Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1901-12-14
NEVADA TO The FRONT.
h
Mining and Agricultural Developments
Something About Silver Mining.

Ao'i io'ihS olc lpi 4NtNdud
not only in fruit and agriculture, but
a new impetus has been infused into
the mining situation, very gratifying
to observe. Chief of all, of course.
comes Tonopah tumbling out her
thousands of tons of rich ore, and
building up fourishing young city in
the face of serious difficulties in the
way OF transportation, lack of water,
building facilities and everything else,
except indomitable energy and HUI
man pluck
The famous Wedekind mine, near
Reno comes next to the front as a
rich ore producer, but it's progress is
somewhat impelled by litigation. 1t
will have in fine new mining hoist
the first of the year, and be other
wise prepared to take out good ore
and plenty of it, The great Western
Mining Company at Steamboat
Springs has three shifts of men hard
at work sinking their shaft toward
some rich borings, with a new pump
that can handle all the hot water that
may be encountered The mines of
Olinghouse canyon are turning out
considerable gold, and within the last
week "A rich body of copper ore eight
feet thick has been struck in the En-
pire mine, at Pyramid Lake, which
goes 30 per cent copper, 81 ounces
silver and s. gold per ton The Blue
stone copper mine in Mason Valley en-
ploys about forty men and there are
other good prospects and mines being
developed at various points.
But these are individual instances
of progress in general State devel-
opment The cattle, and general
agricultural interests keep pace, and
Nevada is on the up grade in the mat
ter of State prosperity. During the
last two or three years she has been
somewhat at a standstill, but now
she is going ahead and at a very for
chile rate. Even the old played out
Comstock which only yielded year be-
fore last less than $500, 600, came up
to over million during the last year,
the Con Virginia mine alone giving
three dividends. And the adoption
of electric power on the old lode, al
though slow in the adoption bids fair
to bring out everything all right in
the matter of further and deeper
mining
The trouble with the old COmstock
is that it has subsidized into the
hands Of few fossiized old stock
market rulers who are trying to
make outside stock dabblers pay the
expenses of new machinery, etc. All
of which Illustrate the proposition,
that the Comstock is owned and sub
let entirely in and by San Francisco.
Moreover that San Francisco has no
interest in Nevada, outside of the
Comstock Lode. All the mining
prospects or projects mentioned,
from the Wedckind to Tonopah are
all run on local or eastern capital.
Philadelphia getting in on Tonopah
very advantageously. What's the
matter with Tonopah, or any of its
connections or surroundings? San
Francisco cuts but "a small figure in
it.
As an appropriate windup to this
article comes in the silver question.
The ores of Tonopah are not all gold,
but two thirds silver. But they
are none the worse on that account.
The howl of the Silver party has
been that the reduction in the
price of silver has ruined all the sill
yer mines i'll the country. But has
it? No. Owing to the reduced cost
of milling, chemicals, etc, less than
half of thirty years ago when silver
began its decline, silver can be pro
duced at greater profit. The old
Con Virginia mine on the Comstock
has produced over million dollars
during the last two years, over 60
per cent of which was silver, yet
paid three dividends from it during
the present year Silver is all right
and shows better ledge permanency