CHAPTER XXI.

WHITE PINE COUNTY.

This county has been created out of Lander County since last year's report, and many of the mines hereinafter noted were described in that report under the head of Lander County. The boundaries of the new county are laid down as follows: The initial point of starting is on the western portion of Shannon's Station, which is located at the western base of the Diamond range of mountains, and, by the road, forty miles west of Treasure City. The exact meridian of this city is not yet estab lished, but it is not far from thirty-seven degrees thirty minutes west from Washington, and the western boundary of the county is at about thirty-eight degrees. From Shannon's station the western line runs south to the northern line of Nye County, which is a few miles north of the thirty-ninth degree of latitude. This line is the southern boundary of the county to the eastern boundary of the State. The northern boundary line passes east and west through the northern portion of Camp Ruby, and includes the overland road. The county has an area of about eight thousand square miles. The districts at present organare the Diamond, Newark, Egan or Gold Cañon, Hercules, Robinson, and White Pine. Some people think that Patterson, Cave, and Grant are in White Pine County, but surveys will certainly prove them in Nye. Mines have been found in the mountain ranges east of the Egan range, but I am not aware at the present time of any districts having been formed there. The great wealth of the districts mentioned is well known. Egan was the first organized in the eastern part of the State, and it has produced a large amount of bullion. The organization of Diamond district followed, but, although a great number of mines have been located and good results obtained, it cannot boast of having shipped many thousand dollars worth of bullion. Many tons of ore have been taken to Austin for reduction, and the value of the mines has been proved by mill tests. But all the work has been done by miners unaided by capital, and a great deal could not be accomplished in this way. Diamond district is on the western slope of Diamond Mountain, a little northwest of Hamilton, contains wood and water in abundance, and many advantages favorable for making it a first-class district. Hercules and Robinson districts are some fifty miles directly east of White Pine, have been known for several years, and, although undeveloped, are in high favor with many. They are located in the Egan range. White Pine district is situate near the southeastern corner of the county, and includes some of the loftiest peaks of the State. Its unexampled wealth is now known all over the world. Treasure City, built at an elevation of 9,000 feet above the sea, is the chief town, and probably the highest city in the United States. The present population is estimated at four thousand, and the surrounding towns of Hamilton, Shermantown, and other villages in the district add twice as many more. Twenty-five miles west of White Pine is Newark district, flanking the eastern slope of Diamond Mountain. Its mines, as far as developed, prove to be rich. The leading metal extracted in the county is silver, but as economical mining advances much wealth will be reaped from its mines of lead, gold, copper, antimony, and salt, with which the rocky hills. and barren plains are stored. But mining will not represent the only resources of White Pine County. Vast areas of agricultural and grazing lands, capable of supplying its own inhabitants with provisions, are H. Ex. Doc. 207-10

contained in its boundaries. It is already noted for the quality of its beef and mutton and the richness of the butter and milk produced in it. The surface is made up of alternating ranges of mountains and valleys, isolated peaks with narrow chasms, broad passes, and elevated valleys. On the west is the lofty and continuous Diamond range, extending north and south across the county. At its eastern base is the broad Newark Valley, separating it from the White Pine range. In this valley are vast areas of salt, alkali, and soda lands, giving it the appearance of desolation and worthlessness, but, in reality, it is most valuable, as it furnishes substances which cannot be dispensed with in the reduction of silver ores by amalgamation. Along the bases of the mountains are large tracts of valuable farming land, which redeem the valley of its feature of barrenness. The northern portion of the range bears the name of Ruby Mountains, and incloses the famous Ruby Valley, only a portion of which is in White Pine County. No extensive valley appears to be between the White Pine and Egan Mountains, but the many small val leys and rolling hills afford superior grazing and sites for many produc tive farms. East of the Egan Mountains is the extensive Steptoe Valley, flanked on the east by Shell Creek range. Next follows Spring Valley and the Spring Mountains, Snake Valley and Snake Mountains, Antelope Valley and the mountains of the same name. The eastern boundary line passes through Deep Creek Valley.

Besides the mining districts above mentioned, quite a number of others have been organized, which, although perhaps not located inside the county, are closely connected with it as the starting point for all expedi tions, and they will therefore be mentioned in this part of the report.

WHITE PINE DISTRICT.

The opinion in my last report, that the formation of White Pine is a simple and not anomalous one, remains unaltered by subsequent examina tion. The rocks of Treasure Hill are certainly all sedimentary, and so completely exposed as to dip and strike that nothing more than a careful and patient survey of the surface would be required to determine, with considerable accuracy, the geological section. This is at present, however, subordinate in practical importance to the question of the character of the White Pine ore deposits, and the latter question is to be consid ered mainly in its bearing upon two vitally interesting matters: the probable form and extent of the deposits already opened, and the calen lations or natural indications upon which successful search may be made for new ones. No man can predict the effect which future discoveries and developments may exert upon all present theories, and what I may suggest as my opinion upon the evidence thus far produced does not even pretend to be a complete theory. It seems to me, however, that the following points are indicated with considerable force by the pros pecting and mining operations, as well as by the original superficial signs upon Treasure Hill:

1. Many of the deposits are clearly connected with the stratification of the limestone. They follow it and permeate it in such a way as to hint at deposition by means of percolating thermal waters carrying in solution mineral salts, and accompanied or preceded, or both, by jets or springs of solfataric gases, chiefly sulphurous acid. Their regularities and irregularities alike resemble those displayed by ordinary springs of water, permeating the crust of the earth, avoiding some strata, saturating others, filling local cavities and fissures in others. Now, if this theory be correct, it is most likely that its application, as far as the mode of

deposition is concerned, will be found universal in this limestone hill. Differences in character among the mines must be explained by differences in the mold or form receiving the deposit. I am not prepared to say that there will be found no deep fissure veins in Treasure Hill. Their coexistence with the stratified deposits is possible, but not yet proved, nor do I at present consider it highly probable. The smooth walls running east and west on the Eberhardt mine are susceptible of a different explanation, and one which seems to me more in consonance with the apparent distribution of the ore in layers in that zone of two hundred feet width.

2. Some of the best mines in the district show deposits between a certain belt of arenaceous slate and limestone. The Hidden Treasure, Sheboygan, Mammoth, and others on the north end of the hill are examples, and one of the remote southern mines, the California, has a hanging wall of clay, which may or may not be the equivalent of the same slates. Between these two extremities there are cross-breaks or slides in the limestone, certain portions of which have been elevated more than others, so that the same topographical level or continuous line does not represent the continuity of the same stratum of rock. In many instances a highly metalliferous layer abuts suddenly upon a smooth wall, beyond which the lithological character of the limestone appears so different as to suggest that it is in reality the continuation of another stratum, brought opposite to the first by a change of relative position in the rocks. 3. It will be seen that this hypothesis after all involves the recognition of a certain sort of fissures, such, namely, as were formed after the deposits of ore and quartz had been made. If future study should enable us to determine in each case the direction and extent of movement, one might find the continuation of such deposits of value as are suddenly thus cut off; and this question would be of immense importance on deeper workings, since, if this theory be measurably true, there must be accumulations of rich ore in Treasure Hill that do not crop out at all.

4. There seems to be a difference between the ores of the eastern side and summit, and those of the western side nearer to the so-called Base Metal range. This difference may disappear in depth; it certainly might be expected to do so if the deposits were separate fissure veins, but it gives to the former mines at present a very tangible advantage in purity of ore and consequent cheapness of successful reduction.

5. The ores of some of the mines are contained in a peculiar vein matter consisting of breccia or angular fragments of silicified limestone cemented together with cale spar, which generally fills up all the interstices. As this spar never contains any silver ore, (so far as I have been able to learn,) it seems likely that it is the latest infiltration into the mass. The silver ore, generally in the form of chloride, but frequently as sulphuret, and even as native silver, is found incrusting the breccia, penetrating the crevices in threads and films, and disseminated through the whole texture as well as aggregated here and there in irregular chambers or pockets. However rich the ore may be in such bonanzas, it has never failed to show traces of the usual vein matter, thus indicating that it differs only in quality, not kind or origin, from the ordinary ores of lower grade. Doubtless it would be extravagant for any one to expect the frequent occurrence of rich bodies like that discovered in the Eberhardt, since experience has proved such occurrences to be exceptional; but this much may be said with truth, that the White Pine limestone is a peculiarly favorable matrix for such bodies of ore, and that they may not impossibly occur anywhere in these argentiferous strata, where cavities or fissures large enough to contain them have been formed by the disintegra

tion or solution or erosion of the rock, and where the metalliferous fluids have had sufficient access. Traces of these conditions would necessarily be found in the inclosing rocks. I should, therefore, not expect to find chambers of rich ore in the hard, dense, non-metalliferous lime, while, on the other hand, I should regard (in default of any more positive indication) a layer of silicious and spathiferous breccia, showing traces of silver ore, as a most favorable locality for their occurrence. It is almost impossible to give anything like a full account of the mining operations of the district. There are now at least ten thousand mining locations made, and it would be the labor of months to obtain even a list of claims which are being worked, and which furnish ore in quantities ranging from small lots of a few hundred pounds per month to twenty, thirty, or forty tons per day. The following notes, furnished by a gentleman in Treasure City, were obtained partly by personal inspec tion, but mainly compiled from the mention made of the different mines from time to time in the local papers.

LOCATION OF THE MINES.

The White Pine mines are about one hundred and fifteen miles south of Elko, a town on the line of the railroad two hundred and seventeen miles west of Promontory Point, the junction of the Union and Central Pacific railroads. Several lines of stages run from Elko to Hamilton, the county seat of White Pine County; time seventeen hours; fare from $15 to $25 according to the opposition at any given time. The road is over a smooth level plain for about one hundred miles south: thence an easy grade to the mines. There are three or four well-graded roads leading to the summit of Treasure Hill, over which heavily loaded wagons pass without difficulty. Freight from Elko to Hamilton during the dry season is about two cents per pound.

POPULATION.

There are three incorporated cities, Hamilton, Treasure, and Sherman. Treasure, on the summit of the hill of the same name, is the leading business place, although there are probably more people in Hamilton. The principal mines at present are on the top of the hill in and about Treasure City, and the majority of the laboring men of the district are found there. Hamilton, at the base of Treasure Hill, has a more pleasant location, a good supply of water, and being the county seat, and having superior advantages for milling, draws quite a popula tion. No census having ever been taken, the number of inhabitants is not known with any certainty, and is variously estimated. The Inland Empire sets it down at 15,000 for the entire district, an area twelve miles square. This estimate would require a distribution somewhat as follows: Hamilton, 5,000; Treasure, 4,000; Sherman, 2,000; other towns and scattering, 4,000. Many think this estimate is about twenty-five per cent. too high all round. Sherman has the best climate, and is the most pleasantly situated of the three.

YIELD OF THE MINES.

From such statistics as I have been able to obtain, it appears that the total production of silver of the White Pine mines from the month of May, 1868, to the 1st of January, 1869, has been $968,813, and from the two mills at Shermantown, from January 1 to April 1, 1869, $297,023;

making a total of $1,265,836. From the two mills at Hamilton I have not received any returns. The report of the month of March shows a constant increase. According to the assessment roll returned by the county assessor for the quarter ending June 30, 1869, the ore crushed from thirty-four mines, scattered over an extent of country six miles in length by three in width, amounted to 4,174 tons, which represented a value of $412,814. The average value of a ton was, therefore, $98 82. It must be remembered here that during the whole of April and the greater part of May the actual bullion-producing capacity of the district was limited to thirty stamps, while for no part of the quarter over sixtyfive were in actual operation.

The following is a complete list of the mines having made returns to the assessor, the number of tons milled, and the amount of bullion produced:

Under the law $18 per ton of the gross proceeds of the mines is exempt from taxation. This amount deducted, the three and a quarter per cent. tax on the remainder will return $11,093 65, which is the amount of revenue accruing from the mining tax in this county for the quarter ending June 30.

The returns made from July 1 to 20 are given in the following:

According to the statistics gathered by Mr. C. B. Dahlgren, who has spent much time for that purpose, and whom I consider trustworthy