The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-04

1
, anguish Of heart none other than !: raothe
j under similar circumstances can know.
Eass
S5.ooo,00o 8 Month.
, Correspondence OF the Cincinnati Commercial
UNPARALLELED PRODUCTION OF tbs BIG BoNAN-
"a KtERs-THR BONANZA KINGS PHILOSOPHY
CALLY DRAWING THE1R sTGPENDoUs pIyI
DssDs. tt+sf. 80
VIRGINIA, NV, February %, 1 a7e.-Th,
| MIND Is staggered by the figures required
to express the stupendous mineral wealth O
the Comstock lode. Since the year It wa,
diseovered-1859-nearly $4,000 900 il
ullion has been produced from the lode
but. here Is no sensible dimiuution in the
supply. but, on the contrary, every indica
ton points to the fact that there are still
millions upon millions OF hidden treasure in
the recesses Of tb.ese rugged bills. It will be
remembered that Dr.. Linderman, Director
of the Mint, and Professor .3ogers, Of the
University OF Pennsylvania, foge ther with
a score Of scientists, spent some weeks
In this section last summer for the
purpose Of making an exhaustive In
vesligation Of the mineral wealth here
abouts. The investigation was conduct
ed with the greatest. care, by skilled geolo.
gists, and the report thereof, embodying
Professor Rogers's conclusions, appears In
the annual report of the Director Of the
Mint for 1875. Professor Rogers enlarges
on the character OF the rock examined, and
| gives the results Of different essays, and con-
cludes by expressing his opinion that 10 two
| OF the leading mines-the California and
Consolidated Virginia-there are not less
than $500, 100000. / am told by gentleman
in the best possible position to know that
DR.. Linderman has given it as bis opinion
that the ultimate yield of the California and
Consolidated Virginia mines will be $780,
| 000, 900, but rather than make mistake in
| the estimste, 1t was concluded by himself
and Professor Rogers to put it at $500, 000,.
600. It was my good fortune to receive an
invitation from Mr.. Mackay to make de.
scent into these mines. I suppose 1t is
| hardly necessary to inform you that this
| gentleman Is at the head Of the Bonanzs
! firm, the other members being James 6.
Fair, James c. Flood, and William O'Brien.
But of these gentlemen more hereafter.
| The invitation which Mr.. Mackay 30
kindly offered was accepted with uBdis-
| guiSed alacrity. ! believed it to be worth
while to roam around in the presence of
$500, 100000. Accordingly day was fixed,
and presented myself at the Consolidated
Virginia Hoist-Works about 1 O'Clock the
other day, and was invited BY Mr.. Mackay
to disrobe in an apartment set apart for that
purpose, and to don miners outfit. This
apartment is probably the most luxurious of
! its kind in this region. Two bath-tubs, a
sideboard, mirrors, toilet articles, and
Brussels carpet are some Of the luXuries.
The necessary change 10 my apparel was
made in ten minutes, and stood up and
exultiDgly viewed myself in the mirror. A
check flannel shirt, pair of blue funnel
overalls, pair of army shoes, and cap, sat
loosely on one of the poorest apologies
| for ghost had ever seen; bat the an
tcpation of the descent soon put such
thoughts far away. The mining boss came
in and gave me lantern, which lighted,
and stepped on the cage. f" G-o-n.gl" from
deep.toned gong. We were descending.
How smoothly we slipped along and as we
increased our speed how weird the sensa-
ton! 1t was long, slim ride through the
blsckuess of darkness, but so quickly &C.
complished that could hardly believe my
guide, philosopher, and friend-1 sincerely
hoped-when he told me to step off. We
had arrived at the bottom Of the shaft, and
stood on the 1,500-foot level. 1 do not know
| if the opinion be universal that mines are
damp and dangerous; it had certainly been
mine. But the first step from the cage to
the lower level dissipated thardream. The
bottom of the mine for thirty or forty feet
| in the vicinity of the shaft I found paved
with sheet.iron, and long and earnest look
| into the darkness beyond indicated anything
but water. was not uncomfortably warm
where we stood, and L -.- -.'.'
"WelI, We'll 60 up through the main drift
first" 1t was the foreman who spoke, and
withdrew my gaze from the interior to
attend my guide. We walked northward
through one of the main drifts of the Con-
| soldated Virginia mine six hundred feet,
passing cross-cuts leading from this to the
| California mine. Before we had gone hun.
dred feet, however, the ore deposit was
reached in fact, we passed through an un-
broken ore body for five hundred feet, when
we turned abruptly to the right, and passing
through cross.cut No. 6, reached the north.
west boundary of the California mine, where
it joins the Ophir. My attention was called
to winze which is being sunk for the pur-
pose of transferring California ore through
the Ophir shaft, beginning about March /.
Now was to behold sight in comparison
with which all my previous conceptions
of wealth paled into insignifcance.
Slowly threading our way through this
main California drift, my guide occasionally
halted and requested me to climb up the
boards on either side. Then, holding his
lamp on high, be modestly asked, "What
do you think of that?" What did think
Of it? If could but collect my thoughts
even now would be only too glad to tell
the whole world what thought. AS far rs
the eye could reach solid, black mass of
ore, rich beyond comparison, extended. Can
any one conceive the vast resources of such
Ia deposit? Thousands and millions Of dol.
lars, only. awaiting transportation to. the
crushing. mills and assay furnaces. From
one end Of this drift to the other 1000 feet)
There was but little change in the character
of the ore; and this, you must recollect, is
but passage.Way through solid body of
ore extending 600 feet in one direction by 300
! in another. brought away numerous speci-
mems, some of which had assayea. have
some Of the richest, which have not tested
vet. That assayed ran up to $4,000 q ton. I
am sure you will laugh when, upon conf
dentally informing an assayer here OF. the
result, be laughed outright, and informed me
he had picked up ore there which assayed at
$4,000 ton. Said be: "They can run that
ore up as high as they please; there is plenty
of free gold and wire-siver there"
| You have heard something of the Consoli-
dated Virginia Mine during the last two
years. l made an extended tour through
this rich cavern of treasure, but it was with
feeling of mild contempt that I looked
upon $300-ore after my experience In the
California mine, and although 75e tons is the
daily production Of the Consolidated Viz.
GINA, and about 500, 900 the daily yield there
| from, my aspirations still tend toward the