The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-10-17
OUR CALIFORNIA LETTER.
The Great COmstalk LOde-A Plan to
Save the Mines-The Fate OF Mining
DISCOVERIES - Coming CIOuds-A.
COnsumptive State-Eud of u Char
IaInu

Save the Mines-The Fate Of Mining
DISCOVERIES Coming CIOuds-A
COnsumptiye State-Eud of n Char
Iatan.
Special Correspondence of the Wheeling
Register.
San Francisco, October 6, 1870.
Every eastern reader has heard of
the great Comstalk Lode, Of Nevada,
the richest mass of silver-bearing
quartz in the known world, the discov-
cry of which gave rise to the Washoe
excitement of 1862, and peopled the
great deserts on the other side of the
Sierra Nevadas with the. flower of Cali
fornia's adventurous manhood. Year
after year the mines situated on this
wonderful ledge have poured out their
glittering treasure, but every year the
cost of mining and transportation of ore
has been so much increased that for the
year ending June Both, only two min
ing companies paid dividends, and all
the others fell behindhand to such an
extent as to severely tax shareholders
Some idea of the enormous product Of
the Comstock lode may be formed from
the fact that up to April l, 1870
the yield of bullion amounted to
Sl20, 100000. Under the present sys-
TEN Of working, the abandonment of
these mines is but a. question of time,
as the constantly increasing depths Of
the shafts, with the difficulty OF pump
ing out water and pumping in air, to-
gether with falling off in the argentif-
erous value of the ore, constantly adds
to the expenses and decreases the re-
turns.
AsUPPOED VISIONARY.
Four years ago one Adolph Sutro
conceived the idea of constructing a
tunnel which should pierce the noun
tains horizontally so as to cut the lode
at depth of 2000 feet, and by drawing
off the water, ventilating the mines
and giving facilities for cheap trans
portation and expectation secure their
prOductlveness for a century to come.
At first the notion was ridiculed as that
of visionary, the immense cost and
difficulty of the work being considered
sufficient answer to all arguments in
favor Of the project, ard Mr.. Sutro be-
came q target for the usual attacks
made upon those who dare to invent or
originate. But pamphlet after pamph.
let was published, addresses delivered
to audiences of practical miners, the
scientific and engineering world inter-
ested, Congress pe;itioned for aid, and
people began 10 think that perhaps after
all there was something in the plan.
THE TUNNEL COMMENCED.
In 1867 Mr.. Sutro proceeded to Wash
ington and having enlisted the sympa-
thy of the Pacific coast in what was in
reality a national work, asked Congress
for an appropriation of S5,OOO,OOO: The
Legislature Of Nevada joined in the re-
quest and the delegation from the
Pacific coast unanimously supported it.
The result of the Congressional debate
was an offer to Mr.. Sutro of several
special privileges in lieu of national aid
which it was rightly thought would be
sufficient to induce private capital to In
vest in the project These privileges
consisted of a compulsory subscription
from the mines to be bentited, royalty
of two dollars per ton forever on all
ores taken out Of the Comstock lode, a
large grant Of mineral lands and several
minor rights to facilitate the work. I'm
der these auspices company was IN
corporated and last fall work was COM
menced on the tunnel Since then con-
siderable progress has been made In the
great project, and up to date, nearly
5000 feet have been bored, or about one
tenth of the whole distance. The pro-
cress is from forty to seventy-tive feet
each week, so that it will take several
wears to. reach the lode. At any mo:
ment rich silver ore may be struck, and
the enterprising stockholders find their
property increased hundred fold IN
value. As the work progresses public
attention will be more and more attract
ed to it, for its success must result In a
great benefit, not only to the whole
Pacific coast, but to the nation at large
while its failure would destroy the only
hone there is of rendering available the
immense mines of wealth which other
wise will remain forever concealed IL
the bowels of the earth.
THE FATE OF MINING DISCOVERIES.
This sketch has been suggested by
telegram which appears in the morning
papers announcing that Henry z: Com
stock, the discoverer Of he lode, anc
after whom it is named, committed SUI
eide on the 9th inst, while with thu
Rio Horn expedition in Montana terri
tory, He was laboring under temper
ary alteration of mind at the time, pro
duced by a long succession OF illior
tune and disappointment,
In June, 1859, two men, while en-
qaOed in sold-washing en- the western
border of Utah territory (where Viz
g;nia CITY now stands), discovered frag
ments of a heavy black substance which
mon examination, were found to con
tain snlphurets OF silver of the highes
. value Comstock was standing by a
the time, and instantly remembered tina
he had seen a vast deposit OF slmlia
ore on an adjoining ground That aitel
4 4v-IA lad a