Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-12-13
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from the tnyo Independent, December 81
We have hitherto referred to the
great difficulty which seems to over,
Shadow the- future Of Cerro Gordo, and
renders present operations tnere very
expensive and necessarily limited.
At the outset of smelling operations
at that place IL was foreseen tna q
single spring in town would scarcely
fnrnish suficient water for even DO
nestle purposes, to say nothing OF sup
plying steam boilers, and some OF the
resldent miners began casting about
for q new source. Az nat Time scarye-
ly a dollar Of capital had been iegltl.
mately expended in the district, pus
the brave miners dubbed together and
Jointly sunk a deep we'll, In the hopes
|toiobtsin "free water" This effort,
in common with others, was fruitless,
and the project was abandoned; from
that time It was packed In a distance
Of Eve miles, from the Hahn spring.
Subsequently tho Cerro Gordo water
Company, at a cost OF $4,000, led ibis
supply to town through inch pipes,
which, when operating at all, furnish
about 500 gallons per diem. The de-
ficiency Is partly supplied by packers,
who deliver water from, the source
mentioned and from the Duval spring,
some three or four miles below the
camp, at o cost to small consumers Of
10 cents per gallon. The demand dur
ing the past season was not less than
5000 gallons per day, although but
5000 were consumed, for the reason
that no. more could be had. We are
assured that even at the sxorbltant
prevailing rate of 10 cents, 5000 gal
Ions could have been sold per day, had
the supply been equal to that demand.
| Relief from this Slnbad load, retarding
all new prospecting, milling aud re-
duction enterprises, Is bound to come,
and that at no distant day, for In a
country producing such enormous
values monthly, capital can hardly re-
main blind to the golden opportunity
offered for profitable investment In
water works. And, while pointing
out tho remedy and the manner OF &C
complaining It, we will take occasion
to give the reason generally assigned
why the mpneyed mon now operating
ut that point have not already sur
mounted the difficulty ; which Is slmp-
", that the men owning the reduction
works prefer the great extra expense
under the present system than to on
counter probable competition from
other works In the purchase of ores.
As 1t Is, II would be idle for any new
furnace to oven start, much less to
expect success, IN or near Cerro Gordo.
Seven and n half miles north OF
town, by the route surveyed, on the
east side Of the Inyo range, is situate q
spring, or rather q series of springs,
the water of which can be readily
brought in pipes directly into Cerro
Gordo. The supply ranges from four
to six inches, miners measurement,
delivering from 10, 900 to %, 900 gallons
per t~wenty-four hours, depending upon
the number Of springs brought into
requlsition. The route over which the
pipes would pass does not present any
great difficulties, save o distance Of
two miles, where rocky bluffs are to
be crossed ; while the principal portion
OF the line Is over loose surface forma'
ton. In good ground for covering Of
sinking the piping.
A proper estimate Of the expense
would include the probable fact thai
for $1,000 or $4,000 the water heae
could be tunneled for and tapped 40(
or 800 feet above its present outlet, BY
which means about two miles OF piping
would be saved out Of the distanct
mentioned, by reason Of going owe
Instead around a certain long hill, ant
also securing better ground to rur
over. With asphaltum or galvanized
iron pipes, tho cost Of laying and pro
tecting the right sized pipes would ap
proximate $4,000, which estimate Il
rather high than otherwise. Thu
water described is owned aud has beef
surveyed by two or three men nov
residing in Cerro Gordo, from whom
company willing to take hold Of thu
enterprise would find no difficulty II
purchasing the necessary rights, privi
ieges aud ownership, for the men ar'
financially unable to utilize tho pos
session Of 1t.
Without taking into count the abso
lutely certain Increase Of busin ess
population and demand for water, con
sequent upon the new life sure to fol
low its introduction, and basing cal
culations only upon the present con
sumption, the gross receipts upon tn,
enterprise would, with water Mt only
3 cents per gallon (instead Of 10, which
would forever bar the slight opposi
tlon possible) be $3.50 per day, &.5O(
per month and $54, 900 a year-payine
principal and interest of the invest,
ment the first year! And this make:
no calculation upon the four-fold In
crease certain to follow.
These figures are based upon facts
%conversant to every man familiar with
Cerro Gordo, her resources and draw.
backs. We candidly believe that no.
where on the Pacific coast Is there ar
equal inducement for the investment
Of capital, where tho returns are sc
enormous and certain, and we are sat
isfied that no man or company pos
~