A Famous Mine.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3420, 8 December 1879, Page 1

A Famous Mine.

Mr Vivian, a traveller in Nevada, speaking of the Comstock lode, say. :— "It is a fissure rein, sometimes at much as 700 feet wide (not half metalliferous), and sometimes less than 70 feet. It is stated that the lode narrows with depth. The gangue or rein matter is quartz.' Tho length of the lode or " ledge" (tke | local term) is about 3. miles, and on it are : about 20 mining setts. The richest setts are those of the Consolidated Virginia and California Mines. The strike of the ledge iif Dearly due north and south; it dips to Ithe eastward at an angle of from 38deg. to 4odeg. The productive portion of the lode is comparatively small, as barren p portions of great extent intervene between the ore'bodies and bmnches. Mr Vivian went down one of the shafu of th* Consolidated Virginia mine. Thsr tot: out of the cage at the 1650 feet level, aal then the manager, Mr Mackay, handed him over to one of the captains to show him all he wanted to see.- Proceeding : to pome of the working ends he found the heat intense—-far greater than was to be accounted for merely by the depth from surface. He has little doubt that the. excess of heat' is occasioned by tho chemical decomposition of the iron pyrites by water. M c had no thermometer with him, but had sceu the temperature stated to be lOOdeg. to 120deg.; his own impres* ■ion was that it was at least 120 de«.. (Fahrenheit.) " Tho men seemed to. fool, it considerably, judging from thoir geswral appearance, and by tbe scarcity of thoir clothing. In their endeavor to cool thoir hands and throats as much v tea toil of [ ice are consumed per day/ "Tho XMii :1 of solid ore," says Mr Vivian, '* which is being operated upon is quite Mtoandrag. ' There appeared to bo regular' faots' or ' * breasts' of it, much as if it was % rein of coal instead of bunches of ore. And j this is the chief secret of tho Comstoek woalth; it is the enormous qnsj___^f;,^ | ore that' is worked, more evett"thi|i.'iii'l' I richness. Over 1200 tons of iiiit!an average value of about. 40 to 60 i dollars (£9 to £10) per ton, are said to be; the daily output of these two mines, the Consolidated Virginia and tho California. | We thus have £1200 as the value sent j daily to the surfsce to go to the credit of I these fortunate adventurers ! To produce I this large quantity about 900 miners are employed, who work in shifts of eight hours each, and continuously from week's end to week's end, without cessation. The accidents of all sorts are said to average oue a day, of which one-fifth are fatal. The working miner earns on an I average about 4£ dollars (17s) a day."