Arizona republican., 1903-04-23
Rejuvenating Mining Camps.

Two remarkable and interesting en-
 terprises are just now under way, each
 of which will result in the revival Of
 great western mining camp. After having been abandoned for six years,
 the submerged drifts of the ConsoH-
 dated California and Virginia shaft al
 Virginia City. New. are to be un-
 watered, and the lower levels of the
 great Comstock lode will be worked to
 a greater depth. The amount of water which will have to be raised is enor- | nous. the shaft being now worked to depth of over 2,90O feet, below which it is flooded.
 Virginia City was. without doubt, in it's palmy days the greatest mining
 camp that the world has ever seen. In enc respect, it was a sort of annex cf
 San Francisco. for when the gol: placers that had built up San Francisco began to give out, the vast deposit Of
 ore in the CGmstoci-half gold and half silver-was opportunely discovered. Most of tine proceed; of the mine went into palaces and hotels and other costly improvements in the city of tho Golden Gate. until the silver million aires, or their descendants. becoming more aristo"ratic, found SIr Francisco l too much of Q village. and moved their household goods to New York.
 II was just about twenty-five years ago that the Consolidated Californi:,
 and Virginia mine paid it's last monthly dividend Of B a share. The stock at
 that time sold for s21. From that tim". varied by few fitful spurts, began the decline of the Cornstock. which haG supported two big mining exchanges
 in San Francisco and two daily stock papers. Last year it was asserted in a San Francisco paper that unless the Comstock mines should be pumped out and work resumed, the big mining ex- change would have to shut up shop.
 Stock that was quoted in dollars twen- ty-five years ago is now selling for less than as many cents, with few buyers. Should the pumping arrangements prove successful. Virginia City may yet come to the front again, as q lively
 mining camp.
 1 Another mining camp that once had
 q population of over ten thousand wit:
 money SC plentiful that you might change q tWenty-dollar piece with tn, 1 first bootblacl1 you met, is Tombstone. ] Tn the fall of 1880 and the spring O. ! 1881 many people of Los Angeles were | trying to sell their property for a song.
 In order that they might move down to the new Eldorado. in southeastern Arf-
 zona. Those that failed to do so, and remained here. have cause to congrat- ulate their luck, if not their foresight. 1 Water has been the trouble in the l Tombstone mines also, together with q
 lack of agreement as to sharing the l expenses Of pumping out the mines, which have remained idle for over six teen years. Not long ago F. F. Gage
 who has been for many years promI- nently connected with Tombstone. sue ceeded in organizing q company for the purpose of combining all in" mining; properties and pumping them out. Thta work has been actively going forward on q gigantic scale, the pumps hoistins water over 700 feet at the rate Gf l.700.- l coo gallons a day. the flow being 0o great as to create a miniature river. Ir addition to this. Tombstone has just been placed. for the first time, in rail- | road communication with the outer world. so that it's prospects are verP bright, and the hills over which Oli | Cochise roamed with his murderOuS followers are again echoing with q mum
 of American industry. As Tombstone