Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-05-03
THE sUTRO TUNNRL, Low
GRADE ORE, ROYALTY AND
VENTILATION.

first place, speaking Of the bill pre-
sented in Congress for the release OF
the Comstock companies from the pay
ment Of that preposterous royalty OF
g. per ton Oh all ore extracted from
the mines, after the tunnel was within
500 feet Of the west wall Of the vein,
the Press remarks:
That this royalty may prove a heavy bur-
den in case that, at some future mn IL may
be possible to work very low:grade ores,
seems to US very probable. II is oy no
means impossible that we may be aoie 10
work with advantage ores worth 4 lew dollars
per ton, in which case the royalty Of " Will
be u very heavy tax.
Now, we think the Press ought to be
acquainted with the fact that for the
last two or three years We have been
working surface ore Of an extremely
low grade, the profits Oh which per
ton would be completely eaten up by
that extremely unnecessary and unjust
ROYALTY. At both ends Of the Com
stock. especially, the principal and in
fact about the only actual value Of the
mines lies in the surface ore. The
Overman, at the south end Of the vein,
has amy amount Of low-gradc surface
ore, and explorations at a deeper level
than the Sutro tunnel could possibly
reach develop little or no pay ore.
The same may be said of the Crown
Point. At the north end. the Sierra
Nevada, Sacramento and Meredith
in fact the whole surface of Cedar
Hill thereabouts-pay 4 small profit
per ton, and the ore being reduced
with extreme facility. 1t Is only by
rushing large quantities of it through
the mills daily that any profit is real
lied. The forced payment OF - per
ton royalty would stop ali further
operations, and in fact give both ends
of the vein to the Sutro monopoly.
By having the mills near the mines,
18th the the COS of milling reduced to
81 or S. per ton, and the utmost taciii-
ties In the mining line, with no eX-
penSe for transportation, this lOw-grade
ore is now worked with profit, giving
employment to numerous men. The
companies cannot afford 10 pay divi-
dends to stockholders OH such ore.
much less pay that gratuitols royalty
of s. per ton to Sutro. Those mills
are supplied with water pumped di-
rectly from the earth beneath-the
very water which the Sutro tunnel
proposes to drain. None OF the lowest
grade surface ore now being worked
with advantage along the line Of the
ledge could be probably extracted or
worked by means of the Sntro tunnel.
The Press goes OH to quote an article
OH the subject, extracted from the New
York Engineering anil .Hjet"g .j"urn6i.
The .Journai sagely remarks:
As we have onen said, the companies
ought to have run this tunnel long ago.
They have wasted on superficial ~tunnels, not
one Of which is now used, more money than
this would have cost.
Yes. that's emphatically so, and 4
most excellent reason why 10 more
money should be fooled away run
ming such rs this Sutro tunnel
which has to come under the head of
Z" Superticial." as it would not tap the
vein anywhere near deep enough for
good practical service. Long before
Il i within royalty distance, the
deep shafts 10 being sunk will he
deeper than where the tunnel would
reach. The Jo0rRQ further remarks:
It is true that a few shafts on the vein are
very deep, and that comparatively little ad-
di,ional water has been met in them; but
increasing depth, and the consequently in
creasing expense both Of pumping and hoist
- ..an l;tE.,l,,aa npnnuh yVifh0uk any |
increase OF water.
The Journal Is evidently not thor
oughlv posted in the established fact
that ut the lowest depths attained,
there is no increase, but a great de-
crease of water, and in the instance of
the Bullion mine, HOO feet deep, 4
total absence>of it. The main source Of
water is from above 500 or 900 feet deep, |
and this is now either damned into
| the drifts, or pumped from reservoirs
built to receive II, so that mining at the
greater depths is impeded little or
! none by water. "As for ventilation"
says the JoWHai:
It is we'll known that the use Of the Root
blower has become indispensable in the deep
mines; and it has been asserted that the ar
tifcial ventilation so produced has dried the
timbers underground, so as to make them
very combustible. The awful fro in the
Crown Point, Kentuck and Yellow Jacket,
4, an illustration OF this kind OF danger,
which, we suggest, does not need to be re-
pcated. In case Of 4 FIRE occurring IN a mine
provided with a deep tunnel for ventilaang,
a draft Of air would inevitably be in at tho
tunnel, and out BY the sh.fs. Consequently,
miners escaping in the direction Of the tun-
mel would meet with fresh air, and a safe
exit. In the catastrophe Of last year, the
unfortunate victims were cut of from escape
by tho fire itself, suffecated first, and burned
afterwards.
Now, rs to the first proposition
| shaft, drift, and winze connections by
the strong draft created. are found far
more effectual than all the Root blow
ers in creation, and the sending surface
air into a mine by means of a Roots
blower, does not dry the timbers and
render them any more combustiole
| than air driven into \ mine by any
other means. certainly no more than
would the .ultry, dry air Of Carson
Valley drawn IN through the Sntro
tunnel. 1t is true the victims OF that
terrible calamity referred to, did not
have proper facilities for escaping
through the mines to the northward,
and in fact nearly all Of them were
south of the fire. and the draft being
toward them they were cut OIL from
escape by the fire itself. They were
sutfocated. but none Of them We're
burned. The Sutro tunnel could not
have saved them even had 1t been in
existence at the time. The half dozen
or so in the Yellow Jacket mine might
| possibly have escaped had there been
the proper communication we speak
ofsxith the mines north. According
to the writer's idea of draft, which IS
correcesa fire occurring in the Sutro
tunnel would inevitably smother OF
burn everyNminer working in the Conl-
stock vein,X .,..,.
The .Jpdfad thus significantly winds
up itssremarks upon the famous tunnel
project:
Those about to leave a sinking snip may
not care to see her saved; but the people DO
not yet give up the ship.
IN1 mi lIS