CHAPTER II.

NEVADA.

THE COMSTOCK MINES.

The aggregate yield of the mines on the Comstock lode was considerably greater for the year 1870 than for 1869, closely approximating, indeed, the production of 1868; and, during the latter part of the year, the amount disbursed in dividends was notably large. This is partly due to the fact that a few companies extracted large quantities of ores, the costs upon which were kept low by the large scale of operations. Thus the Chollar-Potosi produced the enormous sum of $2,627,938, of which $658,000 was paid out in dividends, and the Hale and Norcross, producing $1,708,281, paid out $512,000 in dividends. The advantages of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad have been very evident in the cheapening of freights and timber. The explorations of the Bullion, Imperial, and Ophir have been barren of results up to the end of the year; on the other hand, the deep workings of the Gould and Curry, Yellow Jacket, and Crown Point, have furnished much reason for encouragement as to the future. Of especial significance is the discovery in the latter mine, at the close of the year, and at the deepest level, I believe, ever reached upon the Comstock lode, of a new, large, and valuable body of ore, which is apparently disconnected with any other hitherto worked. The San Francisco Weekly Stock Circular quotes from a letter dated January 15, concerning this discovery, as follows: The winze in the soft ledge at cross-cut No. 1, on the 1,100 level, is down on the line of the incline, following the west clay, 44 feet. The face of it is in clear bright-looking quartz, showing spots here and there. The entire face on the raise of the east body, from cross-cut No. 1, 1,100 level, is in ore that will mill $50 per ton. The character of the ore is black sulphurets and chlorides mixed through it. The incline raise is four feet high, and it is safe to calculate that the ore extends two feet beyond, making an ore body six feet in width. The mine has never been prospected in this section from the 1,100 level up to the 300, and while this ore body may and doubtless will vary in size and quality, there is no doubt but that it will prove an extensive body of ore. The improvement in the quality and extent of the raise occurred at a point 30 feet up from track floor.

I learn that subsequent developments still further enhanced the importance and extent of this discovery, and I regard it as a striking demonstration of the continuance of ore-bearing character on this vein in depth. Especial significance is attached to the fact that the level in which this body has been struck is but three or four hundred feet above that of the proposed Sutro tunnel-the 1,100 feet level of the Crown Point being 1,563 feet below the croppings of the Gould & Curry. (According to the Virginia Enterprise, the Sutro tunnel level would coincide with the 1,300 foot level of the Crown Point; but this is probably erroneous, since Mr. Carlyle's survey makes the tunnel intersect the Savage claim 1,922 feet below the floor of the Savage works, or about 1,960 feet below the croppings of the Gould & Curry. The rise in drifting 6,900 feet, from Savage through Crown Point, would not be more than 6 feet.) Since much doubt has been thrown upon the enterprise of Mr. Sutro, on account of the alleged barrenness of the Comstock in depth, it is fortunate that this development has occurred in time to encourage the prosecution of the much-needed deep tunnel.

This tunnel is now in process of construction, and has been carried in about 1,900 feet, through various alternations of rock, and several veins, none of which, so far as I am aware, have been prospected. A good deal of water has been met with, which may be considered, so far as it goes, a favorable indication of the existence of fissure-veins in the neighborhood, though, at the inconsiderable depth thus far attained, the significance of its occurrence is not important. My opinion as to the necessity and value of this tunnel remains unchanged, except so far as it has been strengthened by recent developments upon the Comstock. Asa means of exploring that vein to a depth heretofore unattained in metalmining, it will be indispensable. Some of the shafts in the Comstock are now approaching the level of the tunnel-survey; but the expense and difficulty of going deeper will be well nigh insurmountable, without an adit as a new basis of operations. The effect of a tunnel, adequate for drainage, transportation, and ventilation, is to create a new, artificial surface, with the added advantage of a hydraulic power, measured by the quantity of water and the height of its fall above the tunnel level. A few months ago, suggestions of this nature were met with the reply that the Comstock shafts were not finding ore in depth, and that nobody was likely to desire to go much deeper in barren ground. In successive reports I have uniformly regarded this barren ground as a zone, beyond which ore bodies would again be found; and this opinion is now so far confirmed that I presume no one will now discourage further explorations in depth, up to the limits of mechanical practicability.

As it is understood that Congress will order an examination of this subject by a commission of military and mining engineers, the further discussion of it upon the present occasion is unnecessary. The report of that commission would be rendered, probably, in the winter of 1871. Meanwhile, I trust that the tunnel may be pushed forward. This is one of the few localities in the country where such a work is really required.

The prospects of the Comstock mines are certainly better than they were a year ago. Prices in all departments have never been so reasonable as now; and the general economy of management has never been better. The reserves in the Chollar, Hale & Norcross, Savage, and Yellow Jacket are understood to be still large, and those of the two former are in their lower chambers. The Washoe stocks have shown, in a general advance in price, the effect of this encouraged aspect of affairs.

Among the casualties of the year were two, which claim particular attention, as indicating special sources of danger in the mines upon this lode. The first was a cave between the 800 and 900 foot levels of the Yellow Jacket mine, caused by a flake of ore and vein matter falling from the hanging wall. Three sets of timbers in length, two in height, and two in width, were crushed, and four miners were buried under the mass. The following extract from a local paper vividly describes the vain attempt to rescue the only victim who was not immediately killed: As soon as the cave occurred in the Yellow Jacket mine, several brave men from the floors below hurried up the ladders to the rescue, knowing full well that some of their comrades must be there, and in need of immediate help. The danger was great, for the timbers were still cracking and pieces of ore falling; yet they ventured close to the ruins, and the light of their candles revealed one man jammed among the debris, and still alive. This man was Hanson. They could get near enough to touch him, and he was able to freely converse with them. A heavy timber across his hips and others about his legs held him fast. Only one or two men could work in the narrow space at a time, and very cautiously, by reason of danger from the still moving mass. They. worked with saw and axe, and for over two hours the poor fellow talked with them as they worked. He called for water, which they gave him three or four times. He was

in great pain, but cool and sensible to the last. One of his comrades bade him keep up good spirits, and they would have him out shortly. "Ah, boys," said he, "good spirits is getting played out." Then, at times, in his agony, he would beg them to end his sufferings by splitting his head with the axe. At last, his voice could be heard no longer, and on examination he was found to be dead.

The system of timbering employed on the Comstock lode is very expensive; and it is hardly practicable to renew the timbers, so large is the amount of material required. The extent of the open spaces left by stoping, the very steep dip of the lode, and especially of the ore-bodies in it which are removed, and the impracticability in most cases of filling up with "deads," or leaving sufficient pillars for support, necessitates a vast complex of heavy morticed timbering. At the same time, the carelessness of early workings has left large quantities of low-grade ore in the upper levels, so that the companies for several years have extracted ore from old workings. This unfortunate combination of circumstances makes it necessary to keep open portions of the mines which might otherwise be abandoned. The great expense of mining in this district is due, next to the cost of prospecting for ore-bodies, to the necessity of extensive timbering; and the same cause has led to several accidents, the principal of which was the disastrous fire in the Kentuck and Crown Point, mentioned in a former report.

Another accident, occurring at the Hale and Norcross mine on the 24th of August, was more directly the result, in my opinion, of repre hensible carelessness. The Gold Hill News describes it as follows:

Thomas Stanton and David Ryan, together with John Cochran and Matt. Sullivan, were engaged in sinking the shaft deeper. An empty car was being lowered on the cage; when near the top of the shaft the heavy bolt connecting the brake-lever with the friction-band around the brake-wheel broke square off. The consequence was that cage and car, weighing nearly a ton, immediately descended with frightful velocity to the bottom of the shaft, which is 1,200 feet deep, the heavy wire cable following it just as fast as the swiftly revolving reel would allow. Indeed, the engineers ran out of the way, expecting every instant to see the reel and brake-wheel fly into fragments. They say a perfect stream of sparks flew from the friction-wheel and brake-strap nearly to the ceiling. Fortunately, however, the flying end of the cable, as it left the reel and dashed down the shaft, did very little damage. The cage and car, in their descent, passed through two strong platforms of heavy timbers a foot thick; one of them about 45 feet from the bottom, and the other only 10 or 12 feet above the heads of the men, passing through both as though shot from a cannon. Stanton and Ryan were standing erect, or nearly so; therefore they were both crushed down to instant death, the bodies of both being considerably mutilated and broken. Cochran was bent over, working, and was knocked prostrate, with his legs under the cage, but the other unfortunates receiving the full force of the falling weight saved him, and he escaped with comparatively light injuries. We were present at noon to-day while Drs. Webber and Hall were making a surgical examination of him at his cabin. They found the head of the right thigh bone fractured at the hip joint. A pick, or something of the sort, had also evidently been driven several inches into the fleshy part of the thigh at the under side, but this wound was not considered serious. Sullivan, the fourth man, was working beneath another compartment of the shaft, a few feet distant; therefore was lucky enough to escape entirely unhurt. The cable fell, coiled among the debris of the broken platforms, upon the car and cage; therefore it was quite a job to extricate the dead bodies. The bolt broken was not defective. It was two inches in diameter and showed no flaw, but simply a square break of good solid iron. This accident of course developes the now evident fact that a two-inch iron bolt was not strong enough, yet no one could hardly be blamed for mismanagement; it was a purely accidental circumstance, and one of those unforeseen calamities continually occurring in our mines. Two strong brakes instead of one might be used, and thus the recurrence of a similar accident prevented in the future. Engineering invention certainly can contrive some sort of safeguard to apply in such emergencies. The cage was of the safety pattern, but owing to the tension kept upon the cable the safety clutches were not free to act, as they would have infallibly and effectually done in case of the cable breaking. We append this last remark by reason of having heard several persons state this was not a safety cage. It was, and a very good one at that-so strong that it was but little injured by its fall.

It seems to me that no "engineering invention" is required to prevent

such a catastrophe. This case is but one of many warnings which the Comstock mines have furnished against the practice of lowering cages by the brakes instead of unwinding with the engine. I remember that for several years it was the rule in the Gould & Curry mine to lower with the engine; and during that time not a single accident occurred in the shaft. Lowering by the brakes is letting the cage, with the continually increasing weight of cable, fall down the shaft, regulating its descent merely by the brakes upon the friction-wheel, which are controlled by a long lever, reaching to the station of the engineer. The inequality of the pressure of a man's hand upon such a brake-gearing is made very unpleasantly evident to a person descending in the cage by a surging alternation of velocity, as the momentum of the fall is now allowed to accumulate and now suddenly checked. In lowering cages which do not carry human passengers, less care is exercised in regulating the velocity, and the resulting strains upon every part of the cable and machinery are of the most dangerous character. It is true that a simple device might be employed to stop the revolution of the bobbin when the brakes fail to act; but it would be far better to avoid dropping the cages in this way, and, by lowering steadily with the engine, to secure a uniform instead of an alternately accelerated and retarded rate of descent.

STATISTICS OF THE MINES.

The following statistics are offered in continuation of those presented in former reports:

Report of the Belcher for the year ending February 1, 1871.

The receipts for the past year were $278,541, including $204,253 from bullion and $72,095 from assessments. The expenses were $277,017, the leading items being $123,214 for crushing ores and $85,388 for labor, leaving $624 cash on hand. During the year the amount of ore crushed was 11,353 tons, yielding an average of $17 99, at a cost of $10 85 per

ton.

Report of the Gould & Curry for the year ending November 30, 1870.

The assets of the company aggregate $203,614, against which there are liabilities amounting to only $2,629. The superintendent reports 24,305 tons of ore taken from the mine during the year, averaging $28 16 per ton.

The president's report gives the following comparisons of the operations of the mine for the past three years:

Report of the Hale & Norcross for the year ending March 1, 1870.