davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

and sandstorms made up the measure
OF existence.
The Main Wedge.
Finally In working up the revlncs
OF what is now storey and Lyon coup-
ties. the slope OF Mt Davidson was
reached, the true source OF the aurifer-
Gus treasures they were handling Here
indeed was the main ledge and they
soon began taking out gold IN quantl-
ties and when some OF the rough gold
reached California the newspapers OF
that state We're no longer able to stem
the mad rush that set IN. 1t was
everywhere no! for Washoe' as the
country continued to be called,
The excitement was Of sufficient i'm
portance for the Harpers magazine to
send j. Ross Brown. its best artist and
correspondent to the spot and his illus
trated letters, describing the scenes IN
cidental to fortune hunting, remain by
far the most vivid and Interesting por-
trayal OF the subject extant.
But the men who We're growing rich
with the gold product Of the ledge en-
countered one notable drawback. 1t
was the presence Of q pestlferous black
deposit which persisted In clogging
their sluice boxes and was continually
Adventures and gamblers and soldiers
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

along the country Tor a similar zone Of
mneraized ground, both 70 the north
and south. The Wheeler geological sur
yey held that the southern extension
was down through Douglas and Ouus-
by counties to the south, and the other
extension running into Washoe county
above Wadsworth. The recent ns.
covcrics In th> Oliaghouse district
would seem % Justify the idea that the
ledge has made It's appearance IN that
direction.
The Comstock had a mncrallzcd belt
about 1000 feet widcand the pay streak
was Ga places 500 feet wide. Olinghouso
district shows n mineralized zone OF
more than % thousand feet iu width and
its milling ore bodies varying from 10
20 2yg feet.
But the old Mother ledge, as = is
called, seems 10 have had some falr-
sized children. Austin, born IN 1850,
has an output Of $lJ0,uvO,0G0 Phoebe,
born I'm 65, produced $4,000 900, Eureka
came into the world IN co. aud showa
SIS, 1000 to its credit. Hamilton saw
the first light I'm go, and turned out
$40. 600 900 Mountain city came along
I'm go, and us output was $lO,OOOOOO.
Candelcrla IN $50, has t50O0O.00O to its
credit. De Lamar, $50, s2o,ooO,OOo, and
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

OF fortune crowded 10 the front, ana
out OF the hurley hurley OF the gam
BILE for wealth "A few clear-slghted and
calculating men came 10 the fore. The
first big fortune was made by John J,
Jones IN Crown Point. lie came over
with the rest, after being defeated for
sheriff in some obscure county IA Call
fornin. and was smartlng under *. AZ
ter good fortune poured millions into
his lap he went into the race for the
United States senate, ard set pace
for campaign expenditure which no one
has ever been able to duplicate. lie
threw money into his fight with the
prodlgality OF drunken sailor. lie
did not need Ia spend dollar, but no
had a lot OF friends among TIC voters,
and wanted 20 show them that he APP
preclated the honor and was pleased 20
do the right thing.
Sharon was sent there by Ralston OF
the Bank OF California, and acted as
the banks Virginia City agent. He
caught the fever OF speculation and
adV.nced money recklessly upon any
hole in the ground that seemed likely.
AS security he took the word OF the
miner who wanted the loan, Ralston
sent for him and when he reached the
banks private office In San Francisco
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16
FAMOUS HALE AND NoRcRoss MINE AT VIRGINIA CITY.

the recently born camps OF Tonopah
and Goldneld have already shown near
~ $4,000 900. Most Of this money has
gone to eastern capitalists, and great
deal TO investors IN Utah and Colorado.
The California mining men had the iirst
chance to invest, ana were shown ore
running into the thousands, but they
turned the proposition down, for 1t has
reached q point now that san Fran
cisco capitalist never m,ests any money
In mining unless 1t Is a developed pinc
paying dividends. Even then he wants
an option on the mine and expects the
dividends to purchase the property,
The outputs enumerated for these
various districts are far below the nC-
tual yields. The statistician goes 10
the transportation companies and the
assessors books TO get the figures, and
IN the early days n great deal OF gold
and silver went through the express
companies under some other name ana
nj least half the net bullion product for
obvious reasons escaped the assessors.
SAM DAVIS.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

In 80 came the "Washoe rush" The
rod seekers OF California, signing for
ntw territory, wandered across the
Sierra range and began prospecting the
barren hills Of Nevada. These nomadic
fortune hunters were laughed at for
their pains and the California news
napcrg tainted and discouraged them.
The publishers Of these narrow mind
ed Journals seemed to think II rank
treason TO admit that there was any
thing NJ mineral value outside the
golden state. and IL was regarded rs a
premonitary symptom of insanity to
hunt for II,
But the men who braved the SHOWS
Of the mountains to push into Nevada
we're not Of the stuff. that was easily
discouraged. They reached what was
then known as "Washoe," ragged and
almost destitute. but game as a fight
Ing bird, and went resolutely to work.
The First "Colors.'
They delved into the sands Of the
Carson river and found "colors" and
finally reached the spot near where
Dayton now stands and got some
mighty good results. This was a point
where the washings OF Mt. Davidson
found their way down the gulches to
the river and the miners began work.
ing their way up this gulCh. They
vrested "A good wage from their toll and
we're content to stay with IT," They
wrote back TO California that there
were good prospects in Nevada, but
few people believed them and the news
papers continued to make light Of the
idea that Nevada was worth prospect
ing at all. The Sacramento Union. then
the leading paper Of California, and a
welcome guest in nearly every miners
cabin, described Nevada az the ne plus
ultra OF desolation and barrenness.
whose deserts were covered with the
bones of prospectors, where the waters
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

under even the severe conditions OF
service attending
At the present writing there is some
thing over 100000 gallons Of water
per twenty-four hours flowing through
the tunnel This is being pumped from
the lower levels Of the north end mines
ana from the Ward shaft The pumps
now In use are but tho beginning Of the
great pumping plant IN contemplation.
with which It Is hoped TO be able 10
reach the very lowest depths OF tho
mineral bearing strata OF the Com
stock lode, At the C, & G., shaft there
is now IN operation an extensive elcc-
trically-driyen pumping plant on the
2,lj0-fOot level, and this Is supplement-
cd with a hydraulic elevator which lifts
from the 2,id0. Future plans contem-
plate the installation OF a larger plant
ON the 1850 and extensive exploration
on the levels unwatered.
At the Ward shaft a magnificent
STANDARDIZATION plant uf 5000 gal
Ions per minute capacity Is ~ be In
stalled on the 300 level ami this with
a single M Of 1850 feet, will discharge
into the south lateral branch Of tho
Sutyo tunnel
or Great Importance.
The ultimate connection between tho
ComstoCk Lode and the SutrO tunnel.
therefore becomes seli-evliCnt, and tina
great Importance Of this now famous
tunnel to the mines can not be over
estimated Commercially the very life
OF tho district depends unon tho iu-
tegrity OF this property through its
availability I'm the pumping operations,
its usefulness a s. a source OK ventilation,
and its possibilities iu the way OK ore
transports 90 mills that ugy be
erected at the mouth OF the tunnel
From ana engineering standpoint the
Importance OF the tunnel Is st.ll sre8t-
en- iuuHmuch az the mines arc thereby
given O. new working llve l,500 feet
below the surface. The mite water IS
pumped only % this eleyatlAu. and the
mechanical cucrgy reduced ln ratio
corresponding with the lesselci eieya-
ton. The tunnel and Sos branches, eN-
tending as they do from one end OF tina
lode % the other AFFORDS ready
means Ot ventilation and permits OF
communication between various shafts.
Last OF au. when the tunnel IL e1ulp-
ped for electric traction 10 VIII open
q new exit for the ores ana waste, that
offers many advantages.
Through rs agency therefore, deep
mining Is made possible on the Com
stock. and # is to he hoped that the
treasures now rcposing IN the depths ~
the old lode may az no distant day,
be- uuearthei TO pour into the worlds
golfers another mighty sum.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

collapsed. II was engineered by the,
bank. Mrs. Mackay was In Paris and
she cot a straight tip from Gen, BOlan-
ger that he was about 10 plunge Europe
into war; on the strength OF this tip
TO develop the bank attempted to corr
uer the worlds wheat supply and failed,
Bolangor ala not make good and the
bank WAS temporarily crippled with
loss OF not less than $4,000, 900.
Fair Helps Mackay,
Fair wore smiling fare when the
facts were known. lie met MIckay on
the street ana slil Hello John. / hear
that yoU distressed
Mackay turned pale with rage 90 re-
sent the taunt but he thought OF the
stockholders and dCpositors ANA
smoothercd his resentment.
yes. Jim what you hear ls true"
How much dy' ye lack John | have
a little loose money / don't need for a
spell"
Five millions jim"
ooh, is that all. ! thought at first K
might be something serious. III give
~ my check for the amoui..
They walked into a brokers office ana
Fair, attaching his name 10 a five mill
lion check handed 1t TO Mackay with a
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

18th the great mining dlscov-
VIZ erles in Nevada during tho
N/ mast four years, there has
w been disposition in many
.,.rers to bellttle that mining giant
:, me sage Brush state, toe old Com
y ~, edge. with some $4,000 900 to its
' ..1it as a producer OF the precious
metals. ,,.. -.
no f5buously rich camps may In
.'., duplicate this output. no single
,5oo Of mineral is likely to prove as
1,ollee of metal, romance and national
s,rory as that true assure vein dis
80 On the east slope OF Mt. David
CIV rcorlv half a centpry ago.
sV T.n Years had passed since the ar
.,nG AT 40 had stumbled on the
guam wealth Of California. Here the
E o,U1r bad grown rich, they had carved
n' W., ths foundation Of a new state and
vu' IN Years Of their labors Is illumin-
VA win "A glow of romance and poetry
aseI i Viii grow mellow with time and
u .15nra with the English language.
s ,.ar, nudt to drink and where drouth
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

The solution OF the social question
would be found in perpetual
Chrlstmastide, provided our generous
thoughtfuness were not confined
merely to our own kith and kin. Let
us be assured that when the world
reaches up to the highest and holiest
conception OF relationship II will dis
cover that there is but one family and
that the human brotherhood cannot be
divided into classes antagonistic 10
each other. The reign OF the golden
rule will be the true Christian millen-
mum,
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

volded an encounter, went % close
quarters with his autag onsts and Il
was a beautiful battle Nearly every
newspaper IN Nevada was under Shar-
on's control and the abuse that Sutro
received would have driven a less game
man 90 suicide He was there NJ the
nnish, however, and at the end lie was
the victor lie wos a strange man with
rough side aud enamorad of
hard battles. lie never gave
nor asked quarter aud there
was the lust of sayagery I'm him, He
went 20 the front with q broad axe and
carved out his destiny,
Mark Twain and Others
Oe the men who have delvcd with
brain and hand on the old ledge may
be mentioned Mark Twain, who won
his spurs there Joseph T. Goodman,
the treuchent editor OF the Enterprise.
whose Welcome to sharon" viii ever
live IN the annals OF newspaper litera-
ture IL was the hottest blast on edi-
torial inVectlve that ever emanatcd
from sanctum. Since then Goodman
has delved into archaeological lore, and
his "Bioogia OF Central America IN
which he translates the calendars OF a
buried ANA almost forgotten race In
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

A IEARLY n generation has elapsed
M since the sutro tunnel was COM
v pleted. 1t is. therefore, probable
that the history OF this great
enterprise. the story of its construction
and he Importance TO the mines on
the Comstock Lode win be appreciated
by readers Of the Christmas News.
The construction OF tunnel for ven-
tlatng and draining the Comstock
mines was first suggested by the late
AdoIph sutro in the year 1865. 1t was,
however only after prolonged contest
mat he obtained franchise from Con-
tress and a grant of the land neces-
@ry for Prosecuting this great work.
The tunnel right grant, obtained at this
lhmt, embraced an area seven miles In
Rngih with width Of 1000 feet This
tFea begins at the base of the foothills
On the western bank Of the Carson
INeT and extends westerly TO and be-
yond the great lode The right TO pur-
,n0se, az So per acre. such mineral
lands, veins ana lodes as were cut, dis-
.'.N ~ AfNtibLlfu hbil ttit AlAlA'
OF construction, provided they lay on
eether side OF the tunnel within 1000
Ieel OF The center line, except where
Nu'n claims We're IN prior possession OF
Vlhst parties, was also included In the
luhneI grant The privilege OF pur-
@AAsI1gl az Si.25 per acre, two sections
o' agricultural land near the mouth OF
lnr tunnel also formed part Of the
valuable assets obtained al this time.
After obtaining this franchise and
grant Mr.. Sutro tried IN vain 10 inter-
wv american capital and NJ last re-
eoIt he went to London, where he OBJ
aAgl @ loan OF nearly $l,000.000 from
lNe MtDalmont brothers nj ~ per cent
per auuum, This loan was secured by
mort - bonds. and the Sutro Tunnel
company was organized with a capital
t'oek Of 100000 shares The total
.?2s' OF the tunnel ana it's branches was
scout S500O,0O0. II Is. therefore, 10 be
seen That its successful completion IN
he early seventies was a stupendous
usk that required financial aid from all
parts Of the world.
Who Sutro Was.
me story ot the sutro tunnel would
ue incomplete without q sketch Of the
,sreer OF Adolph Sutro, its protector
may therefore, be briefly stated that
ne was native OF AK In Cha?elle.
..lG was educated as a mining engineer
flleberg, Germany. His first bust
JESS venture on the Pacific coast was as
Eoprletor OF small cigar store IN san
'Iaheiseo. At this time lie was man
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

/ Brunswick, so that they may yet prove
O source Of revenue 10 the company.
Remarkable progress was made IN
driving the main tunnel, notNithstaUd-
ing the intense heat. ranging as II did
from leo degrees 10 ll5 degrees Fair,
together with the steam from the hot
water encountered an advance Of lO2
feet In 80 days from July p, to August
/, 1876 having been registered, with Il
working force OF 300 men,
During the construction OF the tun-
mel. a stately mansion was erected on
an emlnence above the town Of Sutro,
which, with It's broad lawns and syl-
van surroundings, make II an attract
i've home,
All went we'll until the mining COM
panies refused To pay 20 the tunnel
company the royalty on ores extracted.
Immediately upon this refusal, Sutro
erected "A bulkhead 10 prevent the wa
ter from the mines from flowing
through the tunnel 4 compromise was
effected on March 49, 1879, and upon
April Of the same year tho work
OF exCavating O siIb-drain began. This
drain, four miles IN length and 3X3 in
cross section was cut IN solid rock on
the south side Of the tunnel This work
was completed in 80 days, and IL gave
employment "a ,o00 men. Tho wooden
boxes, 1sx2i IN the clear, We're con-
structed OF three-inch plank and placed
side by side I'm the subdraiu. These
were tightly covered, and when flooded
were used 10 convey the hot walter
pumped from the lower levels Of the
Taines through the tunnel
Decay and Restoration.
The flooding Of tho lower levels OF
he Gold HI mines IN 1882 caused u
suspension OF work below the tunnel
level ana this. So a few years. was
followed by q like suspension in the
middle and north end properties. with
this state of affairs IL appeared That
the usefulness ct the Sutro tunnel was
az an end, and as a consequence, thia
masterpiece OF SutrO was left 20 decay,
untu now, with the rc-aW0keulng Of the
ComstOck. n has become necessary %
rohabllitatc the old tunnel The old
timber IS being replaced with now. ANA
the car tracks are being rebuilt and, IN
unison with this march Of progress, n
new drain Is being constructed
throughout the length OF the tunnel and
It's branches This new drain consists
of a 9i.inch Oregon pine pipe line In
each OF the laterals and q similar so
inch pipe In the main tunnel Before
erecting, each staye f. treated with
prcservative compound which VIII as
sure Il long lease OF life to the pipe,
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

chuokle. no interest John for the first
year"
Thanks Jim III give you a receipt"
"Oh never mind me boy. Yer word
good for trlhe like that"
The interest Fair got was the right TO
saunter along the street and tell how
he pulled poor John out OF hole
The loan however was repaid within
10 days.
After the decline in the Bonanza
stocks the prestige Of the grand old
Comstock began to fade and there Is
now but one mine the Ophir, paying
dividends. RECENTLY however, new
blood came in Capital has tethered
the waters OF the TruCkce and enter
prisug men are going deeper In hunt
for bOnanzas below the 1000 level.
The Famous Sutro Tunnel.
Electricity Is now handling the floods
Of the lower levels and sending It out
through the Sutro tunnel. This tunnel,
derided and trampled on during its in
ception, is now acknowledged to be the
salvation of the ledge. Sutro was al
most penniless when no conceived the
idea Of sending a tunnel eight niles
long into the ledge TO tap II l,i00 feet
below the mouth Of the Savage shaft.
The mining companies signed his cast
iron agreement to pay him "A royalty on
all ore taken out Of any mine GA the
ledge after the tunnel reached the Saw
age. He raised the money from the
McCalmus Bros of Scotland on his
contracts and when he neared the goal
OF his ambition with his stupendous
work, Sharon and the Bank OF Califor-
MIA began to fight him and later the
Bonanza firm Joined IN the battle
against him. 1t was carried to Con-
gress and Sutro, who never gave ground
to any living man, and who never
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

of ordinary means. and when he first
suggested driving tunnel to drain the
Comstock lode, his personal assets did
not exceed $4,000. He afterwards held
three quarters, or 100000 shares OF
Sutro Tunnel stock. which he sold at
from a so 70 So 90 per share, the last
block bringing the latter figure In 1879
The proceeds from the sale Of this
stock placed him at single bound In
the rank of multi-mlllionaires, and his
great wealth, or most OF II, was In
vested I'm San Francisco real estate,
Sutro Heights and baths, the Clff
House. railway and stately buildings In
the business center OF the city, are, to-
day, monuments to his indomltabe en-
ergy and perseverance. His vast es-
tate aggregatng many millions was
acquired after he had reached life's
meridian, he having attained his for
tieth year before the inception Of his
greatest achievement, the construction
of the Sutro tunnel, His death oc-
CURED I'm the late nineties. when he
lacked a few months Of being an oc-
toSenarlan.
Beginning Of Work.
Ground was broken for the tunnel on
oct. l6, 1862 az the site Of what is now
known as the town OF Sutro, and az
midnight on July Q, 1878, connection
was made with IA drift on the l6iO-foOt
level " the Savage mine at point go
feet south OF the main incline shaft. Mr.
Sutro was first to pass through the
opening and he was greeted by SUI
perintondent Gillette of the Savageand
others, including local press representa-
tlves. The connection OF the tunnel
with the Comstock was followed by
"A runslng celebration at Sutro; bonfires
hlnzed and cannon doomed throughout
the night
The length OF the main tunnel from
its mouth 10 the connection with the
Savage mine IL 20t45 feet; the north
lateral branch has length OF 4,il5 feet
from the main tunnel TO a point 20
feet north OF the south line ot the Mex
irun mine; the south lateral mas
length Of $500 feet from the main tun-
mel to the Forman SHAFT, The DRIFT
connecting this branch with the Alta
shaft has a length ~ 2,i65 feet. The
tunnel Is largest for a distance or l,luO
feet east 81 It's mouth, II being lexis
IN this section; the remainder averages
about SXl0 I'm the clear The size OF the
lateral branches Is approximately the
latter figure, Four shafts were start
cd along the line ~ the main tunnel
for yentllating purposes. These were
equipped with costly steam hoists ana
air compressors, but shafts No, ! and
No. only were sunk To the tunnel
level. \ large flow OF water In NO
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

he found a sharp rebuke awaiting him.
Then 1t was his turn TO talk. and de-
described the situation IN such entic-
ing language thar Hhen he demanded
s5,000o00 more TO do business With, Raj
ston gasped 10. breath and-gaye him
the money,
King OF the Comstock."
Ophir was Sharon's pet stock, and
the big market went up and down with
H. II was soon known as the bell
weather OF the Comstock,"
The prospect holes IN the ground
went down rapidly after sharon got
back with the s5,0O00O0 and when they
struck the mineral belt his millions
came rolling back with big interest, and
By common consent he was crowned
King OF the ComstOck."
Then followed scene of reckless
speculation In Comstock shares such
as America never before witnessed
Sharon juggled with the market and
could in a single day send OphIr up
or down a hundred a share, Every
bsdy went into the swirl and the Esk
Of California became little better than
a big bucket shop.
Giants of Future Finance
But while fortunes We're being accu~
INFLATED and scattered, beggars being
elevated and millionaires being impov-
erished, the most farSeelng and prlcti-
cal miner OF them all, James Fair was
burrowlng like Il mole in the ground
on the track Of the greatest bonanza OF
which mining annals gives any record
He was superintendent OF the Gould
and Curry. and with a man named Fred
Smith he ran a secret drift in through
Best and Belcher into Con. Virginia.
deeper than the owners were working
Here he tapped the vast treasure house
that afterwards made the fortunes OF
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

and sandstorms made up the measure
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1905-09-08

WANTED Girl for general
homework. Call at Dr.. Gil
mores office or residence.