The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-03-29
Father Of Silver Mining
How ComstoCk Made Famous
Discovery in Nevada.
Carson Appeal.)

carson Appedl)
Henry Thomas Paige Comstock was
an American miner whose name de-
serves to rank high among the bene-
factors Of the race. His name has
been fastened to the greatest silver
mine in the world. James Marshall
was the father of American gold min
ing, discovering the yellow metal al
Coloma, Cal; Comstock was the father
of American silver mining, making his
great discovery on the flank of Sunrise
peak, near what was afterwards known
as Virginia City, New.
The story of the birth of American
silver mining is an interesting one and
one almost totally unknown. The rapid
upbuilding of California gave to Mar
shalls discovery wide publicity and
his name is a familiar one, but Com
stocks equally important discovery a
few years later has been lost sight of.
Silver was first discovered in America
! in the mine to WhiGff. Comstock gave
his name and on the Comstock lode can
| be found not only the deepest mine
workings in this country, but the meth
DDS there employed for reducing the
ores and saving the precious metals
have been conducted on a grander
scale than is employed elsewhere in the
| United States or on this continent, If
we take into consideration the power
of the machinery used, the scientific
! skill of moderd mining engineering
brought to bear, and all of which are
so prominent feature of the mining
methods of the Comstock lode.
The discovery of silver was made in
! Nevada when that state was only
| known as western Utah" in 1859. The
confirmed report of the discovery of
the metal created as much excitement
in California as did the discovery of
| gold in Suffers mill race in Coloma
and the news spread rapidly to all
parts of the United States. 1t was a
great discovery. Taking into consid
Grafton permanency and ultimate value,
the number of employees engaged in
producing the metal and the wealth
and population it has contributed to
all that vast region lying between the
Rocky mountains on the east and the
Pacific ocean on the west, the discov
cry of silver deserves to rank above
that of the discovery of gold.
Entitled to equal credit for the dis
covery Of silver, with Comstock, were
his two partners, Peter O'Riley ana
Patrick Mclaughlin. 1t was while pros
pecting for gold on the hillside just
above where they had been previously
of SiX-mile canyon with a rocker that
these two men started the American
silver mining industry and to them.
perhaps. belongs the credit for the act
ual discovery of silver.
Comstock claimed to have staked the
ground several days before O'Riley and
Mclaughlin commenced to prospect on
it and it was thus that the three be-
came associated together and it was
agreed between them that the mine
should be named the Comstock The
grand discovery of the age was made
in a smell excavation on the hillside
which had been dug for the purpose of
reServoiring the waters of a spring for
use in their prospecting operations for
gold with the rocker. While making
the pit and cleaning off its bottom, ma
terial of a different character from
anything they had before found was
encountered. Nothing in it's appear
ance, however, suggested that there
was gold in it, but they concluded to
run some of it through the rocker. The
stuff was black and heavy. and after
washing a couple of bucketsful of it
the apron of the rocker was found to
be burdened with glittering particles
of gold and they realized that they had
made strike
Thus was American silver mining
born. On the apron also lodged con-
siderable quantities of rich sulphuret
OF silver, the despised "black stuff"
which they considered worthless, and
which interfered with their collecting
the fine free gold particles. They were
at a loss how to rid themselves of it.
Other miners visited the claim, and
they were advised to send some of the
"black stuff" to California for assay,
almost pure silver. The assays were
made at Nevada City, and the results
so astonished the assayer that he was
unable to believe his own figures
Then came the great rush from Cali
fornia and elsewhere. Many hundr DIS
of millions of dollars in both gold and
silver have since been taken from the
Comstock lode.
Mclaughlin soon disposed of his in
terest in the mine for $500, which he
rapidly squandered in dissipation. He
afterwards worked as a cook at the
different mines in the vicinity of the
Comstock, and finally died penniless
while wandering from camp to camp.
O'Riley held on to his interest until
it was worth $4,000, for which sum
he sold, receiving part of his pay in
mining stock. He started a hotel in
Virginia City, called the Virginia ho-
tel A spirit of speculation seized HIM,
and through some deals in mining
stocks he soon lost everything. He was
an ardent spiritualist, and under the
directions of the spirits he began the
work of driving a tunnel into one of
the barren peaks of the Sierras. telling
his friends that he was sure to find a
engaged in this work he became insane,
and finally he died in an asylum at
Woodbridge, Cal.
Comstock sold his interest in the
mine for $4,000. He then opened up
small mercantile establishments at
Carson and Silver City. Having no
and being entirely ignorant
of business, it was only a question of
a few months before his money was
gone and he found himself without
dollar He then struck out for Mon
tana, Idaho and the Black Hills with
out success. In September, 1870, he
from the Black Hills in Dakota. He |
was fiat broke" and respondent, and |
after stay of a few days in the town |
drove a pistol ball through his head |
with a siX-shooter.
Comstock took the loss of his for |
tune and his subsequent i'll luck in |
very much to heart. The |
great riches of the mine he had once |
owned, and the knowledge that it was |
his no longer, prompted the rash act !
which ended his life. He was a man
Of powerful build, a little more than |
six feet in height dark compIexioned |
and black hair, which had only begun
to show streaks of gray when he sent |
The fatal bullet crashing through his |
brain which ended his career. He is
buried on the bluff above South Dough |
creek, near the city of Bozeman, Mott.
his CARVE unmarked. save for a httIe
board which stands at its head.
Save when you are young to spend