The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-05
TOWERS RICHLY LINED WITH GOLD.
Wealth in the Old Chimneys Where the
Bonanza Ores Were Refined

wealth IN the Old Chimneys Where the
Bonanza Ores Were Refined.
For nearly quarter of a century two
tail towers have stood at the foot of
Hyde street, near Leavenworth. almost
ON the edge OF the beach One rises to 8
height of ITO feet and the otker reaches
more than fifty feet in the air. They
are both very broad and thick, and they
have brick enough III them 20 construct
several buildings.
They are relics Of the flush old days
OF the Comstock mining era, when
Flood, O'Brien, Fair and others banded
together and erected the famous Selby
Smelling and Refining works. There,
from the bonanza days of 1860 to as late
as 1885, the great chimneys belched
forth fire and smoke. They never stop
ped. Wreaths OF flame and volumes of
SCOT circled in the air over the domes az
night time, while hundreds of men
toiled in and about the works, cutting
and shoveling ore and Stag, holding
bars of bullion and refining it to pure
silver, gold, lead and copper.
In 1885 the Selby company concluded
to move its works. 1t was known that
the old underground fue that connected
the furnaces with the chinneys, as we'll
as considerable of the ground all about,
was permeated with gold and silver set
things and solid metal On the advice
of skilled European expert the COM
pany dug up the ruins as well as large
amount Of soil to the depth of FIVE or six
feet and transferred it by tons to the
new works at Port Costa. There the
stuff was run through the works, and it
is said realized not less than $500, 900.
Selby q Co. did not dream that in the
towers which were left standing and in
the million tons of Stag and mineral
permeated soil much wealth remained.
The ground was sold and nothing was
thought about it for a long time.
Some time ago W. B. Cluff, the well
known merchant and politician of this
city, acquired the ground on which the
old works and the present Stag pile and
chimneys remain. 1t consists of five
ffty-vara lots, or pa acres. Meantime
he had several experts make exanina-
ton of the brick towers and the sur
roundings. They reported that the
metal and black dust of the towers was
a veritable mine of wealth, and that the
grimy matter that filed the interstices
and in one form or another permeated
the brick rocked with valuable minerals.
Also that the gray Stag which had been
carted away from the blazing furnaces
In primitive days contained large guam
titles of gold and silver and should be
worked over. Promptly thereupon Mr.
Cluf secured the silver and gold lined
towers and the debris. He is said TO
have paid SAC, goo for the chimneys alone.
His object is to work them up and get
the money out of them.
81 do not think | viii have any trouble
in getting the gold, silver and other
mineral out" he said yesterday. at
was on the advice of an English expert
that Selby 6 Co. took lot of the debris
to Port Costa, and l am informed they
got over $500,o00 ont of that. Several
skilled mining men have coms to me
lately and offered to buy me out or work
the chimneys, Stag and soil or per-
centage. | have not closed with any,
body and do not think | shall. There is
an immense amount Of Stag there. In |
some places it is 200 feet deep. 1t all |
contains gold, silver and lead, with some
copper. have had the ground assayed !
around there, too, and it all shows up
well. In some places it is very rich"
Mr.. Cuffs intention is to tear down
the great towers, which have 80 long
been landmarks in the history Of the
city, and which can be seen for miles out
1t sea and in other directions, and wrest
from them their gold and silver lining.
San Francisco Examiner.