Arizona republican., 1905-10-01
RevIving Two Great Camps.

IT any O4Q llul6I, eSDCCldllN ally lllAlA- ing man, is asked to name the most famous mining camps in the world, he will instantly answer, Tombstone and Virginia City" And it is somewhat of a curious coincidence that opera tions are now under way which will notice Of the world.
 At Tombstone. this territory, work has been going forward steadily for more than two years in an Undertak- ing which is colossal in magnitude-a proposition which has involved the expenditure of millions of dollars and the sinking of a great shaft to the depths below the water level When work was suspended at Tombstone more than fifteen years ago, the mines that are the object of the present ex- penditure and efforts had produced more than 30 millions of dollars. The ore bodies gave no signs of playing out. but the enormous flow of water encountered at a depth of about 500 feet had proved an insuperable ob- stacle, in view of the surrounding circumstances. It was impossible to get the various owners to work in har- mony and bear their share of expense in handling the water. Many believed that no machinery then in use was adequate to control the flow of water, and others were reluctant to reinvest in the experiment the dividends they had already received. Meanwhile costly fires had destroyed the most important plants of machin- cry. and Tombstone soon became a dead camp.
 But faith in their ability to "beat the water with present-day pumps, faith that enormous values lay in the ore bodies known to be under the wa ter. and faith in their ability to finance the stupandous enterprise, led E. B. Gage, F. NJ. Murphy, W. r. Staunton and their associates to un- dertake the task of rehabilitating Tombstone. Many difficulties have been encountered, but all these beliefs have been justified by developments. With a single pumping plant the wa ter HdS DeEl iONCIt1 tIAA Ou5AAO0L NAiC district from the 6OO-foot level to the sOO-foot level, and new pumping ma chinery just installed to supplement the plant already in use will permit the great shaft to be rapidly sunk to a practically unlimited depth. It is expected that by the first of the year, or soon after. the shaft will have
  time, explorations below the old 6OO- foot level have fully justified expec- tations as to values in the lower depths.
 Within another year, it is safe to say, Tombstone will again take its place as one of the worlds great pro- ducers of gold and silver. But, of course, it will not be the wild, from tier Tombstone of the sos; but rath- CT, a modern business town.
 As to Virginia City, Nevada some interesting information is furnished by George Ethelbert Walsh in ar ar ticle in Public Opinion. MT. Walsh says the reawakening of the Comstock the famous lode that produced more than 200 millions-is sure. He adds: This awakening of the COmstock is no mere prediction, but an exact scientific, or rather engineering, fact, and the mineral deposits of the rug ged slope of Mount Davidson will be torn from their beds in spite of na- lures most persistent efforts to con- ceal them"
 MT. Walsh explains how the awak- ening is to come. He says that the unwatering of the Comstock, which has so often been tried and which has just so often resulted disastrously to the promoters, will be accomplished by the aid of electric pumps. These pumps are to be installed by the Com stock Pumping association and mining will be extended to the 3,O00-foot level 1,5OO feet below the Sutro tunnel, at once. Power for the pumps will be furnished by the Truckeee River Gen eraI Electric company, which has a big power house thirty-fve miles from Virginia City.
 The power is to be supplied at a cost of $4.5O per horse power per month, which is cheap enough to make the unwatering plan feasible. MT. Walsh continues:
 AS the work progresses new pumps will be furnished at lower levels, and the complete mwatering of the mines is anticipated. Cold air will be forced by electric fans to the lowest levels, and then through the various shafts at different levels the ventilation will be made complete. The excessive heat of the low levels and the great satura-