Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-12-16
White Pine in 1859.
For the Fayetteville 0teerver.

IOh S6Ie euSttcu Will ISe1 Ill
though it WA June-the wind
blew fariously, while the swing
ing signs ratified and quiyered
II each gust. Hamilton is sit
mated on a high plateau in the
White Pine mountain range, at
an elevation Of eight thousand
feet above the level of the sea.
Treasure city, two miles higher
up, is ten thousand feet in alti-
tude. The mines are one hum
dred andtwenty miles from Elko.
The great mining crusade
was occasioned by the discoyc-
iry of the Eberhardt mine by
q German named Eberhardt in
July, 1868. He was "prospect-
mp" and found a stone standing
erect resembling the head stone
of a grave-he struck the up
per part of it with his poll-pick
and to his surprise it bent. The
top OF it was pure silver. He
located a claim there and it as
sayed fifteen Thousand dollars
per ton. a company was Or
ganized and millions Of dol
lars were taken out-two quartz
mills were erected and in three
months the town of Hamilton
was built containing six thou
sand inhabitants-five stage
lines were plying between Elko
and Hamilton, and even that did
not accommodate the travelling
public. Thousands came BY
private CONFERENCE.-THE toll
gate on the Gibson toll road
took in five hundred dollars per
day for three months. The
streets were bIockaded with
huge wagon trains from morn
ing until night-they were la
den with lumber, provisions
and goods. The wagon trains
were generally composed of
fine wagons coupled together
and drawn by fourteen mules
the front wagon is called al
murphy" or "Prairie Schoo-
ner," having a carrying capaci-
ty of ten thousand pounds
the remaining four attached de-
crease in size--the whole train
often contains thirty-threc thou
sand pounds. The finest train
belonged to Mr.. Prichard-it
was composed Of five wagons
drawn by eighteen large mules,
each animal ornamcntcd with d
pair of bells, and when in mo-
ton the train presented a novel
sight. Hamilton contained al
great number Of saloons and
gambling houses, indeed all the
haunts Of vice were too often
frequented by the visitor, gamb-
Ter and miner. The "Stone Sa-
loon" on Main street could ac-
comoddte five hundred persons,
and it was filled to its utmost
capacity every night. Fifteen
card tables were IN use every
evening, besides many other
games Of chance. Despera-
does, gamblers, miners, police
men, newspaper-men, capitalists
and men Of every grade met
there nightly. The noise and |
confusion day and night almost
drove a person to his cellar
the yells and curses of team
sters, cracking their whips with
vim, the rumbling Of wagons,
the Gathering of horses feet,
the steady tramp Of hundreds
OF footmen, the ringing of bells,
the loud voice of auctioneers,
all could be distinguished, be-
sides loud "blasts" of powder
made by the miners while at
work. 1t was pandemonium
where fortune hunters from
Europe, Asia, South America,
the Pacific Islands and every
State and Territory in the Uni
ted States met in a mad whirl
of excitement, eagerly seeking
for the pecious metals. No
mine except the Eberhardt a.
mounted to anything, although
the mountains contained traces
of silver, lead, copper, manga
nese, iron and a few other met
ais. HON silver, ruby silver,
the chlorides of silver was
found but not in paying quail
ties. The carbonates, the black
oxide and the yellow chloride
of lead existed, but owing to
the expense of getting it out, it
did not pay to work. The state
of society was fearful when l
was there. Men were deliber-