New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-12-21
THE SILVER MINES or NEVADA.

THE SILVER MINES OF NEF AVA.
RICH DISCOVERIES IN THE COMSTOCK LODE
TIE TRUE HEART OF THIS FAMOUS SILVER LODE
REACHED AT LAsT-TIE ORE BODY NOT LESS
THAN 100 FEET LONGTIME YIELD FROM 800
TO 5000 PER TON-THE RICHEST THREE MINES
IN THE WORLD.
From iTne V~s"a ca" Ssr ose g. srr'p'"de"' Of IN 80"
At last the great bulge" the true heart OF
the worId-famous Comstock silvefode, would seem 70
have As r az nhr si 'f s
all three OF these mines have been developed marvel
ously rich bodes-wonderia masses Q, sdpanret ana
reality but one body-one immense bonanza, chimney,
whatever else we may choose to cal -G one 1 T
s "s aSy ONE one KNOW m nSS Of much
hight or width, aud nothing at all OF its depth As TO
extends 400 feet through the cOnsoidited virginia
undoubtedly traverses the entire length 600 ee OF the
which adjons the California the north How far It
extends INTO the Opn sr0dna %e ana ,aG
however. that the ore BODY cannot ,a De less 20
than 1900 feet III length. The great assure 10 10
TO have expanded this particular point in the course
OF vein in order to form for IL cradle suited 70 ~
vest country rock 10 the true east country rock.
the distance from LOCO to 1900 feet The space be-
which the body Of when OF late has 40 startled
and bewildered all Of the experts = and tue whole
il filled with what our mining cali "vein matter"
gangue, mixture of quartz, clay, or porphyy.
fills the vast fssure from side TO side, has formed e
runs through the three mines mentioned above.
The California crosscut Is not In the California sIouna
is here in this drift that the wonderfully rich ore
OF which much has OF late been said was found The
ore is moderately rich where it first cut by the
drift but IL rapidly grows richer, aud within few feet
il becomes of gllttering suiphurets and pale
green chloride ore. the drift has nov penetrated tns
mass OF ore-a part OF great whOe-a distance OF
about feet. Look where YOU may-at the bottom tho
top the sides OF the drft-is everywhere the same.
This yields average assay OF 5000 per tom IL
would be easy matter to get samples OF ore IN ths
drift that would assay far up Into the thOusands
indeed, taking sample the trouble would be to avoid
getting hold of this rich ORE This Is the famous
drift which seems TO tell the story OF the fabulous
wealth lying near at hand IN the California. All
about you Is that Is so rich that II Makes poor
man sick to look at ;" OF our party very justly
and feelngy Observed ana the drift Is gong forward
in the At cross-cut No has been opened
road into the silver mountain In croseut 49, o, Was
day or 2O4 feet in length, and nearly all me
way IN exceedingly rich Ore From being " low grade
ar first IL RAPIDLY Increases value I'LL III gong short
distance IL worth $780, aud soon the car samples
average $780, and IN this kind OF ore we continue To the
end Of the drift whore men are seen sun dgSing auead
10 the wonderful mass ~ mingled chiOrlle anu
pushing eastward the great body. and as YET
no Sign OF any east wall is seen ABOUT MIDWAY ID tno
length OF this crosScut No is WINE w1c conneets
with "A DRIFT 50 feet lower, which comes IN from the
Gould & Curry; This WIZ through, us ~o%
IN the DRIFT a s gr enr MICA a%u aT mn time Of our
visit with ore worth from $50 10 500 per ton there
being no waste rock for this nand. THIS
does not matter however, the ground INTO which the
ore was being thrown is itself mass OF ore Of equal
value Moving again to the south along The main NOR
ia a ws %ef We push On into the California
NINE At the distance OF 200 feet north Of The south
driven east, which is in but Is or 20 feet. Ths *
goin great body which supposed wii be
reached within a distance or 80 feet
IL mas just occurred 10 me that nave as yet said
nothing about what is below the leOfCoi Level OF the
Consolidated Virginia. Here are a lew million dollars
IN sight that came near forgetting. IL Is estimated by
Mr. Deideshemer, the wel-Enown mining engineer anu
eXpert That is now standing IN the COnsol lated
Virginia NINE, thc l,50Oot level sI30O00 worth
OF ore or about S27 0O0OO0 dividends. rms Is saying
nothing anOJ what Is Oeiow, anu a. We nave seen t"y
already have wuLe down so icet below the I)JO-o0t
level OF the richest descripon Tue great center
OF interest In the Nasi ore Dog nn,ns tht"nsn tno
three Is at present IN little driit ia The Ophir
California. Ia this last Saturday afternoon. Was struck
ore far SURPRISING IN nchhess auytmnE YET seen
IN this enormously ricn body OF ore. Specimens are
here found that almost pure silver tnat are quite
malleabe and that may be Whitfield VITA knie almost
little Ofoot drift as yet Opnr ground) Will average
81 200 per ton. specimen taken out at us point as
seer on Comstock Lode and far ahead OF the famous
"Calfornia crosscut mentioned above situated IA eet
within the Consolidated Virginia ground IL - certain
that n ght IN both the Ophir and california mines
Is a TIC mendOus deposit OF almost incaienabe Richness
That such ore should found here ON the north me or
The CaforDa aud again in the drift at the south Inp.
lust within the Consolidated Virginia. indicates won
derfu mass lying between the tNO points. Mr. Deide
sheimer and experts estimate That there are ~ the
California ground 600 feet IN engn) at least sao@oo
worth Of ore What has been said above OF the wOn1fui
strike in the dift below the e5foot level ~ OF
course an account OF portion OF Ophr, though II tells
eonay well California. All OF tle ore breasts Oh
te a1O and iG5oot levels looking better Almost
daily On the 4GJfoOt level are constantly observed
indications OF the great boDanzl making" nor.hward,
and indeed, OF It's expanding IN all objections IL IL
thought they at work ON the top or great BOWL
der which Is found to stretch away IN al directions a.
EXPLORATIONS made upon ana around H. In order Ia
give yonr readers Idea OF the quantity OF ore al
ready developed in the Ophlg here say that the
hest estimates that tnere are on the 1890 ana i
foot eyel not 10000 tons OF ore opened up and
ip sight AT present the Ophr Company are extracting
ore m the rate per day keeping four mills III
oneratlon, but they cOud very easily increase the
amount Tit were necessary.
There can be no doubt that the body OF ore now Just
being opened in the three mines under eohsiiera.
tinn undoubtedly largest and richest the world
ever saw Ia California the width Will doubtless
nroye TO be immense jus. now wld may be found no
one can say aud the experts themselves lear 10 risk an
ouniOn but they HINT at all the way from 2c "a i0iect
The length we al know l. co. feet crescent for
the vein also been started irOm the main north and
south DRIFT OF llO0fOO level OF The California, anu u
bemg advanced IN promising ycln matter soon We
shall know ucthng about the width OF deposit on this
and the l5a. From the developments now being maze
ut each eud OF the mine we up here are beginning Ia
fear that somewhere the center 1t Will DC found
m he AM n soil mountain o. pare SILVER.