The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-04-02
Tans SaeDE,,s muscaAussx.
The Stories Told by the Builder or the
Nevada Central Railway.

Austin Railroad, has gone back to New
York, and in the language of ARENAS
Ward, is resting in the bosom of his
family at Utica, in that State, The
Utica Observer of March Odd contains
the substance of an interview with the
General, in which some thrilling Incl
dents connected with the building of
the road are related. The credulous
Uticans are told that immense snow
drifts were encountered by the graders
in Reese River Valley, and that work
was prosecuted day and night, though
the mercury was frequently 81 degrees
below zero. The interview is too
lengthy for our columns, but the follow
ing extract will give pretty correct
idea of the "whoppers told by the
General:
"As previously stated, the compile
tion Of the Nevada Central opens to the
world the richest mining section known.
,s3f AUSTIN THE FUTURE CAPITAL,
Contains a population of some 200
souls. Until the railroad was built
wood brought $l4 per cord in Austin,
while coal commanded $50 per ton.
The Manhattan Silver Mining Company
at Austin consumes $4,000 cords of
wook per annum. The residents of
Austin use 10000 additional With
railroad facilities coal can be furnished
for S25 per ton, and wood for IS per
cord, the saving to Austin on wood
alone being $4,000. Great as has
been the product of the Silver State,
small beginning has only been made.
The resources of the great ranges of
mountains are apparently inexhaustible.
Being obliged to pay SO heavily for re-
moving the ore by horse power, the
miners have only forwarded ore OF the
richest description, such as would yield
$500 per ton, Poorer ore has been
dumped near the mine. and now that
transportation by steam power has been
assured, this ore will be shipped to
headquarters and worked up. General
Lediie says the Reese River valley runs
200 miles south of Battle Mountain. On
the west side of the river rises the
Shoshone range of mountains, where
vast quantities OF native copper are
now being mined. One English COM
I,any is taking out IL, 900 tons year and
shipping it from San Francisco to
Swansea, Wales. The flakes" of
copper come from the mountains nearly
as pure as the old-fashioned copper cent
piece. On the other side OF the valley
tower the peaks of the Toiabe range,
which contains immense quantities OF
chloride and sulphate ores. Occasionally
huge canyons are met with, and these
are marvelously veined with silver,
copper and ga!ena ores, the latter being
used in working up refractory ores,
such as the sulphates and chlorides just
mentioned. The greater share of the
mining is carried on at
AN ALTITUDE $4,000 FEET
Above the level Of the sea. The eli
mate is healthful, the air being the
purest of the pure. The Indians in
that section are quite numerous, but
are friendly The Piutes and Shoshones
brought into the railroad camps guam
titles of the richest furs. The Indian
tanned furs of the mountain wild cat,
the valley wolves, the badger of the
Sierra Ncvadas and the mountain lions
and grislys were freely traded at the
camps. General Ledlie has rare col
lection of these furs, which he intends
to have made up into robes. One large
and'handsome robe made by the Piutes,
is a marvel of skill and beauty. By
some process unknown to the whites,
the squaws are able to roll heavy
quantity of cloth, so as to form strong
round strands which cross each other
at regular intervals. On these strands
the thick rich fur is woven, and the
completed robe is soft, pliable, hand
some and warm. President Ledlie
alludes to the resources of the great