The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-22
A FOUNTAIN OF S1LvER
THE GREAT COMSTOCK LEDGE.

VALUE OF II BULGE AT $500, 000, 000-THB
POSITION N OF THE NEW
EMS
A correspondent of the San Francisco
Chronicle writing from Virginia City, New,
tells a story of the recent discovery Of inn
mense masses of the silver ore in the cele-
brated Comstock ledge. From this account
the following extracts are taken: At last
the great "bulge," the true heart of the
world famous Comst0ck silver lode, would
seemed to have been reached. AS
far as explored, it lies in the Con-
solidated Virginia, California and Ophir
claims. In all three of these mines have
been developed marvelously rich bodies
wonderful masses of sulphuIet and chloride
ores. We have said "bodies," but there is
in reality but one body-one immense
bonanza, chimney, or whatever else we may
choose to call it - one huge mass OF
ore extending all the way from the
consolidated Virginia through the Califor-
MIA into the Ophir and no one knows how
much further nor does any one know much
of its height or width, and nothing at all Of
its depth. As to its length we know some
thing definite-namely. that it extends 400
feet through the consolidated Virginia,
and undoubtedly traverses the entire
length 5000 feet) of. the California,
rs IL uda Dctu QlSCON6I6u III blb
Ophir mine, which adjoins the California
on the north. How far it extends into the
0phir ground time and the honest miner can
only determine. 1t is conceded, however,
that the ore body can not be less than 1000
feet in length. The great assure in which
this huge bonanza OF ore rests appears to
have expanded at this peculiar point in the
course of the vein in order
to form for it a cradle
suited to its giant proportions. Measuring
across from the true "west country" rock to
the true "east country" rock, the distance is
from 1000 to 200 feet. The space between
the east and west country rock is the fissure
has so startled and bewildered all the
experts" and the whole mining world"
of the Pacific coast. The great fissuie is
filed with what our mining men call "vein
matter"-gangue-a mixture of quartz,
clay and porphyry. Here, in the midst OF
this vein matter or gangu which fills the
vast assure from side to side, has formed and
is now found the huge mass of ore which
runs through the three mines mentioned
above To produces a body of such great
size an immense bed of vein matter was re-
quired-you can not rear a whale in a trout
brook. For several months the ~consoli-
dated Virginia company have been at work
in the crestof
HIS -sUBTERRANEAN SILVER MOUNTAIN,
NAAA eaO PPM ONhDo1 q OOOA hOhSlhk
into it for a shorter period of time, while
the California folks have but just began to
feel their way into its western slope at two
or three points. Never until lately have the
Consolidated Virginia company seemed to
get fairly into the ridge of the mountain
TO penetrate a point where they could begin
to see what they were working upon,
although in their upper levels
they have opened great breadths of wonder
fully rich ore. Notwithstanding that the
drift of which we are speaking is ii feet
south of the south line of the California, for
all practical purposes it amounts To the same
thing as though it had been run on the line,
or wholly in California ground. Nature
knows no such lines as are run
that she has not chopped off the ore Just
IA feet north of the drift. 1t is
here IN this drift that the wonderfully rich
ore of which so much has of late been said
was found. The ore. is moderately rich
where it was first cut by the drift, but it
rapidly grows richer, and within a few feet
it becomes a mass of glitteripg sulphurets,
and pale green chloride ore. The drift
has now penetrated this mass of ore-a
part of the great whole-a distance of about
% feet. Look where you may
at the bottom, the top. or the sides OF
the drift is everywhere the same. The
men throw down their picks mad step back,
while, candle in hand, you critically exam
inc the face of the drift, just where they
have a ONE before been digging. You
find before you the same material" that
you have been examining at the sides of
the drift-a pale green shade forms the
ground tint, and running through this in
various directions, or in places forming
little nodules, is seen the black sulphuret
ole, with bright points of iron and copper
pyrites glittering on its surface. This ore
yields an average assay OF 5000 per ton. IL
.-A..ll - - Aanxr q - cAt -
ore in this d lift that would assay far up into
the thousands; indeed, in taking a sample
the trouble would be to avoid getting hold
of this very rich ore. This is the famous
drift which seems to tell the story of
THE WEALTH
lying near at hand in the California. All
about you is ore that is so rich that it
"makesa poor man sick to look at It," as
one of our party very Justly and f~eelingly
observed; and the DRIFT is going forward in
the same mass, but how far it may extend be-
fore you, to the right or left, up or down, you
can not tell, IS no man can see into the solid
rock. 1t is estimated by Mr.. Deidesheimer the
well known mining engineer and expert,th
there is now standing in the Consolidated
Virginia mine, above the 1,550-foot level,
$40, 000,00 worth of ore, or about S27, 900, 600
in dividends. This is saying nothing about
what is below, and, as we have seen, they
alreauy nave a WINE GOWN Oh Ieet DelOW the
,550-fOot level in ore of the rich
est description. The great center of
interest in the vast ore body run
ming through the three mines is at
present in a little DRIFT in that 0phir ground
Just at the edge of the north line of the Cali
fornia. In this, last Saturday afternoon,
was struck ore surprising in richness any
thing yet seen in this enormously rich body
OF ore. Specimens are mere found that are
almost pure silver, that are quite malleable.
and that may be whitfield with a knife, al
most the same as lead. This is below the l.
465-foot level OF the Ophlr. In order
t. reach it we take the main north
and south drift on the level last