O THE MINERAL RESOURCES Of the United States, AND THE IMPORTANCE AND NECESSITY OF INAUGURATING A RATIONAL SYSTEM OF MINING, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE Comstock Lode and the Sutro Tunnel, IN NEVADA. BY ADOLPH SUTRO. BALTIMORE:... JOHN MURPHY & CO. INTRODUCTORY. THE development of the mineral resources of this country forms a subject of such grave importance, one involving considerations of a politico-economical nature of such significant consequences, that it well behooves the American Statesman, the Patriot who has the future of this great Republic at heart to devote some time to the earnest examination of those questions which have a vital bearing upon the future welfare of this country. In the vast regions stretching from the Mississippi River to the broad Pacific Ocean, from the confines of Mexico to the icy regions of the North, there lie buried in the bowels of the earth incalculable treasures of the precious metals, which but await the industrious application of the hardy miner, and the fostering care of a providential government to pour out a stream of gold and silver, which will so much increase the national wealth, augment the resources of the nation, and spread welfare and prosperity throughout the extent of this vast land, that the burdens of taxation will gradually disappear, and make the national debt sink into insignificance. If we contemplate that mighty interest, which can be made to create so many blessings, and find that it is neglected and declining from year to year, we must arrive at the firm conclusion, that there is something radically wrong in our present system of mining, and that an immediate, practical, and effectual remedy should be applied to rescue from steady decline and eventual abandonment a source of wealth which must be considered the most fruitful and important one this nation possesses. If the facts presented in the following pages are carefully examined, three prominent conclusions will be arrived at: 1st. That the main wealth of the mineral regions is contained in quartz lodes, the principal treasures of which are found at great depths beneath the surface. 2d. That the present mode of mining downwards from the surface, is detrimental to the prosperity of the mining interests. 3d. That a system of deep tunneling should be inaugurated, which will make mining profitable by giving a natural outlet to the flow of water, by ventilating the mines, by cooling the atmosphere, and by facilitating the extraction of ore. Mining requires capital, which the western regions do not possess, the Eastern States have an abundance, but not for investment in mining enterprises, which are looked upon with suspicion, and are almost considered disreputable. Some years ago many persons were found quite willing to embark in mining ventures, and considerable sums were invested; but the experiences made have been disastrous and ruinous to those concerned, in almost every instance. This result has been charged to various causes, but the true one must be sought in the unwise, extravagant and wasteful manner in which the work on the mines has been performed. The construction of deep tunnels, which by all authorities are admitted to be absolutely necessary to make mining operations successful, require time, and the outlay of large amounts of capital, and consequently implicit confidence in the permanency of the mines. It is the lack of confidence in the permanency of the mines, (their downward extent to great depth not having practically been demonstrated in the United States,) which prevents the execution of such works. The Comstock Lode, the most productive of all mineral lodes in the world, producing as much silver as the whole Republic of Mexico, presents the most extraordinary example, illustrating the ruinous and wasteful manner of our present system of mining. We have a lode here which has produced within the last six years, over seventy-five millions of dollars, and the whole of that enormous sum has been swallowed up by the expenses of producing it! The mines upon this lode have now reached such a depth, that, after a few years, they must inevitably be abandoned, provided a deep tunnel be not constructed. |