The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-14
TOUGH TIMES IN NEVADA.
ANOTHER sTLvBR STRIKE NEEDED TO
BOLSTER Cp THE STATE
The Population Diminissirs and Costly Min.
Ing Machinery STANDING Iii~-1a the Great
Const"ck L,d- Dcnn' lively Played Out :


serted mining camp. which has two United
States Senators and one Congressman. Its
ups and downs have coincidcd with tho ups
and downs Of its mines. When they yielded
well its towns have been full. its business
houses prosperous. and It's people compare
lively numerous. When they have produced
little or nothing 1t has gone into the dumps. rs
/, now is. and everything thnt has pertained to
II has put on sackcoth and ashes. and awaited
the next strike.
II Nevada is ever called upon to decide
Presidential election for this country. the
beauty OF the creation OF such States will be
apparent to the dullest observer. In tho last
campnign. II Indiana and Connecticut had
voted for Blaine. and II Cleveland had carried
the Southern States and New Jersey and New
York, Nevada would have had tho deciding
vote 1t could have named the President. The
people here expect some day that such situa-
ton will arise. that 1t will be discounted before
election. and that tho struggle which will take
place for the supremacy here will pay better
than a bonanza. There are now only 10000
voters In tho State decrease OF 8. 900 since the
last Presidential election. II no moro big silver
discoveries are made, 1888 will find IL with a
population still further reduced.
Tho conditions which obtain in Nevada nre
such as cannot be found elsewhere in America.
try. One OF the largest States in the Union In
Il territorial sense. the few people who live in
1t arc gathered together In tho mining camps.
and save for one or two fertile valleys tho en-
tire State Is n wilderness destined 70 remain
such forever. Silver must bo found hcre or
that the precious metal will always bo produced
in paying quantities. 1t is pain that the time
must sune time come when Nevada. ms a state,
Will be oven more of n whited senulchrc than
1t now ia. 1t maintains its present pr"tcnsons
only because tho various mining comranies
are continually prospecting. and there is n bare
chance that some of them may make str!k"
81 sufficient magnitude to put things on their
This is not the first time that Nevada has
been in the slough o. desmond or that it has
out. During the Hale d Norcrns, and Gould
" Curry exctemeLts. from 1868 Ia 1865. the
Site Sta sd w YIN ~ nm miner, amt 20
showed signs OF exhaustion there was u stam-
Rsde and not more than 1000 people remained.
men sold what they could not move for ~ song.
The next great boom occurred when Jones. the
ADresent senator. unearthed the Crown Point
mine. Jones was foreman OF tao Gould q
Curry mine. and considering the PROSPECTS
9'ow ca nn ke caa Colo @ nS
difficulty, and from the ilrs, he met nId over
came financial obstacles which seemed almost
%raHiss salaTy q .i5d %oniR from IT, i i.ss'
cents an assessment Of 50 cents a share was
levied. There was general refusal TO pay
days went by the great bulk OF the stock was
defaulted on.
In the mean time rich ledge had been struck
at he mine. and when the announcement WAS
made public some days after the default. the
masses OF ore were taken out. and dividends OF
80 we're paid. This mine ilnay ran INFO the
OF California made great fortunes; but wien
that was exhausted. paralysis again seized upon
the state and the depression became universal.
Towns OF $1,000 or 1000 people died away into
mere hamets. and as people became convinced
once more that tho Comstock was exhausted
tendent Of the Gould 4 Curry. formed an ali.
troll Of some abandonei claims north ' Of The the
Gould 4 Curry embracing about 1000 fee; Of
ground. Fair conceiyed the idea OF running n
claims at depth of / 800 feet, No companies
were orEanized ~ first but eventually they
fornia. Without sinking any shafts from the
surface they ran their drift north. AS original
deposit Of silver of unexampled richness. from
which more than $500 100000 was, taken.
went bailooning. Assessments were levied and
mid with promptness and the various cnnps
hlled up once more with miners, rrospectors.
spectators. gamblers and all manner OF trades
men, Virginia City became, town Of 10000
Tunnel WINS built. Mining mnchinery Of tho
ances Indicated that the Stat" had TERED on
died out. Fol, n long time hope was kept alive
shafts, and drifts were dug. Lower and lower
the miners 5.a ,o, descended Hgiil ,ney had
nothing was found. In the mean limo tn. other
mines had not been yielding much. and another
in tho face. One by one they drew ont 'F irs.
tho big capitalists, then the gamblers and
sports, and last the ,workingmen and women
and tradesmen vanished, until now Virginia
CITY does not bohst more than 5000 people. all
told; and the entire State has no, more than
preston il genera that he Comst"ck is played
out. There must be another strike soon. or the
Suspicion will BACON. r conviction.
Tho State Government of Nevada is n con-
in the United states Senate, but beyond that il
is curse TO them and everybody else. With
expensive institutions OF the kind in the coun.
they we're fixed whom the boom was on and
when $4,000 or $4,000 year was considered
name Without sticking his tongue out. M"n
who could not or did not make money in the
t mines aa se IN r9e re c
70 10 the senate. had 10 pay S"" ali the he
amounting to hundreds oil thousands Of dol
Jars. Ordinarily these so-caIed lights have
order to get what appeared to be- Within easy
reach. ;he aspirant has been compelled to ray
as iberally ms though another just like him
were in the field against him. Once Tom Will
liams. Democrat from kentucky, made the
race against sharon with, s75.0Do hchini him,
hut as against the eypenditur" Of his rival his
campaign fund made no impression AT all. TIE
Stat" can DO carried AZ any time by a bonanza
man. without references To his politics. so long
A. he is not opposed hy another 81 his kind. IL
two of them should ever h" pitt"d eGain-t each
other. II would be n great day for Nevada
Just now the prospecting Is going on every
whore. on thu surface. and decp"r ard deeper
into the bowels ot the earth. or tn" forty mines
in tn" STATE. only II few arc making any pre-
trnce OF working, Hundreds Of thousands "
dollars worth OF machinery is standing i'll g.
The various companies continue their ussess-
m"nts on stockholders Of "A few cents share 10
Keep NJ some appearance of activity and pre-
vent outsiders rom cot 'ng in and jumping
their claims. IL one min, Mould max" lucky
strike. every other one would immediately levy
heavy assessment. 1t would be- paid without
Erumhling. and money would once Bgain he
free "a water. On such slender threads IA
these does the future Of Nevada MS n State de-
pend. At present thorc ara many who almost
despair OF any tnnrovement. though judged
by tho past, strike might occur tomorrow
which would double the population in month.
and change the n ppcf NJ "a IA re- nia,aiv