Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1877-02-13
PIONEER QUARTZ MILLING.

+ PIONEER QUARTZ MILLING.
The EARLY MILLS and MrIimsn or
washoe : Pan AmalEamstion -
silver and Geld Extraction.
From the 4. y. Mining AMI Scientific Prsssl
Tho trial Of pan amalgamation having
proved q success, demonstrating the facil-
ity and chcapness with which the Com.
stock ores could be worked. confidence In
the valuc OF the mines was greatly In
creased, and many parties wore cncour-
aged TO put up reduction works who would
not otherwise have gone into tho business.
The popular idea that . vast deal Of SCI
ence, or at least much practical skill, was
indispensable in the treatment OF argentif.
ersus ores having been thus partially dis
sipated, the California millmen were quite
certain that they could deal with them suo-
cessfully when q method 30 similar 10 that
employed In reducing the gold.bearipg
quartz OF this Btats would answer the pur-
pose. Accordingly . good many OF this
class repaired 10 washoe during the Sum
mer and Fall Of 1860. with q view to put
ting up mills and running them on this
new school Of ores. The srastras that had
been set up the year before were designed
merely for working tho quartz found at
Gold Hill. In which the most Of the gold
was free and easily separated. no effort
having been made TO save the silver which
II contained; the miners MOI then suspect
ing, In fact. that II carried any OF this
metal. When the y~ulphuretsd silver ores
Of the Comstock proper came to be ham
died. this style Of apparatus was found to
be wholly inadequate; hence early recourse
10 more effectual methods became neccs-
sary.
ERA oY ACTIVE MILL CONSTRUCTION.
The completion In August. lsCQ, and
the successful operations OF the Pahl and
the Coovcr mills, was Immediately fol.
lowed by the Inauguration OF numerous
other enterprises Of this kind. several hay
ing. In reality. been planned prior 10 the
above date and In anticipation Of the sue
cess that u was expected would attend
these pioneer establishments. No rapidly.
indeed. did this business Of mill construc.
ton thereafter proceed. that no loss than
eighty-six works Of this description, car
rying n total Of 1900 stamps. and costing
an aggregate Of over six million dollars,
had been finished and started up by tho
end Of 1861. some forty or fifty arastras
and several patio yards built and set at
work meantime. not being included In
this estimate. Work upon q good many
other mills had also been commenced be.
fore the end Of that year. the most OF
which were completed early In 1862. when
the ERA Of most active mill construction
terminated In no far ~ the Comstock mines
were concerned. this industry having, for
the next three or four years. been trans
ferred to Esmeralda. Reese River, Pine
Grove, Humboldt and other interior dis
tricts.
LOCATION. COST n CAPACITY.
or the mills built for reducing the Com.
stock ores eight. carrying III stamps and
costing 5000, 900. were located In Ormsby
county ; six. carrying LOG stamps. and
costing 81 200, 900, were located In Washoc
county forty. carrying 573 stamps, and
costing In the aggregate So OO,OOo were
located In Storey county twenty-five,
carrying $50 stamps. and costing 81 ,OOO.-
600, were located In Lyon county. and ten'
carrying 81 stamps. and costing $780, 900.
were located Ia Esmeralda county. there
having been erected, upto the end OF 1861,
not more than two or three small establish.
ments Of this kind In any other portion oil
Nevada Territory.
THE FIRST PARTIES To q UP WATER
DRIVE MACHINERY,
East Of the Sierra. for tho purpose Of orc
reduction, were Judge James Walsh and
his partner. Joseph woodworth, who, ON
their first visit 10 washoc. In tho latter
part Of June, 1850, threw n slight dam
across the Carson river. at n point about
one mile above the present tow VI Day
ton, then Chinatown, and, diverting the
water into q side race, employed II Tor
propelling u couple Of arastras. which
they constructed and put up there for test
Ing the Gold Hill ores, they having bought
from Comstock n small claim ut that point
before purchasing the silver-bearing de-
posit n mile further north, and which AZ
forwards CONSTITUTED. the site OF the great
washoe discovery. Tho water right 30
secured ON the river was. the next year,
further utilized by the construction there
Of additional arastras and. finally. by the
erection of extensive reduction works. this
now being the site Of the present Ophir
company's large and efficient mill.
Besides Paul, Coover and Harris, the
following parties commenced the erection
Of mills, and, In somo cases, completed
and had them running before the end OF
1850: Richard Ogden and j. Downes
Wilson. who in November. 1850, finished
the Ogden 4 Wilson mill. the first one
completed in the Virginia City district
Henry q. Blasdcl. Alpheus Staples. Israil
W. Knox. who built the Olive Branch
mill. Flowery district McNulty, who
built what was afterwards known as the