Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-21

SILVER.
The Mexican and Nevada gYFfnes t,o,aspered
From the San Francisco Bulletin

The Mexican and Nevada mines Compared
aa From the San Francisco Bulletin.
Until the development OF the large
ore bodies In the Comstock lode, Mex
leo was the largest silver producer in
the world 1t is impossible to say what
mine Or what lode yielded the largest
quantity of bullion. The best authori-
ties on the subject have failed to deter
mine, because. the product Of a group
Of mines operating on various veins in
the same neighborhood has generally
been credited to the leading mine in the
district Such has been the case, in a
measure, with the mines Of Guauaiuato,
situated on the mother vein or Uet0
n1dd7 Of Central Mexico, and with the
Potos1 mines Of Perm, the San Luis Po-
tosi mine being credited with the COM
bined product OF q multitude of mines
IN that district, representing as many
separate and distinct veins The ueto
ntn0t4'e, OF Mexico, comes nearest being
a parallel case to the Oomstock Tt
is similar assure intersecting q
similar formation, only it is at least
three times its length, and it's ore de
post has been one continuous bou02azu.
The mines on the Vetn 21lddre have been
worked uninterTuptedly for over three
centuries, q I'D the aggregate yield is es
timated at $500, 900, 900. The first dis
coveries on the Comstock were only
made fifteen years ago, bnt the entire
product during that brief period has
aggregated in round numbers $175. O0O.-
GOO, or over One-half the three century
product of the richest vein in Mexico.
and about one-eighth the entire product
OF the numerous veins and mines form
ing the Peruvian Potosi group for the
same extended period. The yield of the
Comstock lode last year amounted to
about $2l, 100000, and this year about
$22, 900, 900, Or within S., 100000 of the
maximum annual yield of all the silver
mines of Mexico, and five times the av-
erage annual yield Of the Peruvian
mines. .. w.. .sss..a. .a l#s.Fa-. ~.
The uet0 na0dre has been more ex-
tensively worked than any other sil
yer in Mexico, but it is very doubtful
as to whether it is the richest vein ex-
listing in that country. The metallic
silver lOdes in the state of Chihuahua
are probably much richer. A single
bonanza Of metallic silver ore. discov-
cred in one Of these mines, is represent
Ell to have taken eighteen years TO ex-
haust, and is variously estimated to
have yielded from $40, 900, 900 to $50
O0O,O 900. flrst-class ore from the Chi
huahua mines yield, all the way from
$4,000 to $50. 900 per ton, and second
class ore ranges from $4,000 to SIS, 600
per ton. The Comstock. of course, has
ore equal to this. There is no knowing
what might have been accomplished in
the silver mines Of Mexico and Peru had
they been systematically worked.
What II, instead Of human backs. long
swinging poles, and rickety wines
bringing the ore to the surface from the
depths below, and IL e primitive alas-
tras separating the metal from the
vein matter, the improved machinery
now employed on the Comstock had
been In use. Under such a condition
OF things, what would have been the
showing Of the returns? and into how
brief a space would the three-century
operations have been contracted? In
stead OF a bonanza taking eighteen
years to exhaust, we should probably
have had it all out within that many
months. Many of the Central Mexico
mines have for years been worked by
English capitalists, with improved ma
chinery, and there has been, in conse-
quence, a marked increase in the aggre-
gate silver product of the county; but
the mechanical appliances are vastly in
ferior to those used on the Comstock.
The Comstock has unquestionably
yielded more silver in the same space of
time than any known lode, and is to-
day the richest silver lode being work
ed, but its immense yield IS in a great
measure owing to the superiority of the
machinery employed and the systematic
manner IN which it is being mined.