the flowers bloom
ing, but here huge snow flakes beat inces-
sanity against my window frames "a l write,
and dense banks Of clouds float lGZilr ,llrJ J1s,h
thu streets and obslruct the view from side to
side. Hut there is silver here, great masses
and immense lodges of it, and wherever silver
Is man will 90. whether il be among sunny
hills or clOud-bathed mountain peaks that
glisten with perpetual snow.
white Pine. for such this mining district
and country is called, lies nearly due east of
Virginia City, where the celebrated Comstoc
silver mines are, about three hundred miles
and is llj miles from EIko. on tile Pacific
Railroad. Three months ago there We're about
500 men here now there are about 1900,
and the arrivals average about 100 per day.
Treasure Hill, upon which this city is sit
uated, is an isolated mountain, 1000 feet
high from base Ia summit reaches AN eleva-
miles from base to base lUngitudinnlly, and
two miles across. High ranges of mountains
looming up along the eastern and western side
of 1t, come together and form one chain on the
north. and are separated to the southwark by
Il harrow canyon or gorge for twelve miles,
where the mountains stand away to the east,
and leave II broad valley between the White
Pine and Diamond ranges of mountains.
The richest silver mines of which history
gives account never pl41 .itLpr IN,
extent or richness those of White Pine. This
huge mountain appears 10 be one mass of sill
yer ore; with strata of limestone separating
into ledges, and seams of SPAR shale and
clay intc-spersed throughout the mass. The
ComstCck mines, of Virginia City, consist of
- claims upon the same ledge, only IL of
which have yielded silver, and only IL of
which have paid expenses. On this noun
tain l13 claims are already incO' Grated, rep
resenunS III shares S2iG, ,O00.Ly0. in Vir-
ginia City, the yields are from S25 to $50
per tun here it yields from 500 to 5000
per tun. Virginia City has 26 quartz mills,
with an aggregate of about 800 stamps, many
of which are idle White Pine has three mills
driving - stamps, and ore enough now in
sight to run 100 mills, with an aggregate Of
loo stamps, day and night for six months.
This field of wealth burst so Suddenly
upon the world that men have rushed here by
thousands and opened mines before mills
could bu brought 10 thlS remote section. The
machinery for five additional mills is now
here and being put together. and eight more
are upon the roud hitler. When the capacity
Of the mills shall come up to the Weld Of the
mines there viii hc employment here for 40
900 mcu-lucludinI miners, mill men. me
chancs, merchants. laburCrs, teamsters and
professional men. Then, too, across the deep
gorge to the west and facing MS, is the Base
Metal range, lofty mountain chain. with Il
mineral area not quite so rich, but twice as
extensive aS this
'Thirty-cight miles northeast of us is Rob
insOn District, another rich and somewhat
extensive silver field. SiXty-iivc miles south
east of this Is the Grant District, Il cluster of
silver veins extending "a Seymour District, II
miles, which il turn carries mineral veins TO
Troy, 10 miles further.
Three degrees south of east. 81 miles dis
tant, is Patterson District. on a range of lofty
mountains, carrying large veins Of rich silver
ore over MI area the extent of which il vet
unknown. Twenty-Five miles due east of Pat
torson Is Shoshome District, which tie dcs-
cript!un of Patterson will cover. Thirty
miles north of ShOshone, ON tie opposite
slope of the same mountain, is the Snake
Mountain District, which contains large
number of rich veins i'll gold and silver ore,
and having some surface gold diggings along
the streams Thirty miles east Of that is the
Ely District, which has not only rich, but
some of the largest silvcr-bearing mines in
the world.
This will give You some idcn Of what we
have i'll the way of mineral wealth in Eastern
Nevada. II requires time aud money To de-
yclop silver mines, but mcr without money
find them in a day. and sell for Il Handsome
fortune, as nature formed them"