| Show MINING REVIVAL IN THE COMSTOCK AND GOLDFIELD DISTRICTS NEVADA by kirby thornas thomas E M the comstock district in nevada was the scene of the first great mining boom in this country following the days of old the days of 6 gold old in california the first activities be began bean 6 an in the and for nearly twenty five years the district held the front rank in interest and in fabulous yield of the precious metals in a few years the comstock mines produced nearly a billion of dollars of gold and silver making many notable individual fortunes and profoundly affecting the development of the whole west then came the decline in the price of silver and the mines in depth yielded at great cost ores not amendable to the metallurgical processes of the day comstock sunk into somnolence and to the present generation it became only a liec hectic tic glorious memory several sporadic attempts to revive operations in the district during the recent years were unsuccessful partly because of insufficient capital but chiefly because of the limited vision of their sponsors and inadequacy of program within the past two years new men inen and new interests have come into the comstock story A financially strong group headed by ha hany han I 1 rry y payne whitney of new york and technically directed by bulkeley wells of denver acquired a large sector of the dis district brict and after extensive and expensive development a mill of 2000 9 tons daily capacity has been completed and has recently been put in operation treating at a profit ores which were profitless to the earlier miners the mine development directed by most skilled geologists has disclosed large ton nages of new ore of very good grade the activity and success of the undertaking in the old comstock mines has lead to a general revival of activities in the district and a new large project has just been adequately financed to undertake even more extensive operations it is generally accepted now that the old comstock district has come com e back and that it will again rank high among the resources of the count rys needed supply of the precious metals in the same state a later comer among the great and sensational mining developments of the west the goldfield district is also coming back this district was not discovered until 1902 in a little over ten years it yielded more than n mostly in gold and paid more than in dividends goldfield was a district of bonanza ore bodies and the stories of the alladin results of the operators and leaders leasers during the earlier years of the activities of mines of the goldfield district are still too fresh in mind to require record all too soon the rich ore bodies were exhausted by the fevered and frantic efforts of the numerous companies formed to participate in this greatest gold boom of recent times the c companies companies ompa nies improvidently providently providen tl y failed to provide for explorations and developments m ants against the to be expected exhaustion of the bonanzas and the general financial stringency which encompassed all development and speculative und undertakings er takings for now nearly a decade made of goldfield almost a deserted camp however there were those who had faith and vision and among them was george wingfield one of the beneficiaries fici aries of the boom days of the district who later became the responsible head of the districts greatest mine the goldfield consolidated company mr wingfield an and d others associated through several years untangled the affairs of the derelict companies and recently they have for formed med a company with strong financial backing to under r t take ke a notable exploration program for the district aper 7 s abing as the goldfield deep mines company and owning more than acres in the heart of the district the company is actively sinking a great shaft to cut the main gold veins of the district at a depth of 2400 feet most of the production from the district was from relatively shallow workings none deeper than 1400 the new shaft will open the veins much below all these workings and at a zone considered by the companas comp anys geologists and engineers to be favorable to the enrichment of the veins several other companies in the goldfield district have been stimulated to undertake developments on a large scale and it is likely that goldfield will soon come back as has the earlier comstock district |
