The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-24
THE BONANZA OF THE COMSTOCh
VEIN

| The forthcoming report Of the Commission
| er of Mining Statistics, Mr. r W. Raymond,
will contain a careful account of the numerous
mines which are working on the great Com.
stock lode of Nevada. 1t shows with clear
ness the operations on what is undoubtedly
the most wonderful mineral vein in the world,
a vein which holds the foremo st place both for
extent, for the enormous quantities daily ex.
tracted, for the total value of its yearly pro-
duct, and for the extraordinary difficulty Of its
exploration. T27enty-four mines work on it,
and their shafts are sunk to depths varying
from 500 to 2200 feet, the deepest being In the
Savage" and IS Hale and Norcross" mines.
In establishing new machinery preparations
are made for sinking as deep as 1000 feet, q
distance which has been fixed upon by Euro.
pean experts as about the probable limit to
which coal mining can be carried. But at the
Comstock vein tunnel is now under way to
tap the vein at q depth of about 1900 feet
below the surface. With that improvement
it will probably be possible to carry the works
to much greater depths than are now con-
templated In Europe. The center of interest
is at present the northern part of the vein,
where the famous bonanza is situated. This
is commonly supposed to be one great ore
body, but Mr.. Luckhardt, the author of this
report, thinks it may include three distinct
masses of ore, all of immense SIZE.
The arst signs of this great ore mass were
discovered two years ago, and though it has
been explored with activity since then. its
limits are still unknown, though it is sup
posed to extend for 900 feet in a northeast and
southwest direction, and to be in places
nearly 300 feet thick. Its shape is, however,
very irregular, and the amount of silver and
gold in the ore is equally varying, so that it
is almost impossible to make even fair esti.
mates of its value. In some places it is not
worth more than $50 ton, which is about
the average of frst-class ores in other parts
of the vein, but by selecting the parts to be
mined, ore of $500 and $500 value can be
obtained in large quantities. The average is
put by Mr.. Luckhardt at S160, the Virginia
Consolidated mine (the only one at present
raising ore from the bonanza) is
raising $50 to $50 tons daily, and
at this rate the ground already explored is
expected to last at least two years. That is
to say, that part of the bonanza which is in
cluded within this mine alone is expected to
yield more than $50, 900 daily for two years.
The value of the entire bonanZ,, so far as it
has been yet developed, has been estimated
by spectators all the way from $50 to 1900
million dollars, but Mr.. Luckhardt with bet
ter Judgment places it at $780, 100000. This
does not include future developments, about
which it is simply impossible at present even
to form a reasonable conjecture. II capital
izsd at an ordinary va uation for smaller
mines, the part of the Comstock which in
cludes this bonanza would alone be worth
$3.50, 600. 900. But more important consid-
Grafton is the fact that it will undoubtedly
add from s25, 0OO,0 600 upward to our yearly
product of bullion for some years to come.