Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1874-05-13
THY SCTRO TUNNEL. - PLAIN
STATEMENT OF THE CASE.

aSLaseG tine SUtro coincidence game. the
following article from the iita OF the
,!tIl inst, will be read with interest and
l:-n&t.
C-s, VI tie most surprising srectac!es
in this exceptional period OF national
kc;s,ation at Washington is that pre-
..-,,ted by the appearance of an unscru-
,,slos,s adventurer before Committee
.t she United States Senate. supported
ty a judicial henchman. bullying United
states Senators. representatives OF SOW
srei-u States. arraisning their conduct,
.,s,,ersins their motives. debating their
.,ction and ordering the transfer of his
Ius.,uitous claim to another Committee,
which lie saws will suit him better. The
most amazing part of the spectacle Is
tie meekness with which Senators en-
dared his insolence; the ready subservi-
..ucy with which the majority respond to
his orders. aud the servIle acceptance OF
Gss wishes by the Judiciary Committee.
nne Is reminded of Louis NV going
ssated and spurred into the chambers,
With hat on head and whip in hand. or
derirc the recording of his edicts with
out deIiberation. When We reflect upon
the Developments of the Credit Aobiller
and all the corruption schemes which
have snattered the fair fame of members,
and remember the origin and progress
az the infamous scheme, II the further
.suce of which those committees pander
to The views of the schemer, we become
.iishear.ened at the evident power OF
uiuuder schemes over considerations OF
national honor. The power that Sutro
seems to have acquired would not be so
muci, matter of surprise if his scheme
had III itself any great merit. 1t IKE
railroad, a river improvement or harbor
construction, it offered any great national
advantages. or if as private scheme, II
cozn bined the furtherance of general IN
.!gstrv, with large prospective profits, 1t
NIGH: be supposed to commend Itself to
the cupidity of supporters: But the
plan OF Sutro is mere bubble from Its
inception, founded on a myth and reared
in rilystitication. One has only to take
I'D his pamphlet published September l,
1856, and compare his estimates then
with the state of affairs to-day, on the
Can,stock lode. to be convinced that 1t
WAS the widest and most baseless bub-
lie tkat was ever put forth. 1t to-day
would not be worth notice, but that
Congress seems disposed to compel the
mines to pay Sutro large sums OF money
f0- 40 consideration. The whole theory
of tse tunnel was founded on the suppo-
sitia,s that the mines being then 600 feet
d4e8 and affected by water, would have
to be abandoned at depth of 1000 feet
Ga, account of the water" The remedy
uraoosed was a tunnel 20 600 feet long,
vhich would drain all the mines and
deliver 10000 gallons of water per
minute" at the mouth, to which point
all mills would be compelled to move
sor water and transportation. and the
cities of Virginia and Gold Hill also.
TLat view seemed to be plausible at the
tina. but the fact is, now the mines are
f..r.a 100 to 800 feet below the level OF
the proposed tunnel, and are AZ dry as
t.lwder horn; so much so that they are
s,ss:pelled to buy water for their own use.
Tie water theory, on which the whole
system rested, was a fallacy- But the
necessity of drainage having been as
su.oed, it was urged that the tunnel
vcald serve to transport the ores at
much less expense than to hoist them to
the surface and then haul them to the
mills by wagon. That has also proved
to be a fallacy; because the railroad
above ground now transports ores to
better advantage than could railroad
through the tunnel; it was further
assumed that az tho ore and water would
all come to the mouth of the tunnel,
that the mills also would all be COM
Y,elled to move to that spot, and that all
the men employed in the mines,
estimated at 5000, would be COM
relIed to enter them through the
,u.,,al Tbia hninO the case all the
boarding houses and stores would move
them also; hence that Virginia City and
Gold Hill, with all their real property,
assessed at 6, 800, 900. would be abandon
ed for the new city of Sutro. at the mouth
OF the tunnel This was the plan. and
Congress, in 1866, granted Sutro. at
81 % per acre, 1,70O, 900 acres of land,
At the mouth of the tunnel, for site
70. his city, besides seven miles right of
wsv and 4, 900 feet, at SIS per acre. on
each lode between the mouth and the
Coastock On the strength of the grant
Sut1o made contracts with the mine
companies to pay him for drainage of
water, 81 per ton of ore; for transporta-
ton, 81 per ton; fifty cents each per day
for each man employed in the mines; to
move waste rock, 81 per ton; to move
timber and materials, $500 per day. He
then made up his prospectus as follows:
C,st Of main tunnel. 81 .9ss GIG
E.,veu,e Al an essimate Of 1850 tons
per day.
pr.;rsge, 500 tons at 3. go. 5000
Tr,asnortafion Of l. 800 tons af ST.. 1,5o0
TRANSPORTATION Of mon. 5000 at 80