The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1892-01-09
INTERESTING NEVADA HISTORY.

What Caused the Decline In White
Pine rs Well az all over Nevada.
In the New York Financial and
Mining Record of Deem Der Goth we
find the following interesting account
of the early settlement and subse-
quent depopulation of Eastern Ne
vada, written by ~. g." fro m Ham
ilton, White Pine county, Nevada:
"White Pine district covers twelve
miles north and south by six miles
east and west, and within this space
there was once a population (l868-'9)
OF $4,000 people. There were three
incorporated cities-Hamilton, Treas
ure City and Shermantown - each
having daily newspaper giving the
associated dispatches of the world.
There were $4,000 locations made;
we had six banking houses, six ex-
press companies, churches, theaters,
with hundreds OF so-called sampling
rooms. We had, Of course, also the
animal called the "Tiger," that never
ate men, but took all they had in
money; in fact we lived high.
But what caused this tidal wave OF
humanity 10 migrate 10 White Pine!
1t was the discovery of the mine
called the Eberhardt, with ore that
averaged as high S2S, 900 to The ton,
and $3.50 tons of which yielded 81
500, 900. There was an average OF
over 81 200 TO the ton. However, as
every one of the $4,000 mining laca-
tons in that quarter did not find an
Eberhardt, White Pine was soon
called played out; the bottom had
fallen out of the Eberhardt, SO all the
balance OF the locations we're con-
demned. It should be remem hered,
that IL cost in 1868 and 1869 $50 TO
mill ore; carting also cost IS 10 $40
per ton; labor was "a and So per day;
superindent was paid 81 900 to
$1,000 per month, and everything
else in proportion. How could it be
expected for White Pine or any other
mining region TO exist under this
high pressure way OF mining7 White
Pine Was the Eldorado of the world,
but without roads. Freights 25 cents
per pound, $500 per ton, fares accord
ingly. Everything run high. Crea-
ton never planted silver so plentiful
IA to warrant this high pressure sys-
tenn OF mining. Experts had pro-
nouneed Treasure Hill "a solid noun
tain OF silver" six miles north and
south, and three miles east and west,
but 900 feet above tide water. We
had In addition TO Treasure Hill,
Babylon Hill, Blue Hill, Carbonate
Hill, and White Pine Mountain. All
except Treasure Hill show what are
called the base ores, or argentiferous
lead aud copper; while Treasure Hill
itself is free milling. chloride silver
ore, that mills Created by mill pro-
cess and turns out silver bullion
099% fine, and the average of Treas
ure Hill ores run from $50 TO S35 per
ton, while the base ores of the dis
trict average % to so ounces silver
per ton, with % to 60 per cent lead
and To ID per cent copper.
OF course, however, one of the
leading facts that caused White Pine
district, all of Nevada and the coast
mining towns to be depopulated was
the characterization of silver in 1878;
and let me say to all the people who
oppose silver: Little do they know the
cost OF finding and getting silver out of
the rocks of mother earth. And much
less do they know that the more you
depreciate silver the more you dim
inish the gold product of the coun-
try; for the simple reason that about
one-third of all the gold produced is
found united with silver in the same
ore. So to doom silver is to doom
gold also; to discourage mining is to
discourage all trades, all business.
Why? Because you can't extract
gold and silver without involving all
business, and all trades.