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archieftoegang 2.10.02, inventarisnummer 2901, pagina 18

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eThe tollowins briet description of the position of these Mines, which lie in the same
seneral line ot ore body that constitutes what is commoniy knoun as the Comstock Lode,
may aid the mind in tormins a vetter idea of their nature, and will serve to explain the
principles which have quided the Engineers and Superintendent in lagins off the work
tor explorins their extent and minins the ore.
c The surtace ol the whole country around Virginia City is rough, broken, and hill9.
At this immediate locality there is a lons totty range extension ot the Washoe Mountains,
at places many hundred teet in eleration abore the plain, whose steep slope to the
valley beloi taces towards the last, and whose general trend is north and south. About
midway up the slope the croppings of the ore ot these and ot mang other Mines of the
Lode are visible.
e The tirst excavations which were made in the earty workings here were upon these
croppings, vut in due time it was discovered that the orebody dipped toward the east in
a measure parallel with ihe surtace of the mountain side, though havins no puysical nor
seoloxicat relation to that superticial ontline. As a consequence of this discovery, the
present shatt, known as that of the Consolidate d Virginia Mine, was sunk at a point doin
the slope mang hundrea teet to the east of its onteroppins.
c Et is trom this shatt that all the ore trom the Consolidated Virginia and Calitornia
Mines nas veen litted, until the recent tire, which destroyed the noistins machinery.
e The slope of the ore-body of these Mines is trom 48 t0 47 towards the east, and its
trend or line of length is nearly north and south, or in the direction of the line of the
containins mountainlike ranse.
This beins the relative position of the vertical shaft to the sloping body of ore, it is
evident that no ore would be looted tor in the descent until several hundred teet nad
veen reached. In point of laet 1, 300 teet of rock were passed throngh betore any hori
rontal drittins was done to intercept the ore.
eOre ot protitable richness navins been met with at this level (the 1300 teet level, as
it is called, the shatt was sunk to the depth of 100 teet more, and a similar horizontal
dritt run in to test the continuance of the ore. Findins that the orebody on this the
1400 teet level was undiminished in abundance, and richer than that on the 1.300 teet
tevel, the ehatt was carried donn a second 100 teet, with a vier to explore a 1, 500 teet
tevel: aud tinally, under the encouragement affordea in every successive toot of descent,
a double winze nas been put doin recently in the Calitornia Mine to a depth of 110
teet below the 1550 teet level.
t The shatts navins veen sunk successtully to the depths here indicated, the principte
adopted tor explorins and provins the extent of ore on each level was to run galleries and
cross-outs.
aIn the brief narrative of the procressive development of the mines abore siven, it
is seen that by this only sate and satisfactory mode of testins the length, depth, and
width of the orebody, it nas veen renderea possible to block ont in oubes of a hundred
equare each, the metalvearins mass so tar as penetrated to view, and to thus reach an
approximate estimate of the provable aggregate ultimate product of Cold and Silver trom
these Mines.
e In speakins ol these Mines they have been reterred to here in lanquage common to
both. The line which divides them is only a property boundary, there beins two com
paries, tut under one management. The ore is ot the same character, and the east anc
west walts identieal tor them both.
e The claim ot the Consolidated Virginia Mine is 710 teet 1025. and that of the Calitornia
Mine 15600 teet. The explored width of the oremass on the 1, 500 teet level averages
230 teet.
a With the data in our possession, and the maps betore us, l may venture apon the
tollowins caloulations, and estimate the total ultimate product of the Cold and Silver of
the orebody of these two Mines.
On an inspection of the official surreys exhibitins the salleries and croescuts, it
woula seem tair to conclude that, with proper allowances, the orebody equals an amount
which, taken at the actual assays, woula sive as the ultimate gield of the two mines,
300, 000, 000 dollars: but, to guard against a chance of over estimatins, Itate the assays
at one-half that ascertained, which will place the production at not less than 150, 900. 000
dollars.
a With a view to make due allowance tor interruptions to the continuity of the bod9
ot ore which lies between the 1500 and 1.400 teet levels, the whote of the ore contained
between the 1400 and 1300 teet tevels is thronn in and not embraced in the
estimate. It may also be stated that the very promisins ore derelopments below the
1530 teet levels, the assays of wich run very tigh, have also veen omitted in the
calculations.
es Hon. H. R. Linderman,
Director of the Mint.
1 R. E. Rogers,
15 November 1875.
The ultimate total pield of the Mines is thus estimated at the very least
at 150. 000, 000 dollars. 1 4s per cent. be deducted tor 6o1d, the calculated
amount would ve 82, 500, 600 dollars, o2 16, 300, 6001. worth of Silver.
Tour
ov oxeaxctariov op Stvxk.
tour Committee nave thus extracted caleulations trom official sources,
and have sheun now those calculations work ont: vut it must ve understood
that they have no other means of judsins of the correctness of the tigures than
any reader of the Reports wich have veen cited. They proceed to State what
the Mines are reported to have actually vielded in 1873. and durins the first
quarter of 1876.
The Report of the Director of the Mint tor the fiscal year endins 30th
June 1875. sires, in the tabte of the pield of the State of Verada, about
11, 500, 000 dollars as the estimated product of the Consolidated Virginia Mine.
but tor the year endins 3151 December 1873. the report of the Company onnins
the Mines States that it vielded 17, 000, 000 dollars. The actual dividends paidare
Stated to have veen 12,000, 000 dollars. More would have veen produced, vut
tor a tire which occurred on the 261h October 1873. and stopped all work till
the 13th December. The amount of 17, 000, 000 dollars represents 3, 400, 0001.
vut deduetins 4s per cent. 1o1 6o1d. it becomes 9, 330, 800 dollars, or
1, 870, 000 1. of Silver.
xi
The result of three months workins, in the year 1876. nas veen torwarded Appendix 16.
to the Director of the Paris Mint by Colonel Tules Berton, the President of the
Bureau des Mines des Eitats du Pacifique. This sentleman nas no mission trom Appendix 21.
the trenck Minister of Finance, but the Mint Administration nas requested N0. 3.
him to procure ang information ne can sather in the United States on the
monetary question. Monsieur Berton, in his letter, dated Virginia Wevada,
5th April 1876. writes to the Director of the Mint, as 1o1lows:
e Thave the honour of torwardins to gou, in anticipation ot my detaile d Reports on the
great Silver Mines of Nevada, which Thave examined durins my stay in this State, a Fresh
notice of the production of the precious metals durins the month of March. Twill oon-
eern myselt tor the present only with the Consolidated Virginia Mine, of wich the
wealth appears boundless, and surpasses by much that of the other mines, except the Cali
tornia, which promises results just as extraordinary, but which will not ve in workins
order tor some weeks.
ce As lhad the honour of informins you in my last notice, the production of the Con-
solidate d Virginia Mine nas axain increased aurins the month ot March, in proportions
which have never been reached by the richest mines of the world. The tollowins extra-
ordinary results were obtained durins the month:
is Vine hundred and eighty- one vars ot precions metal,
Value in Gold -
Value in Silver
55
-
.
-
Potal Value, Cold and Silver
Dollars. Cents.
56
1636, 917
E.
1327, 000.
43 percent.
1493, 0001
1997, 301
36
3634, 218
1826, 000.
92
-
e The production of the Consolidate d Virginia Mine durins the tirst three months of
1876 is divided as to110w5:
Dollars. Cents.
1796, 726 99
2, 831, 330
3,634, 218
44
92
8, 262, 576, 357211, 630, 0001)
-
January
-
February
Marck
The pield it continued on the scate of these three months, would ve about
33, 000, 000 dollars tor the gear, o26, 600, 0001. Deductins 4s per cent. tor 6o18.
the Silver produced would amount 10 18, 150, 800 dollars, o2 3, 600, 0001. a gear.
lour Committee preseni these tigures as they have receired them. Bearins
in mind that the Calitornia Mine is Stated not to ve as yet in workins
order; the pield as siven in this statement appears greatly to exceed the
estimates touna in the varions official Reports.
62
338.
The