Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-01-10
ON To THE PACIFIC.


There Is a rage all over the United States
for the investment Of capital in railroad
enterprises. Piles Of money are lying idle
and getting very restless. 1t will be a
glorious day for Nevada when the road dis
cussed below is built. 1t will be the
starting point for cross narrow-gauge
roads, n of which will almost certainly
be run from Eureka. Nsrrow-gauge roads
have invariably paid in Nevada, and in
several instances they nave been magnif-
cent Investments. They cannot be run
through any part Of the mining regions OF
Nevada in which they will not make bust
ness enough to pay them almost directly.
They develop the country and reap the
reward Of their happy venture. The Salt
Lake Tribune of last Sunday says:
The Salt Lake 4 Western Railroad, now
in operation, is proving a profitable in
vestment to its owners, and is doing very
much towards developing the rich mining
district Of Tintic. When this road was
started from Lehi it was the intention Of
the company to push through to the Pacific
Coast, and that is still their intention. 1t
has reached a length Of SO miles west Of
the junction at Lehi with the Utah Cen
trail, and taps the very heart Of the copper,
silver and iron mines Of Tintic, and has
made it possible for these to be operated
at a profit. The great iron mines Of that
district now supply the smelters below this
city with q huxing iron, which carries some
gold, making it of moro value. 1t was
only last Summer that the road was COM
pleted to its present terminus at the Mann
moth smelters, and there stopped for a
season.
During the past few months engineers
have been scanning the country west and
southwest for a route to the Pacific, and
have been rewarded with success not only
in finding such a route as will be Of easy
grade, but which will pass through some
At the office Of the company in this city
there is an array of ore specimens, sui
phur, borax, ETC., which to us is one of the
most interesting we have been lately per-
mitted to see. Most of these came from
Nevada along or near the proposed route
Of the Salt Lake and Western road, which
will enable people to go there and operate
mines cheaply and to sell their ores and
bullion in Salt Lake. Among these speci-
mems we noticed one from Osceola Dis
trict, said to have come from a ledge four
feet thick, averaging 81 1000 in gold per
ton. This specimen was filed with free
gold in Jumps and specs. Then there were
silver ores from Fish Lake Valley, south
Of Columbus ; other specimens from the
Darwin range, the White Mountain range,
copper specimens from the Mohave Des-
ert, etc.
In Panamint Valley there are extensive
marshes from which borax is taken and
refined at the works located there, at the
rate OF 60 o per month. The boraX lies
in crystals in the marsh, and is taken ont
and refined. Over portions of the marsh
where the crude borax had been removed
to a depth of four or five feet four years
ago, a new deposit has filled in to the same
thickness, SO that the supply is inexhaust-
ible, because always growing. In Death
Valley and also in Amargosa Valley, SINH
lar borax marshes are found. These speci-
mems were gathered by j. Fewson Smith,
from whom we received an interesting de-
scription of the country.
1t would take much space to describe
all the known riches of this portion of
Nevada, which it is proposed to reach by
railway extensions. One route examined
for the road starts from the present term
mus and goes a little south of west, and
soon strikes the Great American Desert,
which it crosses near its southern enc
This desert at the place crossed is about
60 miles wide, and is sandy in places,
while at other places it is an alkali waste.
There is no trouble in getting water by
sinking, and the country being almost a
a dead level, would be easy for operat-
ing the road, and not unpleasant in the
extreme as a passenger route. The road
would pass near or through Phoebe, tap
the old Reveille District, bring the Typo
Range within easy distance, tap the Monte
yuma gold and silver district, come within
easy reach of Silver Peak, and pass through
Columbus, where the Carson g. Colorado
road would connect. From Columbus west
the route has not yet been surveyed, as
the engineers arrived here too late in the
season to attempt crossing the Sierras, but
it is believed a good route can be found.
No place as far as lined will the grade
exceed 80 feet to the mile. The White
Mountain Range is rich in ~carbonates,
argentiferous and copper ores, while the
Panamint country, farther south, is also
rich in minerals.
In returning from the survey an exami-
nation OF the country south OF this line
was made, and a good route was found for
a railroad in that direction, which would
take in the country south of the Ralston
Desert and tap a rich mineral region. The
Ralston Desert is described as being N
immense country filled with lava in ridges,
hills, knobs and level plains. very difficult
to cross. Our informant has Travelled
over a great deal Of mineral country, and
says he has never yet visited any country
so rich in precious metals as that we have
spoken OF and through which the Salt
Lake & Western will build its line on its
way to the Pacific.
The building of this road will make all
that region tributary to Salt Lake City and
aid in our growth and prosperity, and be-
come to us one Of the most important of
our railroad connections. All that ooun-
try is now 30 far removed from lines of
transportation, and the expense Of getting
there and providing supplies and ma
chinery is so great as to deter the most en-.
terprising from entering the country to
develop the mines. Once get this railway
built through that country and it will soon
be teeming with prospectors and miners;
the lodges will be opened up, and mills
and smelters will be sending up their
smoke from many a chimney. This road
will give the Union Pacific a through line