Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1879-01-29

N NOV ooHCmc VI OHcdp VcutIIu.
ton and Drainage-HOw the Vir-
ginia and Gold Hill Water Com.
pany Propose to Drain; the
Mines.
1t is announced, semi. officially,
that superintendent Gillette and
Deidesheimer, of the Savage and
Hale Il Norcross mines, have been
ordered to begin pumping the hot
water in the lower levels of the
mines named into the Sutro tunnel.
This order must have been issued
in consequence Of the inability of
Messrs. Requa, Williams and Nor
row, the committee appointed to
treat with Mr.. Sutro in behalf Of the
mines, to come to any understanding
with the tunneler. What the inn.
mediate results of the determination
of the companies named will be can.
not be ascertained at present, but it
is likely that other modes of drain
age and ventilation will be resorted
to. Several have been advocated
during the past year, either of which,
it is claimed, would be less expen-
sIve than the tunnel; but that which
seems to meet with most favor is
to enlarge the ventilating drifts and
have all the water IN the mines
raised to the surface at either end
Of the Comstock, where it could be
used for power to run stamp mills.
This proposition is said to have been
made by the Water Company, who
offer to supply the machinery,
power, and labor required, the cost
of running the connecting drifts to
be borne by the mining companies.
If this scheme is carried out, the
Utah will become the stump for all
the north end mines, the Chollar-
Norcross Savage shaft the stump for
the middle mines, the Silver Hill
the stump for all the Gold Hill mines
from Bullion to st. Louis, and the
Dayton the stump for the Silver City
and Spring Valley mines. Accumu-
lators erected on the various noun
tains west of the Comstock will sup
ply all the power required, the ma
chinery being run by water. The
Water Company, owning the water
raised from the mines, would sell or
use the same to run tiers of mills
extending along Six and Seven-mile
Canyons, at the north end, and along
Long Rayine and Gold Canyon, at
the south end. The cost of raising
the water from the mines would
therefore be fully compensated by
the use made of the same. Pamph-
lets fully explaining the scheme are
in course of preparation and will
probably be issued in few days.
The difference between the tunnel
and mining companies seems due en-
tirely to Mr.. Sutro. The mining COM
panies admit that the tunnel can be
of some benefit to them, and are
willing to pay literally for IL. About
a year ago John W.Msckay offered to
guarantee the payment of $4,000
per month to the Su.ro Tunnel Com
pany, for ten years. This would be
$500, 900 per year, or about one per
cent. per month on the stated cost of
the tunnel. But Mr.. Sutro refused
it. The Savage, Hale & Norcross
and Chollar- Potosi Mining Compa.
MES then notified the Tunnel Com
pany that they would abide by the
original contract with Mr.. Sutro.
But Mr.. Sutro will not allow them to
use the tunnel unless all the leading
companies enter into a similar agree
ment. Other informal propositions
from either side having been equally
unsatisfactory, the mining companies
named finally concluded to use the
tunnel on the terms agreed upon at
the outset of the undertaking, or to
do without it altogether. Unless the
appearances deceive, the tunnel
will never be used by the mines on
the main Comstock.