Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1879-08-02
THE CoMSrOCK LODE.
WHAT PROFESSOR CHURCH
SAYS ABOUT 1T.
Its Yield in Excess of $685., OOO,.
OOO-Peculiarities of the Great
LOde-NO Fear of Exhaustion,
but the Hot Water to be


We are indebted to the New York
Engineering and Mining Journal for
the following report of the address
delivered before the Bullion Club,
Thursday, June IS, 1879, by Profess
or John A. Church:
For many years, engineers have
discussed with much interest the
subject OF deep mining, the point in
question being the greatest probable
depth to which the earth's crust
could be penetrated. Opinion set
tied with considerable uniformity
upon 1000 feet as the limit to which
the existing conditions of labor and
machinery would allow mining to
be carried with profit. No mine has
reached that depth and the ques-
ton was really no more than a theo-
retical one until the appointments OF
inquiring into the probable future
of the coal supply. In that inves-
tigation the depth to which the
earLh's strata might be robbed Of
their coal was necessarily an impor-
tant item.
But it appears to be reserved for
America to put this important item
TO the first practical test, and under
circumstances which are undoabt-
eddy the most notable and interest
ing in our mining annals.
The past twenty years have wit
messed the discovery IN our coun-
try and the growth of the most i'm
portant mines OF silver and gold
known in the history of the world,
with one exception. Potosi, in
South America, is said to have pro-
duced 5000, 900, 900 from its mines,
while the Comstock lode in Nevada
has yielded little more than half
that sum. But at Potosi there were
more than thirty principal veins,
while in the Constock region all
out two and half or three per cent.
of the product has been collected
from series of fifteen or sixteen
large masses of ore lying in close
juxtapositiOn to an eruptive dixie
about four miles long, and forming
one homogeneous lode. This Won
derful series of deposits has sup
piled no less than two and third
per cent of all the gold and silver
that have been extracted from the
whole earth since the voyages OF
Columbus; and if any other lode
has record that can be compared
with this, have not been able to
find il.
1t is difficult to arrive at the true
product of the Comstock mines, for
they were opened at a time when
statistical matters were but little val
ued in the West. At that time, when
bullion was obtained, little attention
was paid to accounting for it to the
world. Now, different state OF.
things exists, and careful records
of mining and milling operations
are kept; but the early period un-
fortunately covers just that part of
the lode's history in which the rich
top-rock that occurs in most veins
was worked, and the confusion
then introduced can never be re-
moved from the statistics of its
yield.
After going over the numerous
and somewhat contradictory autho-
rites as carefully as possible, l
have summed up the entire pro-
duet of the lode from 1858, the
year of its discovery, to the end
OF 1878 at 1921, III ,605. This repre-
sents only that portion of the yield
which was accounted for to the
stockhoiders; and to ascertain the
true yield of bullion some add.
ton must be made for the product
from tailings and battery shines,
both of which, by Western custom,
are perquisites of the mills. IL is
obviously difficult to learn the
true yield, or estimate fairly for
these items; but il they are sup
posed to yield s. per ton of ore,
and the quantity of ore is six and
a halt million tons, they will rep
resent product of 49,, 900.
This brings the whole yield of the
mines to $323,67l ,805. Finally we
may add $40, 100000 to this sum
for the losses in working, and the
account with the mine will stand
about as follows:
Duration Of mining. $50. 20 years
Number of bonanzss. ......... 10
Tons of ore extracted ........ $500, 900
Value of ore per ton, nearly. $50 90
Yield in mills ................ ~ 80
Yield from tailings and shines,
per ton ..-..,..... w