The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-12-04
THE HEART OF THE coMsrooK.
An Underground Mountain of Solid Sill
YER OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Riches.
Virginia City Enterprise October "a

EOTG-kn6xn0uSuDAO HtCh&0s
Virginia City Enterprise, October "a.
The Consolidated Virginia mining
company are beginning to open up and
lay bare some of the secrets of the
northern end of the great Comstock
lode. They are reaching the great lode
on a new and sound line, and are find
ing continuous body of ore. This
body Ii now known to extend from the
Gould & Curry through the Consolida-
ted Virginia, California and Ophir, to
the Union Consolidated. The Consolida-
ted Virginia company are on the upper
edge OF the great deposit lying under the
basins which are situated in the cas-
tern suburbs of the city, and are now
beginning to reach some of the rich ore
1t contains. In the early days many of
our miners were of the opinion that in
the course of time point in the lead
would be reached where would be found
almost solid silver. At the fur
ther depth of four or five hundred feet
In the mine the Consolidated Virginia
company may reach point where their
ore will lack but little of being solid
silver. There appears to be lying far
down IN this portion of the lode per-
feet mountain of silver ore, Specimens
brought mp from the drift running into
the Consolidated from the ffteen-hun-
dred-foot level of the Gould & Curry
are even now almost solid masses of sill
yer. The reporter of the Gold Hill
News, who visited the newly opened
section of the Consolidated Virginia
mine day before yesterday, gives the
following account OF it:
"The drift, after reaching the Con-
solidated Virginia south line, and be-
ing connected with the fifteen-hundred-
foot level of that mine by an air wiuze,
the Gould & Curry drift being thirty
eight feet lower down than the south
drift from the Consolidated Virginia
shaft, was pushed directly ahead to
prospect the ore vein on the level.
Hardly had the line been crossed before
the drift encountered body of rich,
sulphuret ore, second to nothing of the
kind now known to exist on the Com
stock lode. The drift has penetrated
this body of ore 40 feet, with every
Indication of its extending the entire
length of the claim, and even into the
California ground. To attempt a fair
description of the rich character of the
ore is almost useless, the sides and face
"a OhS NAAAp OC4AS OIO udSo vi
sulphurets mixed with the richest char
acter of chlorides. Much of the ore is
being sacked, and a portion of the
amalgamating department. of the Mari
pOsa mill is to be set apart for its reduc-
ton, its extreme richness often requir-
ing the use of 500 and 600 pounds of
quicksilver to charge for a single pan,
where only 200 pounds is used in work
ing the ordinary class of ores. No
cross cutting of this body has yet been
attempted, and all the air forced in by
the compressor is required to drive the
Burleigh drills in the face of the drift.
The exhibition of the precious metals
displayed in the face when q blast of
half a dozen holes is discharged is
simply grand, and one that would cause
the eyes of the miser to weep with Joy.
Two appraisers have been made, 1000
feet apart, for air connections with the
1,500-foot draft south of the shaft, both
of which passed the entire distance
through the same rich character of ore.
The future prospects of the Consolida-
ted Virginia, judged by it's present de-
velopments, are not only almost with
out an estimate, but every drift run, in
fact almost every stroke of the pick
made, seems to be adding to its already
immense wealth."