Year: 1879




VIRGINIA CITY, May 23d.-The
following is from the Chronicle of
the 2lst: Yesterday being visiting
day for the Sierra Nevada the occa-
sion was of special interest to the
stockholders of the mine. The hour
set for the inspection was 2 P. NJ,
and at half-past one about twenty
five we'll known mining experts,
stockholders and press reporters
were on the ground. The visitors
were lowered down the general
shaft to the 100 level, and then
went along the north and east drifts
to the underground shaft, 800 feet
north of the incline. Down this
shaft they went to the 1900 level.
The north drift on this level is be-
ing pushed ahead and is now at a
point about thirty feet north of the
shaft, or $50 feet north of the in
cline. The formation recently
passed through is very favorable,
and the material now in the face of
the drift gives low assays. The
most cheering sight in this level is
in the slopes Just south of the in
cline, which are reached by the first
crosscut that was run on this level.
The porphyry rocks encountered in
the crosscut and which caused the
terrific tumble in the stock last
fall, were not regular stratifications
after all, but merely bowlders that
had fallen into the ore fissure at the
time of its formation. This has
been very conclusively demonstrate
ed by the stopping work recently
done, and now there is visible a
clean breast of fine ore twenty-one
feet wide, while on either side
more ore can be seen, marred here
and there, however, by blocks of
porphyry. Superintendent Nc
Kenzie said he felt certain of show.
ing a clean width of at least forty
feet of ore at this point in very
short time. The daily yield of ore
is at present about sixty tons, and
the average assays 800 per ton, in
cluding even the slabs Of so. called
porphyry found embedded in the
ore, for these are so permeated with
rich sulphurets as to render them
too valuable to be cast aside. 1t
would be curious if as the
slopes at this point are car
ried upward the vein should be
found to widen and clear itself of
thei porphyry fragments which
wrought such havoc among stock
holders a few months ago. The
present state of development Is am
ply sufficient to warrant the bright
est hopes of what the 2,40O level
may bring forth. AS the inspecting
party were lowered down the in
cline, the cap rock or quartz form
ing the top or east casing of the vein
could be seen at short intervals,
where it had been cut into in the
downward progress of the incline.
At the bottom the incline, which
was within ten feet of the point
where the cap timbers of the 2, 400.
foot station will be placed, the en-
tire face is mixture of this quartz
and cap rock, interlaced by seams
OF rich ore. The cuts in the floor
Of the incline, made for placing
stills, disclose very fine ore. Here
we have vein which has been fol-
lowed down along the incline from
the 2, 100-foot level to the 2,400-foot
level, q distance of 4S0 feet, as the
pitch of the incline carries it 1850
feet for every 100 feet gained in
vertical depth. The first cut into
the vein was made midway be-
tween the 2, 100-foot and the 1900
foot levels, and was run about Is or
20 feet in rich ore, being stopped
before the full width of the vein
was ascertained. Work done on the
2,200-foot level proves that there is
a width of at least thirty feet, and
probably more at that point. With
these established facts upon which
to base an estimate, it is fair to
presume that the cross. utting soon
to be commenced on the 2,400-foot
level will develop body of ore
larger and richer than any that has
gladdened the hearts of the public
since the California and Consoli-
dated Virginia bonanza was un.
covered. Crushing began yester
day at the Mariposa mill, situated
in the Canon just north Of the 81
ezra Nevada. The hoisting works
started up yesterday on ore from
the 9, 200 foot level. About 1,00l
tons of ore are now on hand, ant
the supply from the mine, ever
with the present limited facilities
for hosting, will be more than suf
ficIent to keep the mill steadil,
employed. It's capacity is about A
or so tons per day.