Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-06-05

L
Singing: s.Chick-a-dee-dees,
Mothers wing if you please"
And IL little children, when filled with unrest,
Would stop to look up to the blossoming
trees.
They might just recall three birds in a nest
| Singing: "Chick-a-dee-dees.
Aotaer's ui,sg, If you please!'
-Rtde Ascdks.
THE COMSTOCK LODE.
Doubtless, many boys and girls have
read about the wonderful ..Comstock
lode' without understanding just what
or where it is. 49,.
To begin with, lode is a vein OF
mineral rock, of varying width, and ex-
| tending far down into the earth, that is
found between walls of stone. Ii
| widens and grows narrow in places like
| a river, and course is traced BY tunnels
and cross-cuts. Sometimes, in sinking
shafts through deposit of ore, the bot
| tom of it is reached. 1t is not then a
lode, which must be of illinlitable
depth, but a .sbed'' of ore. & It will
| readily be seen that lode is the most
| valuable of all mineral deposits, aud
that it is not COMMONLY met with.
The richest lode in the United States
/
tits four miles long, and in some places
two hundred feet wide; in others, very
| narrow. The principal ores of this
vein are vitreous silver ore, native sill
yer: galena and stephanite. Many other
forms OF minerals are found in smaller
| quantities
The first mining that was done in the
neighborhood of this lode was in 1857,
v1<,y, Co., u
tant, were worked, in what is now the
city of Gold Hill; but they did not prove
very profitable. In 1858, a quartz claim
was located by man who was nick
named cold Virginia on some CROP
pings which were also called "Vir-
ginia," and this was the foundation of
the afterward famous mining camp of
Virginia City. Still there was no trace
of the immense mineral deposit which
was destined to acquire worldwide no.
tor;ety. But in 1859 some men were
engaged in gold-washing in the man
ner employed in California, and it, be-
came necessary to dig place in the
ground where they could catch water
for the rockers which they used. In
SO doing, they discovered vein of sui
phuret of silver, which proved to be so
valuable that man named Comstock
was employed to purchase the mining
claim in which the vein was situated Of
| it's owners, who were the discoveries of
the gold mines below in 1857, and the
| vein has ever since been known as the
Comstock. AS its Developments pro-
| crossed, and reports of its fabulous
value circulated over the country, peo-
pie docked to the vicinity from all
] points of the compass, and in few
short years two fourishing towns ex-
| listed along the line of the lode, crowned
| by the towering height of Mount David
| son, which rises to an altitude of 1927
| feet above the level OF the sea-
Virginia City, the larger of the two,
| is situated at an elevation of 5000 feet.
| on the southeastern slope of the noun
! tain. One main street is built along the
side, with very steep cross-streets run
ming up and down. The population has
been estimated as high as 20, coo, CONF
posed of people of all Nationalities and
characteristics, brought together from
one common motive-the rapid acquisi-
ton of wealth. There, as in all mining
camps, everything was secondary to
this one great object, and, in too many
cases, honesty and Iectitude were for
gotten in the pursuit of riches. Not
all attained the desired end. While
some fortunate men soon realized large
fortunes, many others lost in stock
speculations and mining operations all
that they possessed. Attended by good
luck in some venture, but not sufficient
Iy prudent to .'let well enough alone"
they embarked in new schemes, which
did not result in their favor.
Gold Hill, containing a population of
5000, is built in a Similar manner to
Virginia City, one main street running
along ravine, extending to the sister
city. So many houses have been built
between the two towns that they pre-
sent the appearance of one settlement.
The ground underneath both is COM
pletely honeycombed with the work
ings of the Comstock lode to depth of
5000 feet. Shafts. mills and smelling
furnaces are on every hand, in the midst
of the stores and dwellings. BY day
and night, the noise of the busy stamps,
pounding away upon theL@fe, and con-
verting it into bullion, has been heard,
and the glare of the furnaces has cast q
wierd light upon all SIDES Everything
has denoted busy, prosperous COM
munity, and the yields from the mines
have been larger than from any other
on the Pacific coast-that wonderful
field OF misunderstanding busily at work
seventy live or eighty mills. From this
one lode more silver bullion has been
produced than from all other mining
regions put together.
/ use the past tense in speaking OF
the Comstock, and of the towns which
have been the liveliest known on the
coast, and noted for their extravaganza
and display, because they have reached
the zenith of their power, aud are now
rapidly upon the wane; not that there
is no more treasure to be extracted
from the earth-the Comstock is still
entitled to its appellation OF lode-but
work has been almost entirely sus-
pended on account of a great influx OF
water, which has submerged the mines
! and risen many feet in them. So over
whelming is the flow that the machinery
used for pumping water from mines is
! entirely powerless to cope with it. For
| long time previous to this the miners
were subjected to intense heat, increas-
ing as greater depth was attained, and
were able to remain at work but few
hours at time. although their cloth
ing was very light.
In consequence of this inundation oil
the lode, large portion of the residents
of Gold Hill and Virginia City, de
priyed Of q means of subsistence there,
have departed for newer camps. Prob.
ably greater number have gona &c
Tombstone. A. T., than to any other
| place. attracted by its rapidly growing
| reputation. Certainly the latter camT
| Is well stocked with ttViroinians. ~ whf