The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-02-13


value, in their eyes, are English need
les Ten goose or wild-fowl eggs are
given for "a single one So highly
priced, indeed, were their civilized visi-
tants, that on the withdrawal of the
scientific force, the poor natives at
Unalachleet, Norton Sound, hung black
cloth, in token of mourning, upon the
deserted telegraph-poles."
SILvER-MINING IN NEVADA.
The Comstock Lode, the most pro-
ductive of the silver-bearing veins, runs
along the eastern slope of the Washoe
Mountains, at the foot of Mount David
son, their loftiest summit Its strike"
or course, is nearly north and south, it's
width is from five hundred to one thous-
and feet, and it's continuous length has
been ascertained, by underground work
ings, to be not less than three and
half miles, though but small portion
! of this is productive. The "gangue,"
or rock which contains the silver, is
quartz, and the rock which bound the
assure is "propylite," q species of por-
phyry, between which and the vein is
selvage of clay. Nearly two-thirds
of the vein is filled with native rock,
containing no admixture of silver, and
the value of the remaining portions
varies; greatly The course of the vein
is irregular, like that of river, the
quantities of ores being affected by its
sinuosities. Hence the productive
values of mines penetrating the same
vein, near to each other, may greatly
differ, and often company, after work
ing at a loss for several years, may,
almost by accident, become suddenly
rich. This was notably the case with
the Hale & Norcross Company, which,
after working for five years, and pene-
trating to depth ofseven hundred feet,
as last resource turned eastward, and,
after delving for three hundred and
sixty feet, at this depth discovered
rich mass of ore, which has since been
followed up for two hundred. feet.
During the five unsuccessful years,
the entire expense of opening the mine,
erecting the machinery, etc, had to be
borne from, money collected by assess
ments, unit, they aggregated the sum
! of $35O, 900. At the end of the sixth
| year, dividend was returned to the
stockholders amounting to 100000,
and cash surplus retained of 1888, 2SS-
90 making, altogether, the handsome
profit in one year, of l55 per cent, on
the par value of the stock. Such in
| stances of rapid transition from appar-
ent failure to well-assured success are,
of course, rare: but this shows the i'm
portance of thoroughly scientific basis
of operation in mining, as in all other
enterprises, and such instances as do
occur serve to keep hope alive in the
hearts of many who, having invested
all, or more than they could spare, in
new companies have since been obliged
to subject themselves to rigid economy,
in order to pay the constantly recurring
assessments on their stock.
Mining on the Comstock is carried
on almost exclusively by means of per-
pendicular shafts, from which horizon
tai drifts OF tunnels are run out, about
one hundred feet apart, vertically. The
principal shafts now in use are fine
specimens of mining engineering, some
being divided into three and others into
four compartments, and all being pro-
tected by heavy timbering. The tun-
nels are generally cut small, and are
left unprotected while used only for
prospecting, but when something of
value is developed they are enlarged,
| and timbered every five or six feet
Main working-drifts after timbering, are
usually about six feet high in the clear,
three and half feet wide at the top,
and somewhat wider at the bottom
In each drift is laid wooden track shod
with iron, along which the cars loaded
with ore are run to the shaft, when
they are hoisted to the surface on the
cage" ...
The cost Of sinking the shafts and of
tunneling varies, of course, with the
nature of the ground and the depth to
which they penetrate. The Bonner
shaft was put down at an average cost
of $109.36 per foot, and the cost of the
horizontal tunnels averages, in the
Gould and Curry mine, from $16.0S to
$l6S4 per foot. The amount Of ore
raised from the Twenty-Five mines on
the Comstock Lode is estimated at 1900
tons daily, and the total amount raised
since the commencement of operations,
at about 100000 tons. These ores
are mined at cost of $7.96 to $90S per
ton, and yield from $2s64 to $5O.33
per ton There are seventy-seven mills
engaged in crushing the ores from this
lode, the ores of which are the most
"docile" of any of the silver ores of
Nevada, the processes for their reduc-
ton being of the most simple kind, and
the cost of reduction averaging from
1880 to S14O4 per ton. These aver
ages of cost and production are for the
years 1866 and 1967-chiefy the for
mer-and are constantly changing to
the benefit of the miner, as improved
machinery and increased knowledge
come to his aid. AS the cost is greatly
enhanced by the difficulty of obtaining
fuel and, in many places, water, the ad-
vance of railroads into the mining
regions will greatly lessen the expense
of mining and of reduction.
The whole subject is one of no little
interest The mineral regions of Amer
lea are among her chief sources of
wealth, and, in their ultimate effect, will
doubtless prove beneficial in their infu-
ence; but this will only be the case
when mining shall have become regu-
lar, rather than wildly speculative
occupation. To the uninitiated, dealing