Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-11-26
rnE .ExPKRr- NUISANCE.

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II isa matter OF simple justice that
stockholders In any mine should have a
full knowledge Of its Developments. re-
sources and manner Of working as well
q the managers or insiders. They are
entitled TO SEQ their property and the
work for which they are paying assess
msnt. and NO one has any moral or
legal right to prevent them from visit
ing the mine. yet even this night may DO
exercised to q degree detrimental to the
interests OF all concerned. Most OF the
mines Of the Constock consist Of q deep
working shaft. with q few narrow drifts
branching out from IL. forming
the various "lsvsls'' where the work OF
exploration aud development ID being
carried on. and only where ore sItrac-
ton il being done ON an extended scale
by means Of breasts and slopes. creating
sireable chambers. can many men be or
work together. Thus in all prospecting
mines. visitors or any others than the
miners employed are only impsdimsnis
to the work.
The greatest nuisauces in that respect
are the numerous so called experts"
which infsst this Comstock community.
Most OF these can be seen any day
cruising up and down the sidewalks Of
Virginia. about the brokers' offices.
comparing notes. with ears kssnly alive
to any rumored change in the mining
situation. In case OF any new " strike"
they con.rivsif possible to gain admis-
sion to the mine. eager to inspect the
new development. whatever 1t may be.
and gain the latest and most important
points in the situation. Yet one-hali
Of these fellows do not know ore from
posphyry, and come out Of q mine no
wiser than when they went in. although
they talk as ~lsarnsdly on the subject as
frst-elass minsralogists. They merely
get in the way Of the miners and retard
work. Most especially and dstrimsnt-
ally has this been the case in the Sierra
Nevada development. From the time
the ore was arst struck in the incline
these experts have been the most
clamerous and persistent in their appli-
cations to visit and inspect the mine.
The fact is but too apparent that too
many Of them were allowed to 60 into
the mine, especially since the crosscuis
we're practically commenced on the 400
and 2200 levels. Crowds Of these "e1.
perts" and other prohtlsss visitors were
admitted daily. and the miners could
hardly get q chance TO work. The result
Was that the progress Of these crosscuts
into the ore vein was seriously ~impedsd.
to say nothing Of the great cost OF low.
ering and hosting so many visitors.
Yes. aud some Of these experts" did
not own o share OF the stock. and were
the very ones to sneer and growl at the
slow progress made In those crosscuts.
1t was from these fellows that the nu-
msrous contradictory reports emanated.
none Of them being able to form . cor
rect idea in tho matter. Some saw
plenty Of porphyry. where others saw
all rich ore in the face. and none
had any definite knowledge or cor.
rect judgment as to the true
merits Of the development anyhow.
None Of thsm to-day can tell you
whether that famous ''cap rock stratum
was three inches or three yards thick.
yet Ii was probably no thicker than the
heads Of many who inspected 1t. The
natural consequence was that the longer
the work was delayed. and these contra
dictory reports and rumors circulated,
tho more nervous grew the stockholders.
until confidence waned. one after the
other quietly thought best to realize.
and directly the crash came which
involved 80 many persons in utter
financial ruin. In the foregoing re-
marks we do not include the many really
competent experts and mining men who
were invited to visit the mine. and whose
carefully formed judgment and eI.
pressed opinions thereon have given to
the public the only practical information
upon which to base definite conclusions.
Indiscriminate and too frequent admis-
sion to the mine has had q worse effect
than II II had been closed to all but a
competent few. and even those only
allowed to visit once q week.