Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-05
CHAPTER XIII.

haste. 1t will be remembered that, some
time before the Charkup reception, Charlie
Gould and Dawlish bad made quasi part.
nership venture in the Lone Jack stock,
having bought with borrowed money one
hundred and fifty shares, and paid the as
gessment then called for. The information
on which they acted was apparently cor
rect, for the stock began, after short
period of depression, to go up steadily
thus verifying the prediction of Dawlish.
Rumors of rich strike in the mine got
whispered about on the street, and in a
short time the press began to take them
up; then the telegraph was called into
requisition, and daily reports of the condi-
ton of the mine were forwarded from Vir-
ginia City to San Francisco.
| On the 18th Of May, the following tele-
grams appeared in the daily papers
VIRGINIA CRY, May 25th-This afternoon there
was report that the President of the Lone Jack
mine had determined to start west crosscut, start
ing from point about twenty feet north of the
incline and to run directly across the vein to the
westward. Ii this is done it is probable that Rome
will speedily howl The diamond drill was run in
this direction, about two months ago, for distance
of sixty feet and reported all the way. The
President OF the mine declared the utmost confidence
it. and said that he proposed to let the public see
for themselves before the week passed. I'm ready
to let everyone in now, so far as am concerned"
He said the proposed crosscut, II started to-
night, wonld probably reach the vein by Saturday
night, as about fifteen feet of east country
rock would have to be cut through before the true
business was got at. The Vanity Fair shaft is now
60 feet below the 1900 foot level the bottom in vein
rio sls
in size as the depth increases. The diamond drill
from the 1000 foot level of the Lone Jack was run
under the Vanity Fair shaft to point about 10 feet
beyond It, and proved the existence of good ore in
that quarter This fact, taken in conjunction with
the favorable indications now in the bottom OF the
shaft renders it tolerably certain that the shaft will
cut into good ore in from three to six days. The
ore samples taken to-day from the face of the Lone
Jack drift are fully as rich as those described yester
day rich almost beyond belief.
The ore samples referred to in the last
paragraph were those mentioned in tele-
gram of the preceding day, which stated
that "the whole face of the drift assays
$500 per ton" There are few things more
misleading than assays. Picked specimens
of rock are submitted to the assayer for ex-
animation, and Immediately the result is
telegraphed as if it were the average of
the whole body. Even granting the cor
IcCIuSSS VI tLc assays, GuctS 10 Always d
loss of at least twenty per cent. in reduc-
ton. Ore which assays 5000 per ton will
not net $500; but assuming that $500 can
| be got from picked samples, the statement
| is misleading to the last degree if it is put
| forth as the average of the whole body.
The average yield of large ore bodies in the
| best Comstock mines has been almost al
ways below 500 per ton, and generally
much nearer to $50. Statements have
| been often made concerning ore which as
sayed from $500 to $500 per ton, in times
of excitement, and for the purpose of Gre
ating false impression, but if any such ore
was ever taken from the Comstock lode,
the quantity must have been very small, or
! the average would have been much higher.
Nevertheless, the public is not very criti-
cal in the matter Of figures, and the hotter
and stronger it gets them served up, the
better it likes them The love of the mar
velous is strong in our people, and they
adore picturesque liar.
The price of the stock had steadily ad-
vanced from So per share-the point at
which our friends bought into S26, when
these kilograms began to appear, with the
object of setting the ball rolling more
speedily up the hill, for the quicker the
advance the greater the excitement. 1t
will be observed that the width of the ore
body, from which these samples were
taken, was stated on the authority of a
prospect made with the diamond drill-the
manipulation of which is altogether in the
hands of the operators who control the
works. The public were to be invited to
come and look at the face of the drift, and
gain whatever information they could from
that source. When satisfied of the I'M
speakable wealth of that, they might fur
Their amuse themselves by admiring the
fifteen feet of east-country rock, and
for information as to what lay behind
these stony faces, they had the picturesque
assurance Of a President who was "ready
to let everybody in" There is another
feature of the above quoted telegram relat-
ing to the Vanity Fair mine, which is de-
serving of notice. Misfortunes, they says
never come singly, and the San Francisco
people know to their cost that ore bodies
follow the rule. If rich developments are
reported anywhere on the Comstock, the
adjoining mines are Immediately credited
with portion of reflected glory, and the
superintendent begin to talk mysteriously
of crosscuts and diamond drills and drifts
and inclines. Now, the Lone Jack prop.
erty was bounded on one side by the
Vanity Fair mine and on the other by
the Caporal, and the men who con-
trolled these excavations thought that the
time was come when they might advan-
tageously chip in and back their luck.
Under the influence of these favorable re-
ports, apparently, but in reality in re-
spouse to the well trained bidding of the
operators, Lone Jack stock advanced to 45
at the morning session of the 26th of May,
but fell to Al in the afternoon. Vanity
Fair and Caporal shares began to enhance
in value, in symI athy, as it seemed, with
the central stock, but, of course, not to the
same extent. The public were not yet
much attracted by the showing, nor, in
deed, were the operators ready to let them
come in until much higher figure was
reached. Meantime public confidence, that
somewhat sickly and tender plant, was be-
ing plentifully watered with kilograms and
fed with speculations of the most nourish-
ing character, administered every morning
before breakfast. Taken singly there was
not much in them, apparently, but the con.
tinuous administration of doses was having
its stimulating effect on the public system.
The people were beginning 20 take an in
terest in that mysterious crosscut whose
romantic history was never finished but
always to be continued in our next. Like
Penelope's web, it did not seem to make
any very astounding progress, but, per-
haps, that only fed the interest, for the re-
ports, opening gently, always broke off on
the eve of something remarkable. Every
thing sent in relation to the Lone Jack
mine was greedily read the low mutter-
ings of an advancing boom were begin
ming to make themselves heard, and the
stock of the Lone Jack mine advanced to
SION the 3lst of May and to So on the Sd
of June.
On the 5th of that month, the gentle.
man, who did the '' Mining Notes for the
Trumpet, and who acted as a kind of
chorus to explain and illustrate the doings
of the actors in the drama, gave to the
eager public the following almost lyric
effUsion
The steadg advance of those meritorious stocks,
the Lone jack Vanity Fair ard Caporal, has not
taken by surprise anyone who was acquainted with
the fact that the old Judge crowd have been for
some time back acquainted with the existence OF
veritable bonanza in the former mine, extending in
all probability beyond its limits. The unprecedented
advance in these stocks is owing to the sharp con-
test for the control for it is public secret that
certain keen operators or 90 the outside" determine
to make them pay dearly for their piece of pie. It
appears that the diamond drill put into requsi-
ton early in March, and secret drift run on the
1900 foot level of the Lone Jack mine, and body
of black sulphuret ore, assaying $3.50, disclosed.
% Hence these weeps" and surely if the public are
admitted to share in the benefit Of these startling