Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1875-08-08
TWO HOURS IN THE GREAT 30.
MANIA.

~ hhhto th0 Ltt
reka Consolidated mine for the pur-
pose of viewing the scene of the late
disaster, to enable us to give u read
ers a truthful report OF its present con-
dition, the extent of the cave and the
probable amount of damages sus-
tanned by the company from hindrance
or delay in the extraction of ore. The
result of our examination fully con-
firms the truth of the article published
in the SENTINEL of last Thursday,
which was written from information
derived from what we considered au-
thentic sources. That the extent OF
the cave and its damaging effects upon
the mine have been grossly exagger-
ated WAS apparent to US so soon as we
had reached the scene of the disaster
on the seventh level, and a further ex.
ANIMATION OF other portions of the
works convinced US beyond the shadow
of a doubt of the absurdity OF the re-
port that there was the least danger Of
the suspension OF the smelling works
on account of tho closing up of the
avenues to the main body of ore, and
the impossibility of extracting a suf-
ficient quantity to keep the furn aces
running.
AT the seventh level a main drift
runs north TO west 1877 feet to the first
crosscut, where the main body of ore
was first struck in this level; frou,
thence it runs through ore all the way
to the second crosscut, which is 2S4 feet
from the station, From the second
crosscut the drift extends some 200 feet
further in the direction of the Bell shaft
on the east side of the hill, with which
it Is intended to connect. The first
crosscut runs north 200 east % feet, and
crosscut No. 2 runs in the same dIrec-
ton l6j feet, both running through a
solid and continuous body of ore all
the way. A Wine had been sunk near
the second crosscut 10 feet toward the
eighth level through solid ore. The
drift to this Wine is now closed by the
cave, but a drift is being run from east
crosscut No. |, which is now within 20
feet OF the opening, II a connection
will be made IN four or five days at the
furthe,t, when an accessible body OF
ore will be struck more than sufficient
to keep twice the number of the com
pany's furnaces running for months TO
come The DRIFT in the eighth level is
also within SO feet OF the Wine; the
onn elton will be made within a
couple of weeks, when the facilities for
extracting ore will be- doubled and the
remotest possibility of the supply rum
ming short at the furnaces averted. In
the seventh level drifts have been run
in the ore body a distance OF $50 feet,
east and west, and over 100 feet north
and south; il is known to extend con
4 int1nnSlu from fiao styfh Laval IN thu /
bottom of the winZe, 60 feet below the
seventh, with no indication of its
'petering" at that depth. With such
an immense body of ore, and the facil-
tiles for its extraction such as We have
described, the idea Of a short supply is
TOO absurd for a moments serious con-
s~ideration.
There is also in the sixth level a body
of ore which can be tapped by running
"A cut rom the main DRIFT a distance of
twenty feet. over a third of the ore
now being worked at the furnaces Is
supplied rom the debris which is being
removed in the search for the buried
men, and from u solid face in a cham
Der between the sixth and seventh
levels, heal the place where the buried
men were working when the accident
occurred. The balance is supplied
from the Champion and Winsail mines
which also belong 10 the company.
The extent OF the cave annot at
present be estimated with any degree
of accuracy from the fact that there are
no openings through to the furtherend
of the drifts. In a few days however,
when connection is made with the
winze, an opening will be effected,
when we will be enabled to give the
full particulars. From the nature of
the ground, however 1t Is scarcely pos
sible that the cave extends as far as the
Wine, as the ground around it was
solid and most likely remained in its
primitive cordition. Ifthis is the case,
the actual damage to the min * not
material, and the only loss sustained
by the company will be the extra ex-
pense incurred by the additional labor
in working the shattered ground; and
In no case can the accident interfere
with the continued extraction OF ore
or otherwise effect the working of the
mine to an extent sufficient To be felt
by the shareholders orto furnish cause
for n reduction in the price of the stock
10 the amount of the smallest fraction
of a dollar. Il
The accident was doubtless caused
by the falling in of The top of the I'M
mense natural cave at the nth level.
Exposure to the atmosphere evidently
slackened the limestone roof, causing
an immense body to fall with a force
sufficient to crash through the drilled
ground between the bottom of the cave
and the seventh level. Human fore
sight could not have averted the accl-
dent and no blame can he attached to
any person in authority at the works.