Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1874-07-14
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~ s~taAS Fof
Sutp( imposed upon his hearers TIC
stskment that he had funds wherewitN
tfprosecuts work upon his bore for the
Sert two years. and that the tunnel
would be completed in two and a-half,
or at the farthest. three years. Let US
analyzs these allegations. Mr.. sutro,
by his reports and in his speeches,
claims to have expended already the
sum Of two and one-half millions
OF dollars. The tunnel is now in q, e.,
the header which is little larger than an
ordinary prospecting drift) between six
and seven thousand feet. Its whole
length is to DO twenty thousand feet.
Allow that II costs one-third as much to
run the header n TO enlarge to full sire.
timber. lay track, etc.. in the tunnel as
proposed. and the six thousand feet Of
header will dwindle to two thousand
feet Of completed tunnel. Add to this
the thousand feet Of tunnel now partial.
ly completed at the mouth. and we have
asthe equivalent Of between six and seven
thousand feet OF header. three thousand
feet Of tunnel as projected and exhibited
In Sutro's plans. This comparison. it
Ii apparent is not only fair but ii is
largely in favor Of Sutro. But as we
have seen. the six or seven thousand feet
Of header, OF its equivalent three thou
sand feet Of completed tunnel. have al
ready cost 90. 500. 900. The total cost
Of the tunnel 10 its connection with the
Savage shaft would. in the same ratio Of
expenditure, be about sirten and hco-
thirds millions OF dollars. But. Mr..
sutro promises to complete the tunnel
In three years, and says he has money
enough for two years Of that time. De-
duct from the sixteen and a half mil
lions I've use round numbers) the two
and q half millions thus far disbursed,
and We have fourteen millions to be e1-
pended in the completion Of the tunnel.
Mr.. Sutro says he has enough to
last two years. or t%wo-thirds Of the
amount required to complete the work.
Mr.. Sutro must. therefore. now have q
little over 1900. 900 on hand and avail
able for this work. Perhaps he has, but
his assertion. in view OF his attempt to
sell tunnel stock tho other evening. is
open to doubt.
Again. let US SEQ how Mr.. Sutro's
promise to complete the tunnel in three
years compares with history and reason
able deductions therefrom. Ground was
hnt broken for the Sutro Tunnel on the
18th Of October. 1869. Work has been
neutrality-suspicious. mother
words. in four years. eight and two
third months. the header Of the tunnel
has been driven between six and seven
thousand feet. During several months
OF this time two and until very recently
three faces have been worked upon.
The influx Of water at Shaft No. 2, re-
duces these to q face running from
Shaft No. I. There is no foundation
for the presumption that more than one
face will hereafter be worked. Us Shafts
No. 3 and 4 have been abandoned on
account OF water. Lot US then, in cal.
culsting the time, allow that one-third
Of the tunnel is now completed; or, to
be liberal. sevcn-twcntieths. This IL
has taken ifty-six months to construct.
In the same ratio OF advance. 1t will
take one hundred and four months to
intersect the Comstock lode at the
Savage shaft. Eight years and eight
monthsl And yet Mr.. Sutro promised
his audience that he would have ii CON-
pleted in two and a half. or at farthes.
three years. A more palpable attempt
to deceive all who will not take the pains
TO investigate this matter car hardly be
conceived.
But does any sane man, acquainted
with the facts. suppose that Mr.. sutro
has expended -. 500, 900, or even half
that sum upon the tunnel? As we said
last Winter. there is not n first-class
foreman Of miners in Storey county
who. with q contract to do all the neces-
sarywork already performedu
mel up to date.a I half the sum claimed to
have been expended, could not have
cleaned up a handsome fortune. The
money, II spent at all. has been scatter
ed in other localities and paid to other
persons than the miners of Storey coun-
ty. And Of these expenditures we shall
speak hereafter.