The Parker post. (Parker, Ariz.) 1910-1918, 1915-07-31
NEVADA'S
GREAT MINES
WATER is SCALDING HoT-AiR a
TEMPERATURE OF ITO DEGREES
IN LEvELs-sPRAYs OF COLD
WATER MAKE WORK POSSIBLE.

Aue SCOiy VI tie SmdA pOy VIM
after digging a deep hole in the back
yard, told his mother that he guess
ed he must be pretty near down to
the bad place, because he found some
ashes" is strongly suggested by a
recent article in the Nevada Mining
News which describes a visit to the
mines of the famous Comstock lode.
The article reads in part as follows:
1t was the good fortune of the
writer recently to visit the famous
old mining camp of Virginia City and
to descend to the lower levels
of one of the great bonanza mines,
the Consolidated Virginia. The visit
will long be remembered, because of
the many sights and the hospitality
of the many men who are fighting
the intense heat and floods of boiling
hot water in the endeavor to recover
more of the generous deposits of the
great Comstock lode. May they win
reward in proportion to the stupen-
dous task they have undertaken.
The Comstock, discovered in 1859,
has produced gold and silver of the
value of $7OO,OOO,O0O The Consoli-
dated Virginia, controlled by the DO
nanza firm was the largest producer
with record of $1,800,G0O month
for 40 consecutive months. Visitors
are made welcome at this mine and
provision is made for their safety
and comfort. We were first escorted
to the large room and provided with
tWO-piece suit, trousers and shirt
of blue wooden, with shoes and hat.
and instructions given to strip to
the buff" and don these garments.
We were then lowered to the 1000
foot level to inspect the huge pumps
which throw the water to the 1000
foot level where it passes out
through the long Sutro drainage tun-
mel. There are three pumps on this
station with a combined capacity of
5000 gallons per minute, and they are
kept busy day and night The heat
is intense in this pumping chamber,
followed out of solid rock. About all
the pump man wears is the covering
which nature gave him, plus pants
and shoes. The water is too hot for
a comfortable bath, in fact just about
at a scalding temperature.
We worked up a good sweat on the
1000 level but it was not marker
to the inferno below On the $500
the temperature ranges from 800
to 40 degrees and the hot air ascend
ing from Wine leading to the q,
700 level was ITO degrees. How
would you like to work down there9
The mines on the lode are all con-
nected and there is system of VEN
tilation through ''downcast shafts
which helps lot Cold water is con-
Quoted into the mine through pipes
and close by where the miners work
are shower sprays. One of the novel
sights was miner sitting under one
of these sprays in wheelbarrOw,
half filled with water, cooling off,
The levels below the $500 have
been under water since 1886 until a
few weeks ago, when the combined
efforts of several mines operating
through the Comstock Pumping asso-
citation succeeded in lowering the
water to the 2,700foot level, where
mining operations are now being car
ried on. The battle with Dame Ma
ture is a stern one and at times looks
hopeless, but the men who are wag
ing it are of stern stuff.
One of the most interesting sights
is the town of Virginia City, perched
on the side of Mount Davidson above
the mines. Here is hallowed ground,
where trod the feet of giants of forty
years ago: Flood, Mackay, O'Brien,
Sharon of the mining crowd and
Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Goodwin,
Dan de Guile and hosts of Others
who gained fame in literary work.
Here are the ruins of the old Inter
national hotel, rebuilt in 1877 after
the big fire." at cost of $210s000
and furnished at cost of $4,000.
Greedy was guest of the Interna-
tional, and Grant and many other no
tables. 1t was the home of the big
operators who did big things in a big
way, and many notables have par
taken of its open-handed if costly,
costly hospitality.