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Volume 35 (1877) (426 pages)

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Page: of 426

234 MINING AND § CIEN Tip GePates [October 13, 18977.
The Big Bonanza.
Tbe workings on the bonanza mines are on so
extended a scale and of so intricate a nature
that itis very questionable whether any one
not particularly interested in the mines
and the drifts, cross-cuts and winzes ruu
and in the extent and development of the various stopes, can carry them all along from week
to week and comprehend
The Important Developments
Which have been and are now being made.
There are few, therefore, who know the reach
of the ore bodies being opencd up on the various levels or how far they have heen traced.
To do this would, indeed, require the reader to
follow the work through a labyriuth of channels
aud to retain a vast amount of statistics, important, yet not readily remembered. It was
with a view of making a summary of these statistics, in connection with the devclopimeuts
made, that the Virginia Enterprise reporter
asked and obtaiued the permission of Col. Fair
tomake a descent into the mines and takea
look at the work goiug on and the formations
eucountered, It was not expected, however,
that all the levels of both mines could be visited and examiued in a single day; besides, the
space required to chronicle the whole would exceed the limits of a single issue.
The 1650-Foot Level of the Con. Virginia
Was the first portion of the big bonanza visited.
The Enterprise says: The drop was made
through the C. & C. shaft and the visit made
under the guidance of W. H. Patton, Assistant
Superintendent. The drift west was followed to
its face. The developments from what was formerly considered the west wall of the ore body
are important. After entting through eight
feet of porphyry a new and unexpected ore
body was encountered. Then came 35 feet of
ore and the drift penetrated porphyry again,
This, however, continued from five to eight feet,
when ore was again encountered. This is
A Most Important Development.
And one which is becoming more so with every
foot made in the ore body by the drift. Nor
are the developments being made by the stopes,
as they are being extended to the south on this
level of much less interest. They have been
extended 120 feet in what is known as the west
ore body—. ¢., west of the horse—and the ore
is found to be widening gradually all the way.
When first opened np this ore body was 42 feet
wide; yesterday (the 30th nltimo) the stopes
were ahout 50 feet in width. The importance
to he attached to this development will be apparent when it is remembered that this ore
body on the level above extended 200 feet further south than where the stopes on this level
now are. These are what are mentioned as the
west stopes, 1630-foot level.
The East Stopes
On this level are also following the ore body
south, aud on the east side of the horse. They
have been extended abont the same distance as
the west stopes, viz.: 120 feet, and are also
widening and extending as they reach out in
that direction. In other words, the horse
which lies hetween the two ore bodies is gradually hecoming narrower. Where cut through
by the drift west on this level it was 32 feet in
thickness. The ore bodies have wideued out
till, at the sonthern extremities of the stopes
above mentioned, they are witbin 12 feet of
each other. In other words, the horse has nartowed down 20 feet ina distance of 120 feet,
and is at the point above meutioned but 12 feet
wide. At this rate it will entirely disappear
about 200 feet from the line of the drift.
Tuto the California.
The distance from the drift on the 1650-foot
level to the California line is abont 30 feet, and
the next point visited was the west stopes of
the California mine on that level. The sill floors
of the stopes are being extended northerly.
They have heen carried north of the line about
30 feet, and are there 42 feetin width, and the
west wall of the ore hody at that point has not
yet been reached, A cross-cut (No. 2 west) has
been started westerly from the lateral drift, and
will be continued on in the same manner as the
one in the Consolidated Virginia, to explore the
ore body recently encountered as above, and
which will certainly he found in the California,
since the developments in the Consolidated Virginia are but about 30 feet south from the line
hetween the two mines,
The Ore
Opened up on this level is exceedingly rich and
the extent of the ore bodies immense. For the
purpose of opening them up a drift has been
extended north through the horse, leaving the
ore nntouched on both sides. This was followed
to where the branch drift from the C. & C. shaft
intersects it, at the northern end of the horse, a
distance of some 200 feet. At this point crosscut No. 3 has been started west and is in ore 10
feet. Again the drift was followed north, and
for a distance of 100 feet, to where cross-cut No.
4 has beeu run about 60 feet, and this is also all
in fine ore, and the quality of that near the face
was improviug upon even the excellent deposit
opened up nearer the lateral drift. These
Cross-cuts are all Penetrating Virgin Ground
And, as will he seen from the distances apart,
are opeuing up a hody of ore immense in extent
and excecdiugly rich iu quality. And all this is
in the west ore hody on a single level, and yet
there are those who tall: of the California as an
exhausted mine and hint of ‘tno more dividends.”
These developmeuts, and a look at the ore, make
it still more mysterious why the stock of this
mine should be rated after that of Consolidated
Virginia.
An Eastern Ore Body
Is also opening np on this level most wonderfully. The first place visited was winze No. 3,
which is being sunk in the ore body at the
northeru terminus of the horse, and is down 50
feet or such a matter, all the way in ore of a
good quality. Here a hoisting engine has heen
placed to facilitate the work of sinking. This
ore hody is reaching off north and east to au unknown distauce. The boundary of the honanza
as traced on the 1500 level was vorth, 54 degrees
east, and the clay wall of the body here seems
to have a very similar trend. What it may
portend, and how far extend, remains to be seen.
The 1600 Level
Was reached by the cage in the winze and again
explorations began. Here the make of the ore
body to the uortheast has been more exteudedly
traced hy a drift following the clay. This drift
has penetrated about 85 feet aud isin ore all the
way. This ore body gives every indication,
however, as traced up, of uniting with the
western ore hody at some point further north.
We then returned to No. 3 winze and examiued
the west ore hody on this level. The ore body
has been traced going notherly for some 400 feet
aud stopes are being raised at each eud. The
ore is very rich and exists in immense quantities. It is similar in kind to that helow, and is
Very Rich,
Beiug of that loose, soft, porous nature which is
easily reduced and which crumbles to pieces
when exposed to the air for any lcugth of time.
Tt has been followed by the stopes on this level
cast and west 120 feet, but not to its hut. It
is no doubt the same ore body found above; but
on this level an important fact is being rapidly
ascertained, and that is that it makes fnrther
west aud east than on the level above. How
far it may extend is not kuown, as its limits
have not been sufficiently traced to determine it.
The Ore Body is Undefined
As yet, its extent not having been reached in
either direction. It, however, at the uorthern
end makes to the east, aud will doubtless finda
connection with the east ore body as it widens
out on the 1650 level. On this level connection
has been made with the Ophir shaft and the
ventilation is perfeet, as it is, in fact, all through
the mine. From this point the counectious were
followed to No. 3 winze, the desceut to the 1630
level made, and thence the C. & C. shaft sought
through the north branch drift.
Improvements at the C. & C. Shaft.
The double deckers are being successfnlly
run at the C. & C. shaft, and bya single drop
four cages of ore are loaded, hoisted and trundled off. The new English cable, of which
mention was recently made, is in place and
swings the cages with perfect safety.
The dressing rooms recently fitted up there
are the tinest on the lode. They are large and airy
and conveniently furnished. ‘The north one is
fitted up for ladies and with all the needed appliances, including bath tub and hot and cold
water. Between this and the office is the gents’
room, similarly arranged and furnished, auc has
the additional advantage of the finest shower
hath apartment, with hot aud cold water, which
there is on the Comstock.
A new chauging room for the workmen has
heen fitted up under the carpenter’s shop south
of the shaft. The room is 60 by 60 and lighted
by four large east wiudows. All around the
room are places for hanging garments, with
hooks attached, and across the room are six
similar rows, and several others nearer the
stove running part of the way across. In the
center of the east side is a cylindrical stove,
made like a steam boiler, which is six feet long
and three feet across. To guard against fire,
boiler iron has heen put on the floor, covering a
space 10 by 12 feet. Ashower bath to occupy
one coruer is not yetin. There runs aloug the
south side a large tank for washing clothes.
The whole is capitally arranged and will be
fouud most convenient.—Znterprise,
Vigorous Prospecting.
The Pliocene company, ou Galloway hill, says
the Mountain Messenger, means business, and
has started to prospect its ground in a manner
worthy of emnlation hy all companies that are
able. This company, under the management of
Mr. Thurston, Supt., commenced boriug for
gravel in the early part of this summer by hand
power. A six-inch hole was put down through
hard lava boulders to a depth of 186 feet, when
pipe clay was enconntered. Up to this point
it was found necessary to use the drill exelusively. Here the auger replaced the drill, and
the bore was extended downwards through 54
feet of pipe clay. When this depth was reached
it was found difficult to make much headway
owing to the falling in of pieces of clay from the
sides of the hole, and requiriug nearly all the
time to keep the shaft clear. Upon consultatiou and a report from the Superiutendent it was .
decided to abandon further attempts to reach
bedrock with the auger, and commence a shaft.
The company has gone about this work in a
manuer that commauds admiration. It has a
90-horse power engiue ou the way, and boilers
eapable of generating steam in excess of its requirements. A large boarding house, engine
house and timher shed will be erected as scon as
possible. A contract has heen let for 500 cords
of wood, ‘The shaft has been commenced and
will he abont 6 by 18 in the clear, with three [
compartments, (We are not sure that we are
correct in regard to dimensions.) It will he
timbered with 8 hy 8, sawed stuff, which will
certainly make a very fine and substantial curbing. Albnt 50 feet of the shaft can be sunk
without encountering water, and hy the time
this is completed itis expected that the steam
hoisting and pumping machinery will be in
place. If the winter storms will hold off loug
enough to enable them to get under cover, work
will go steadily on through the winter. Tt is
supposed that the shaft will be from 400 to 450
feet in depth, hut this is approximation, in a
great measure. Weare glad to see miniug capitalists turning their attention to our mines, for
we feel certain that in no-part of the State is
there such an inviting field for investment.
A New Quicksilver Saver.
An experiment is beiug tried, or rather is
about to he tried, at the head of the blauket
sluices of the Cou. Virginia pan mill and near
the C. & C. shaft, with a new machiue for saving quicksilver and catching the valuable part [
of tailings. It cousists of a modificatiou of the
old California shaking tables. The preparations
for trying the process are on a small scale, A
water wheel is being erected some four feet
across. This is to turn two shakers which are
each fitted up with eight small copper pans
coated with quicksilver, and containing in each
of their bottoms cast iron balls about as big as
rifle bullets, which are also quicksilver-coated.
In some of the pansthese bullets are still uuited
as cast, the string of them being long enough
to reach across the bottoms of these pans.
The water wheel is the motive power, bauds
running therefrom to small pulleys on each of
the system of shakers with their eight paus.
The water is taken from the flume ahove ata
point where it raises over the C. & C. side
track, as is also the silt for the experiment.
While the former turus the wheel and shakes
the pan, it also helps to carry the latter down
into the paus, which are arranged in perpendicnlar rows of four each. The agitation over the
quicksilvered surfaces of the balls and the pans,
as the tailings pass throngh from pau to pau,
serves to collect the particles of quicksilver as
well as to amalgamate the mineral which is contained therein, and the valuable portion is thus
collected and saved.
The ‘‘ustitution” is under the patronage of
Dr. Cachot, of San Francisco, who is ou hand
to try the experiment. The ‘‘haby machine’’
will doubtless work tolerably well, but it scems
as if there must be some wear and tear to a big .
one of the kind, and a hig machine will be
needed here if any.— Virginia Enterprise.
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