The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-01-23
TONOPAH is A
WORLDS WONDER
The Mines and Some of the For.
tunes Made in That Mar.
veIOus Camp.
BY C. ID. VAN DUZER.


# some idea of the distance to Tonopah,
|z the fare, the business conditions and
& opportunities, l will now give the re-
suit of my rather limited observation
as to the mines.
The town of Tonopah or Butler City
is situated at an elevatio nof $500 feet,
almost on a divide between Mount Od-
die and Mount Butler. The mines, and
they. properly speaking, consist of the
Mizpah, the Valley View and Burro. lie
north and west of town on the slope
leading up to and terminating in Mount
Oddie. This slope Is similar to the
one on the west end and side of Win
nemucca mountain and is cut up by
two slight ravines. The Mizpah ledge
runs nearly east and west, and, l am
told was originally exposed for about
1,200 feet in small reef or ledge or
surface cropping The formation is
porphyry and the vein follows up and
down the ravine and was originally
discovered by James Butler. The sto-
but | was told that, having lost his
mules on a trip south, he cut across
these buttes in search of them. The
prospector's instinct caused him to
knock off piece of rock from the
ledge, and though the rock was not
attractive as a rich specimen, when
assayed a few months later 1t gave
value Of 81 900 to the ton. Butler, with
that open generosity and business hon
Il or which dominates the mans mental
and moral makeup, took in number
81 of friends and afterwards leased out
the ground in fifty and 100-foot leases.
The first leasing was on the Valley
y View and Burro These lodges are not
i parallel to the Mizpah, but eonverging
Y as the fingers do to the palm of the
hand. all going into Mount Oddie. The
Valley View and Burro were richer in
u gold. and the vein was narrower than
the Mizpah. Cutting and Brown tried
4 to get a lease on the Vale View, but
q failed. and took as a last chance their
II lease on the Mizpah, finding ore a few
VI feet from the surface. Cutting at one
time had eighty men at work. He er-
ected a gasoline hoist, put in a rock
crusher and prosecuted his work Wig
orously.
Now there are many conflicting sto-
Il ries as to the amount these leasers have
n taken out, but as the rock has been
ia piled, sorted and sampled one can es-
# innate it's value with reasonable close
n ness. In sacks, corded up like a fort,
a in a bulk almost as large as Diehls
II brick building, was a 1000 ton pile
II which Cutting estimated would aver
! age 5000 a ton, while in another inn
n mense pile was $500 tons which would
go s100 a ton. Then besides there was
a lot Of low-grade ore which would
not pay TO ship. / presume he has
100000 out. OF course from this will
come expenses and the royalty. leav-
n ing after all a snug fortune. Henry
j Cutting takes it gracefully and laugh
lngly refers to his walking into the
= camp with but two dollars and half
L to his name. Should this mineral zone
extend and develop into a young Com
n stock the many properties In which
n Cutting is now interested Will leasily
make him millionaire.
Frank Golden did not go into the
camp until late, but he took lease
on Tie Mlzpah. buying it. There was
Nj no ore in sight and Golden had put In
IL between $4,000 and $4,000 before he
E# got color in return. On the 31st of
~ december, at which time the leases ex-
III pred, he was interested in several.
NJ IRON The Golden & Sinclair lease inn
M nense quantities of rich ore had been
N taken and he has it stacked up near
ny ftom the one lease he has three
III iafse plles the tonnage and assay val
We VI which show 1t to be worth over
sVVvyv, from which expenses and roy
aties must b. deducted Golden is
very popular lie Is a Napoleon of
Nance, punger, a good spender and
sh4fnd of the men.
HNl5 and Cal. Brougher, who were
oris mai owners and leasers and who
nad the first restaurant and saloon
nave made snug fortunes. They have
n 'aken out about s5oo.OoO The daily