TJ 70 O 2 rn H tn F 84-5" .3 P7 m r BANCROFT LIBRARY o- THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA * *// IlsT 2ST E V A. D A.. PROMETHEAN TUNNEL AND ^tlw f|tuuu(j fettpttui), o 141 BILO-A.D'WVA.Y, IsT. Capital Stock, $5,000,000. Shares, $100 TRUSTEES. General WILLIAM T. THOMPSON, New York City. Prof. DAVID CHRISTY, New York City. DAVID S. MURRAY, THOMAS J. HARLAN, CHARLES A. ELMORE, Baltimore, Maryland. OFFICERS. D. 8. MURRAY, President. DAVID CHRISTY Treasurer. THOMAS J. HARLAN Secretary. COUNSEL FOR THE COMPANY. Ex. Oov. E. LOUIS LOWE. The property of this Company consists of a Tunnel right, com- mencing at the mouth of the Canon near the old Site of Clifton, at the lowest point that can be secured. It has a length of about one mile and a half, cutting in its course, at nearly right angles, every vein in the famous Lander Hill. These veins will be cut at depths varying from 150 to 1675 feet below the surface, and will at the same time thoroughly drain every mine on Lander Hill. The water alone secured from this Tunnel will be of immense value to the Company, as they can use the same at their reduc- tion works, which are designed to be built at or near the mouth of the Tunnel, so that the ore can be delivered .directly into the mills from the mines, without an additional expense of hauling. "3 -P-7 2 The Ledges owned by and connected with this Tunnel proper- ty HIT twenty-three in number, as follow.-: Alpha, Empire, Bars and Bullion, Cardinal, Henrique, ^. v ^l, Upper Grade, Appenine, Lord Chesterfield, Sicilian, Arondiquoit, Pinola, Bohemian. Old Regime, Conemaugh, cry, I. 1 , ridge water, Chase, and Valcour, Emperor, Prometheus. Hungarian, Whitehall, The Tunnel includes all the - thousand feet on each side of iis central line, or a breadili. in nil. of two tho> ft\ and as m.-iv tlian run- Itt/n'/m/ //Wy f .< will In- cut. the amount. Of Ores Secured must be enormous. But in addition BS, which liave an outcrop at the surface, the (\.nipaiiv mav expect t inert \\ith many moreof what are called "blind ledges," which do not appear at the surface. This expectation is on the 1-n-t stated, that fully three-eighths of the distance from the mouth of the Tunnel to Mount Proin<'tlieu>. is s<> dei-j. by debris that no prospectiiiLT has ever passed down through it. lie Ix'd rock satisfactorily. It may be remarked here, that the Companies minii,L! at the purlace. ai-e anxious for the owners of the Tunnel property to pro- ceed with their work, as it will I- to them, while descend ii-L r . in draining their miiu- in taking out their ores afterwards, if they should ever reach the level of the Tunnel, and conunen< ndinr upon their ledncs In-low its flooring a privilege for which they could well all'ord to pay a handsome sum to the Promethean Tunnel ( 1 ompany. and which will constitute one of its BOOTCeS of income. The rock of Hill i- ilranite. cut by multitudes of veins of silver- bearing Quartz, Mr. <'hasc. a mining tin. Nevada, in do'-i'ibin^ the condition of the mining int on Lander Hill, near the be^inniiifi of the pr- >ays : that tweiitv-oue mines only have been mined to the depth of one hundred feet, that thirty-seven have reached water, and only thirteen have steam-hoisting works erected and s\ - min- ing commenced. As water is usually met with at a depth of sixty to one hundred feet, requiring the erection of hoisting works, it will be inferred, he snys, that mining on Lander Hill is vet in its in- fancy ; and he further assures us, that one hundred and eight ascer- tained ledges lie in the track of the Tunnel, and that the whole number which it will probably cut, can not be less than one hun- dred and fifty. It is also stated, that, of the mines to be cut by the Promethean Tunnel, fifteen are already proven to be of great value, and are now being mined profitably, two of which, only, having attained a depth of three hundred feet, while their elevation above the level of the Tunnel ranges from 550 to 1,250 feet. But few of these mines, therefore, can be expected to pene- trate to the level of the Tunnel, until long after it shall be finished be}*ond the line they occupy. With these facts before us, it may be safely calculated that the Promethean Tunnel Company will be self-sustaining and divid- end-paving before one thousand feet is excavated. A more particular statement will render this plain. The Tun- nel, a- meii by Mr. Chase, when excavated one hundred and twentv feet, will reach the Alpha ledge, in seventy feet far- ther the Cardinal, in an additional fifty -five feet the Appenine, (which is the same vein a,s the Rod Jacket, from, which consider- able valuable ore has been taken the past season) and in thirty feet more the Henrique. The Valcour, another valuable mine, is in the same vein as the Diamond, and is eight hundred feet from the mouth of the Tunnel. Much valuable ore has been taken from ihismine also, and worked the past winter at the Key- stone Mill. The Bridgewater is only seventy-five feet from the Valcour, and has turnished considerable valuable ore, proving it a vein of excellent promise. The remaining ledges in Lander Hill, occur about, in the same order with those enumerated there bein^ no very great distance U;tween them. Of the twenty-three ledges belonging to the Company, sixteen lie within two thousand feet of the mouth of the Tunnel, and will be the first intersected by it. Mr. C. adds, that it is believed the three last mentioned veins will either of them furnish means sufficient to conipleh- the Tunnel, after they or either of them have been opened. That this picture of the future results of the Tunnel enterprise is not overdrawn, will be apparent when the richness of the ores of Lander Hill are compared with the product of the ores of the Comstock Ledge and other mineral districts. For this purpose we give the official Reports of the Assessor of Lander County, for the last eight quartet's, in relation to the productive character of the mines around Austin. Those on Lander Hill are marked with an *. The average yield, it will be seen, is very much greater per ton, than that of the ores of the C ige, so widely known as the most profitable in the world. The official returns in detail, of the product of the latter, for Ib66, are given as Bl in the Report of J. Ross Browne, the Commissioner appoint- collect the mining statistics of the Pacific States. The tabular statement em it twenty-two of the most prominent of the Companies operating on the Comstock Ledge; the average per ton being .'-51.01, while the average per ton of the Mines on Lan- der Hill, for the .piarter ending June, 1868, was $327.21. The total product of the Coinstock Ledge for 1866, was $16, 000,000. Mr. Brown. ,<>t give the details for 1867, but states thf te production at 17,500,000. Assessors' Returns for Lander County. FOR THE QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 30th, 1866, NAME OF MINE. No. TONS. No. LBS. AVERAGE PER TON. TOTAL. "'"( * ivat Eastern 412 559 $176 82 ^7 SQQ 9ft * Fort ana 33 85 71 2 828 43 ""North Uiver, 39 536 217 56 8 543 15 *Tr>\- a 1000 83 82 209 55 *Diana 17 631 180 40 Q 1 OQ 70 *Blue JLedo-e o 1968 128 64 385 92 *Semanthe, 2 774 276 97 661 13 *ldora 16 1287 212 6^ 3533 43 *E. Oregon 1 86 46 86 46 *Foster, 26 1000 48 47 1 284 45 -Magnolia 4 1171 259 93 1 191 86 *\Vashino;ton, 4 187 45 749 80 *Morjran A: Muncev, 17 500 107 95 1 889 12 *( 'a7iiar< r <> 39 90 77 3 540 03 *Timokc, 28 258 167 92 4723 00 ^Isabella, 19 500 40 18 773 46 *Hardinjy & Dickman 1 1000 87 19 130 78 * Providential, 7!) 1000 39 04 3 103 68 'Savage Consolidated 160 156 83 25 092 80 *Savaire No. 2, . . j::n 74 06 17.033 80 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 30th, 1866, NAME OF MINE. No. TONS. No. LBS. AVERAGE PER TON. TOTAL. * Amsterdam, .... j 250 $168 75 $ 189 84 *Buel North Star, 4 1000 336 57 1 514 56 *Camargo, .... 12 1000 116 57 2 082 12 *Diana, 143 1990 91 18 13 129 92 *E. Oregon, 1 111 53 111 53 *Empire State, 7 600 99 22 724 31 ^Florida, 13 1990 255 60 3578 40 *Fortuna, .... 1 1520 54 30 95 57 *Great Eastern, 287 217 94 62548 78 *Idora 22 1695 220 42 5036 04 *J. R. Murphy, 1 100 251 18 263 74 *Magnolia, 6 1671 238 25 1 628 56 *North Star, (Manhattan Co) *North River, 69 13 288 1924 83 90 56 03 5,801 18 782 20 *Providential, 64 884 54 91 3 538 51 *Remington, 6 1500 49 63 335 00 *Savage Consolidated, 451 103 25 46 565 75 *Semanthe, 2 150 332 52 *689 98 *Timoke, 79 1138 148 41 11 808 84 *Washincrton, . 12 67 479 52 5.768 30 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 31st, 1867. \ \MK OF MINE. No. No. LJM. PON. T< >TAL. *Bla<-k I/'djrr ."> :>oo $210 34 $ 1.104 2i Bu.-l North B...-1 N..nh Star (2nd < tea *Diana 81 16 1(51 182 5U .->'. 15,02 * Florida . 10! :;:.; :i 28 ! 1" 204 FlllliT . ... ::i 1 ::: '""( i ri'jit Fa-liu. North Star ; Manhattan < <> ) . . l 884 48 14! *St raii ir -r 1 :,.", >i *Si-inaiil In- ; i::-2 88 Savage Consolidated MO 18,263 30 Timoke HID ; 59 .injrton 1 1681 81* L.4S FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 30th, 1867. NAME OP MINE. T ^ No. LBB. ATERAOB PKB TON. TOT A I *Black Lrdjr,. 20 *Bul Nortli Btal I'j; Diana 956 331 936 $104 09 I*;:; 1()3 60 $ 2,131 55 20,808 09 :; SHI ( ;s 740 101 88 ;i5 7'. *FullT... . 18 711 67 10.128 80 *Fl..ri 507 North Hiv.-r 19 1551 14! 40 211 39 75,861 66 4 ISO 55 *OleandiT 113 40 M; ^7 *Orejf<>n 1 UN 253 89 264 12 Semanthe ... '. 94 14 s;-> -)| *St. Louis, _' *Trov 38 73 H (M Timokf 96 1460 JH 49 Washington 1005 447 69 Wall \ Isabella 14 IMO 137 07 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 30th, 1867. NAME OF MINE. No. TONS. No. LBS. ANERAGE PER TON. TOTAL. *Buel North Star 68 1399 $230 05 $ 15 804 32 *Buol North Star (B W ) . . . 21 1864 157 56 3 415 43 *Diana, 82 310 209 40 17,203 89 *Em]>ire State 18 758 120 34 2211 73 *EstllT 2 440 45 06 100 03 *Farrel, 13 170(3 83 61 1 160 90 ^Fuller 17 1 103 225 19 3959 07 -Florida (i:i 1002 199 37 12659 99 -iilora o 485 132 15 824 95 *North Star, (Manhattan Co.) (1st Class,) 760 9 1048 1232 251 20 284 59 191,037 65 2,7? 6 62 *Magnolia 35 044 191 96 6814 50 *N"orth River 11 138 41 138 41 *Kaleseed (Plvinoutli Co) 1 1(558 237 95 416 42 *Roanoke . 1 324 85 42 99 26 *(Jr'ut Eastern (Shoshone ) g 128 320 40 2904 11 *Savage, 30 1218 182 39 5,582 78 "-Savannah, 9 745 201 72 1,890 62 *Sani Hrannan 2 892 109 00 239 36 *Soutli America . 10 920 196 68 2065 14 *Troy 39 1932 173 29 6,931 60 *Tiraoke, . , 5fl 870 292 31 15,298 04 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 31st, 1867, NAME OF MINE. No. TONS. No. LBS. AVERAGE PER TON. TOTAL. *Biu-l North Star, 87 1380 $197 65 $ 17,331 88 "'"I )iana 199 1693 192 27 38,423 99 '"F.ast Oregon 7 615 279 49 2,042 37 Florida 155 406 274 49 42601 67 "Fortuna, 4 1688 164 18 795 29 *Frank Muncuv 1 1179 237 86 378 08 < in -at Eastern 60 727 313 14 18,902 23 *(M-IM 2 *)<;: 122 55 286 09 * North Star, (Manhattan Co.) (Chloride,) *Malia MO 243 19 *N.rth Star ..Manhattan Co.) *FI>ri.la ... . 761 810 347 l.Vi 36 001 117.. *Troy . H 7583 87 *Sam Brannan i v,st l-.'-J 83 :j ooo 93 s4'. -lo *South America :;;^ 100 45 :;::s 40 *Savaire 17 L684 4356 66 * *Tiiuoke 79 1199 222 83 WaHllinirt,,,, 8 W7 286 07 Assessor's Ketiirn of Bullion for the Quarter, ENDING JUNE 30th, 1868, FOR LANDER COUNTY, NAME OF MINE. No. TONS. No. LBS. AVERAGE PER TON. TOTAL. 2 1704 $287 11 $ 819 34 \<>rrh Star 126 1000 425 12 53 787 78 "- Hurki'Vf 16 218 276 72 4,257 68 ! > nint 2 1628 153 19 431 08 rimer S. M. Co 7 2 90 1104 414 09 198 54 2,917 26 506 62 ( 'i'ntc'iarv 392 98 S" 38 717 44 71 IIM 190 40 13 628 66 Kli/j 1 Vndci'^' >M '2 1760 79 01) 229 22 Fin-Thanh South 2 1748 271 G 643 97 n 1 536 283 20 359 10 a 150 1885 370 00 55884 72 *F< >i'i uiiR 11 1206 270 97 3 135 94 Mr < 'o 1 866 514 10 597 47 3 1908 332 91 1 316 33 . - . fn 30 307 303 10 9 139 53 U Tiva^-'irr 73 980 172 14 12 646 26 1 1 uiichbsu'k 11 1888 114 45 1 725 31 , .He ( '< > . 11 156 190 07 2 105 60 1 126 153 20 162 85 "('<> ( White Pine ) 4 675 994 77 4314 31 *.Ma:; 1,592 48 360 13 931 45 *South .."'erica 8 574 202 lil 668 58 3 1768 254 34 992 02 '"Tinioke . . . . 118 1252 269 74 31,991 16 92 363 19 27,413 48 Vinevanl 3 1704 251 77 ( .)(i ( .) 30 iii< r t<>n .... . . . . 30 736 97 (is 2,976 24 Ya<|ui 6 962 113 94 740 61 Vdlou JarkH.. 4 116 2(>9 02 1,089 53 GOLD, $383,891 81 TONS. l.1?:',Vf averaging $327 21 per ton. 10 i VH O 00 _ I i 4 < -- -, 1 1 S S 5 . - / - - -"- : :gS22 : :g ^ ,- 11 Mi rr ?^i57?v::? ::$::: - -::: - - H :- -;,- / r / 11 TUNNELLING A NECESSITY IN DEEP MINING. The history of silver mining devel opes two things: 1. That, as a general rule, silver mining from the surface, to a limited ex- tent, is the most economical and profitable mode of proceeding. 2. That when considerable depths are attained, the expenses aris- ing from the cost of raising the ores and keeping the mines free from water, so far overbalance the profits as to lead to the aban- donment of the enterprise, except where Tunnelling can be re- sorted to as a. means of draining the mines and running out the ores at a lower level. Mining from the surface is carried on by two methods : First. The veins are rarely either vertical or horizontal, but have a dip of several degrees of inclination. To work directly on the ores, following the vein in its
  • , is called mining on the incline. In this method the ores can be brought to the surface, up the slope, by menus of a railway track, ti'coml. When the conditions do not favor the first method, the second, by shafting, is adopted. In this method a point is selected, distant from the outcrop of the vein, but in the direction of the dip, and a shaft sunk perpendi- cularly so as to cut the vein at any desired depth. The ores and prater are raised to the surface by steam-power, usually, in mod- ern times. Now, experience has shown, that mines in valleys or broad table-lands, which can be worked only by these methods, have a limit in their descent, below which they must be abandoned. Let us see what history says on this subject. We quote from the Report of ,1. Ross Browne, the Commissioner appointed to in- vestigate tli'- condition of the mines in the Pacific States: " Humboldt. Ward, St. Clair Duport, and other writers, convey an instructive lesson to persons interested in mining enterprises. These authorities agree that mining from the surface must always prove suicidal to the interests of the owners when the position of lines will allow the construction of adits or tunnels, which will drain the water, ventilate the mines, and diminish the cost of romovinir the ore and valueless material." A mong the examples given, is that of the Yalenciana Mine. It "was lirsi opened by Obregon, a young Spaniard, who, without VI vein which nji to that time had been unprodm-ti . oing many ] from which ; . from the 1st <>|' .1 . , the llthof.June. IT'.M.ilie sum >l S14 , 4,988 4ons of ore, [or $109.51 |>< ..11 nt of Va . and probably in the world at that time. A crease of >-\\ protit. ami before the breakii'!/ out of :' e revolution in 181' lowed to lill with earth : ^2. r ), tliis mine, to- i- with man\ --11 into the hand.- eompanv. wli" i twenty-one months in draining it of water, but the >f mining ami pumping were so great th;t! - tin- l,,v. e again abandon Hut the most remark ;'erience m.p- anv f- 'inpany in M it of the K: Real I)c! -d to lunmse it hcst illus- trates the point we \\ that wh- fully tested and proven to . it should l>e worked l.y Tun- nelling whem- Me. The Heal l>el Monte Mine had heen worked formally years. had yielded larue amount- 1749. A ti; then 'commenced, in order 1<> drain tl - In 1759 the ninninjr a tunin et- in 1. .tting the \elli I lieali: tl< -W an immen.-e l>od In the tw yield. .T profit oi SC..(iOO,000. T.ut the up] the \e';n 1 eing worked out, the had to go below the floor- f the tunnel, and the \ d alter a : 1,200 horses to pump it out, at an annual expenditure of $250,000. "Alt- 'in-- lor many years, ami iepth of 324 feet under the adit had I .ecu reached, the work was aban- doned and allowed to lill with water. It was in this state when the Knjilish Heai Del Monie < 'ompany took possession: the-. pected, by substituting powerful steam machinery for the horse whims, which had been employed by the M . to mal mine- a-ain prolitable. The result, however, was very disastrous, for in the twenty-thn < held thcmim 13 were $15,381,633 ; while the total yield was $10,481,475. Show- ing a loss of nearly $5,000,000." * * * " Had the Company prosecuted a projected deeper drain -tun- nel, it would have secured the continued prosperity of the mines for many years to come/' The mine was worked by horsepower 324 feet below the tunnel, being the limit to which the mines could be worked by horse-power drainage The English Com- pany, by the powerful aid of steam machinery, carried down the workings to 720 feet below the tunnel ; but here we find another limit to profitable working, as the deeper excavations of the mine are again abandoned to fill with water." In its despair, the Com- pany entered into negotiations for the sale of the property to a Mexican Company, for the sum of $130,000 ; its three powerful steam engines, being capable, only, of raising the accumulating water, having no means of raising the ores. The Mexicans are continuing the work. The history of the Keal Del Monte mine teaches a valuable lesson, confirmed by the result of almost every similar enterprise in Mexico. They show that after a certain depth lias been reached and no drain tunnels constructed, the mines have been abandoned and the proprietors ruined." But they show also that so long as the ores have been accessible, these same mines have yielded im- mense fortunes to the owners. The errors of the English probably grew out of the expecta- tion, that the system employed in coal mining, where the depth of the vein is usually uniform, could be applied to nearly vertical silver veins which have a continuous descent, soon requiring ad- ditional power to profitably follow them and hoist the ores and water. " If we turn to Europe, however, we find that mining is carried on with intelligence, economy, and with a view to permanency. In England but few mines are located at any considerable eleva- tion above the sea level, and deep drainage by tunnels is impos- sible. But each mine has its adit, however small its depth may be beneath the surface, and in stating the depth of shafts in Eng- land they are given from the adit downwards ; what is above the adit is not counted at all. The most remarkable work of this kind in Great Britain is the great adit in Cornwall, of which an English writer says : 1 -I Tin- ad ii at the U : < til, where an adii cne i i hundred and i Diving ii. .!' coal ; Q8 peralmnm. This mi L' 11 in 'n-rnianv iplete system of drainage and ventilation, and mines p , tin- usual cont; in diviti. ted l>v -;i}i;, nent A niinino- d t level of tin- extraordinary ICIIL: tw']itv-fi> 11- niilrs. \vhidi wndd C in at ; ! > i)th jlan \v;, iiiinriit mining enginet-rs, and 1 the ,n of \. ' : :. 1'ut a ow being dr which \vil! drain tin- inines t'..ur ; I't^sent .atnral drainage, and will have a length of < inil-s. I ' lin the < la half feet 11 In tli.' II::iv district depth. The inn ; f lias a depth been uries. the largest of which \ -leted T I T ' Gittelde. a little town at the l',,i)t .!' the Ilarx mi 1 that ;weir would 1" -oiiipletion, l.iit it only >\cr half that time, for ii twc!\ and eh'\en months. Nine shafts i Mink, from which < ere run. and one .nonth. so that the work j.r pressed from nineteen di poin: with sneh ] :'tcr the\ us Tunnel has a uniform fall of ..ne fo.>: in 1 hei.irht is ei^ht le-t three inches; its width li\< and its shape that of ] th to 15 allow the use of long flat-boats, for the transportation of ore. A part of the water-course is covered over, to be used as a side- walk for the miners.'' Such facts as these, connected with Silver Mining in Mexico and Europe, might be extensively multiplied, but this is not ne- v, as the conviction has already reached the minds of Americans interested in the subject, that Tunnelling is essential in the prosecution of deep mining. This opinion prevails on the ic coast, and has given rise to the effort to construct the Sntro Tunnel, as a means of draining the Comstock mines. The Companies working on this Comstock Ledge, produced, in 1867, SlT.oii'Hinn. an amount more than equal to one-third of the silver produced throughout the world in 1854. But great as is this amount, such is the expense of working the mines, as greater depths are attained, that the profits of the stock- .11 far short o!' what they would be were the cost of ma- ehiuerv, and of hoisting ores and water, superseded by the con- struction of a Tunnel. Hence the strong manner in which the Sutro Tuune! is urged upon the attention of Congress, as a work of national importance, demanding aid from the general govern- Tliis Sutro Tunnel, to be available in draining the mines, has about four and a half miles in length, and starting near the f the i . the Lowest possible point of drainage, it will be l.Ji'2'J feet below 1 he floor of some of the most prominent ihe surface. The rate at whffh a tunnel can be driven feet per day, in ordinary cases, and the cost varies, aeeordiiig to eireu instances, from $5 to $50 per foot.* Tin-: PUMMKTIIKAN TTNXKI, COMPANY can present their en- terprise, with great confidence to the public, as its condition is very different from anv of the great works described. The Tunnel will need but little outlay of cash to excavate it to the mines, where, in all probability, it will become self-sustaining: the first ledge being within one hundred and twenty feet of its mouth, and many of the others occurring at short distances from each other beyond the first. The task of mining out the ores over- head, in these ledges, as they are successively reached, will be an * See J. Browne's Report. 16 easy one. compared with the present mode of 'descending from above; ;m\v. varying from six to eighteen u in width on top. and expanding to two or three fett at the depth of three hundred t'ert. the irreatest vertiral depth to whie; Owing to the firmness of their walls v-ry little timl ' A d this sta- tin- more importai' 'inethean Tannel'caU be