Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-23
OURPRECIOUs METALS.

OUR PRECIOUS METALS.
There are gold mines and places
in China to this day, after many long
centuries of yield and the world is
often startled with intelligence of
new discoveries of gold in Africa.
In EurOpe-where gold has been
mined since fifteen centuries before
Christ-mines of the precious met
ais are still yielding. Some of those
in Hungary have been worked one
thousand years; and it is but two
years since the miners working in a
silver mine of Spain, known as
"White Pebble Pit" suddenly broke
into ancient galleries dating back to
the remotestcenturies, Judging from
the implements and other evidences
which prove it to have been worked
by the Carthagenians or PhGnicians.
We find the wonderful mines of Peru,
Bolivia and other South American
countries still yielding handsomely
after centuries of excavation; and
in North America the deposits of
MeXico-which had been worked
long anterior to the advent of Cor
tez, some $50 years ago-still max
ing no insignificant additions to the
worlds stock of precious metals. If
the gold and silver mines of other
cOuntri cs seem so ineXhaustible,
why should not ours be the same +?
There seems to be no reason at all
why our mines on the Pacific Slope
should not continue to yield for CEN
turtles upon centuries. Some par
ticular mines may, of course, be
worked out within the generation
perhaps many of them but for every
old, worked-out mine, there will be
at least one new one discovered;
and this rule will obtain also as to
mining districts. When the gold
yield from the placers of California
began to show signs Of weakness,
the great silver bearing Comstock
lode was discovered when the placer
deposits continued to fail, attention
was more fully turned upon the hill
deposits, ancient ver-beds, and ar
gentiferOus as well as auriferous
quartz lodes; and these do and Will
manage to keep up the supply, aided
as they continually are by new dis
cOVerie5 in other districts.
There is no reason to suppose
that the mining regions of the an
clients were more extensive or more
profitable than ours. On the con-
trary, very few, if any, have ap-
preached them. Owing to the
abrasion and other causes, the stock
of precious metals known to exist
in the world in 1892, when America
was discovered, had dwindled down
to SI70, 100000 or SIS5, 600, O0O-as
it had been yariOusly estimated. 1t
is now thought TO be near upon $4,-
000, 100000 and of this amount
California (mainly) and our other
gold and silver States and Terrific
ries west Of the Rocky Mountains
have contributed nearly 81, 400 0O,-
OOO-and all this within twenty
years. The total outgive of these
mines to January l, 1869, is about
Sl,359, OO0,000-more than one
third of the bullion now in exist
ence, and showing. aan nnual aver
aging product, since I849-when
the mines Of California were first
worked--of $GS,OOO,OOO.
According to a recent Nevado
State Legislative report, the United
States is estimated to contain 81 900,
OO0 square miles of mineral lands,
whose chief value is to be found al
great distances from the surface.
1t can hardly be beyond the truth Il
estimate the total area of our gold
and silver bearing lands west of the
rocky backbone of the continent, al
over 640,000,00O acres, or more thai
sixteen each for every man, woman
and child in the United States Much
of this vast mineral territory il
hardly more than 'prospected," an,
has not yet been explored. As t
the depth OF the deposits, thos
known as placers are generally fror
three to fifteen feet from The SUI
face to bedrock" while the hill de
posts vary from say forty to tw
hundred feet, and more But tn
quartz lodeS are the mainstay' of ou
mining, and these seem to be {
unlimited depth. Thus far, Yer
few of our gold mines can boast
greater depth than 800 feet bl
there is no doubt that, for the mo
part, they may be worked to vast
greater depths than have yet bee
reached, without any decrease in ii
regular yield The fields Immense
the supply inexhaustible.