St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-05-05
THE coMsTocK MINES.
Interesting Facts Revealed by an Intelli-
gent Old Miner.

0SN WENE0s
Interesting Facts Revealed by an Intelli-
gent Old Miner.
'There are many strange things con-
nected with the Comstock mines," said
an old resident of Virginia City. ''You
must recollect that while the main
workings extend from the north of
Gold Hill to Virginia, and below, dis
lance Of three miles, there is total of
252 miles of tunnels, drifts, slopes,
sums, quips and turns, making up the
interior workings as total. Think of
it-252 miles; further by far than from
the Golden Gate to the Nevada line,
and further than across the great State
of New York. Why, look around a
little. You might 60 as far from Wash
ington, ID. c., as to Baltimore and back
again and you wouldn't be much more
than half through the Comstock. Then
when you think of the great depth Of
these mines, the gigantic, incompre-
hensible weight of the mass resting
upon the timbers, and the trav-
cling mountain in which are these
mines and on which is Virginia
City, you involve propositions again
that have stumped the deepest think
ers. For instance, queer polished sticks
as smooth as mahogany and no thicker
than my cane are every once in while
being taken out of the old workings.
They are as hard and heavy as iron,
and knife will not make mark on
them. Now, what are they? Origin
ally they were twelve-inch solid tim.
bers, and the millions of tons bearing
upon them in all directions, perpendic-
uIar as well as literally for it is only
in this way that mines can be timber
ed-have pressed them into this shape.
They are found sometimes in bits, some.
times in long pieces, taken out, where
caves have occurred and the workings
disp laced. No known mechanism at
present nor in any age OF the past, so
far as history recounts, has such power
to compress and work marvek
with wood. The silent old mine
has stumped the scientists. You have
asked me if it is really true that Mount
Davidson is slowly travelling eastward,
with the town of Virginia on her back
and her mines within. 1t is true, and
this again has set our ablest men to
scratching their heads. By the careful
estimates of engineers it is seen that
Virginia City has travelled down hill
ten feet in fifteen years, or about two.
thirds of foot 8 year. It is concluded
that it is owing to the vast under
ground workings But just how it is
done is problematical. At any rate,
however, the people of Virginia City
are not afraid of the trip they are tax.
ing. They have been with it too long
to get alarmed about it now. In the
Consolidated Virginia and California
mines of the Comstock was another
strange thing, too. that for a long
time caused much deep study and
a vast expenditure of money.
The fires which broke out there
on the 1-5O0-foot level years ago and
burned for years seemed inextinguish-
able. Every known means was tried.
There was 9 large body Of superior ore
there, as many will remember, and the
owners were anxious to get at it. 1t
was no use, SO they put in seven solid
feet of bulkhead and shut it up. 1t
burned for seven years, and it was only
a year ago that carbonic gas was in
jected by means of costly machinery
and the hidden fires put out The gas
in there was SO deadly that not a man
could approach it as it was escaping.
1t would have be en- instantdeath. Now
the best ore of the Consolidated Vir-
ginia and California is coming out of
that place where the unseen fires long
ragged. San Francisco e ramtner.