First Directory of Nevada Territory, 1862

by J. Wells Kelly

STOREY COUNTY. [Page 104]

BEGINNING at the north-western corner of Lyon County, and running thence, in an easterly direction, along the northern boundary of Lyon County, to the north-eastern corner thereof; thence, north, in a straight line, to the road leading from the lower crossing of the Truckee to the Sink of the Storey; thence, westerly, along said road to the Truckee River; thence, up the middle of said river, to the eastern line of Washoe County; thence, southerly, along said line, to the place of beginning. County-seat, VIRGINIA CITY.

This county is named after Captain Storey, who lost his life during the Indian difficulty in the month of June, 1860. The late census showed the territory embraced within its borders to contain four thousand five hundred and eighty-one inhabitants. Though of narrow limits, this county, by reason of the valuable and productive mines it contains, is the most important in the Territory. Within its boundaries are situated the celebrated Comstock Lead, the rich quartz mound of Gold Hill, and the no less valuable Daney Ledge-a group of mines surpassing anything extant in their yield of the precious metals. These mines were first discovered by James Finney, in June, 1859. This man, whose real name is said to have been Fennimore, and abbreviated to Finney by his companions, was a native of Virginia. He came to California at an early day, and thence to Western Utah in 1857, where he mined about Chinatown and Gold Cañon, then affording very fair diggings. The following summer he went over to Six Mile Cañon, and working gradually up, finally wintered in that ravine. As he and those with him only worked out a few of the best spots, they reached the head of the cañon by the latter part of May, and June found Finney washing with a rocker along what has since come to be known as the Comstock Ledge, and directly over the claims of the present Mexican and Ophir companies. To this point he brought in water by a small ditch from Spanish Ravine, and there being much fine gold on the surface he made very fair wages for a time. Believing this, however, to [Page 105] be but a slide from the more prominent ledge above, he located a claim on the latter, and, having replenished his purse, gave up work, allowing his friend Comstock and other companions to take his place for the time being. Another reason of his ceasing work was the trouble he experienced in keeping his rocker clear of the "blue stuff;" as he termed it, being nothing less than the rich sulphurets of silver, so heavily charged with the precious metals that it would not work off with the tailings, but, settling behind the riffles, vexed the honest old pioneer exceedingly when he came to pan out the contents of his rocker.

After working a few days, Comstock, without being at all aware of the valuable nature of the substance that had caused the other so much trouble, or of the immense silver vein lying but a few feet beneath the surface, nevertheless had a better appreciation of its worth than the ignorant but generous Finney, and very magnanimously offered the latter an old horse and a bottle of whisky for his interest in the claim. The tender was accepted, Finney exchanging for this wretched consideration a claim worth millions, and Comstock becoming the possessor thereof, to part with, himself, soon after, for a consideration almost equally wretched. Men of greater intelligence and discernment were not long in finding out the nature and true worth of this mine and in securing its ownership. Judge Walsh, of Grass Valley, having heard of the singular discovery, came over the same month, and being satisfied as to its value, returned in July and made a purchase of several hundred feet of the ledge. Others about the same time came in and also secured interests, and before four months had passed the fame of these mines had spread through California, bringing multitudes of speculators over the mountains, and thus initiating the "Washoe Excitement," with the history and results of which every one is familiar.

Storey County is almost entirely destitute of timber, the only trees found growing in any part of it being the stunted pine, and a still more scrubby species of cedar. Even these are sparse and confined to different localities, many of which have already been stripped by the ax of the woodman. It is equally destitute of agricultural lands, as well as grass and water, almost the entire county being composed of barren and broken [Page 106] hills or dry and sandy deserts. A few springs are met with, and an occasional patch of interval land, which, when water can be got upon it, produces fine grain and vegetables. But it is almost exclusively upon her mineral resources, that this county must rely for a business and population. Happily, these are of a character to secure her both, as her past career and present condition amply show. We have space to barely enumerate a few of what seem the more important mining claims, and briefly describe the mode and extent of their developments; which, with some hasty notices of the many costly mills and other works erected, and the leading improvements made or projected, will be all that can be looked for in a work of this kind.

The Comstock Ledge, taking into account both the mass and richness of the ore, is without doubt one of the most valuable gold and silver bearing veins ever discovered. The ledge itself is not of extraordinary size, many others in the neighborhood being more prominent and likely to arrest attention, but the metallic vein running through it and yielding the rich ores, is of unusual magnitude. This ledge, first discovered, as has been related, on the claim now owned by the Ophir Company, has since been traced quite clearly a mile or more north of that point, and a much greater distance to the south, since there can be no question but the grounds of the Daney Company form a portion of it. Intermediate these points a great number of claims have been located in the belief that they were on the Comstock Ledge, or in the hope that it would be struck in the course of opening them; other claims on distinct leads, however, promise almost equally well. Beginning at the north we find a number of claims on and adjacent to Cedar Hill, that, both by their rich out-crop, and the prospects obtained beneath the surface, favor the supposition that they form a continuation of the Comstock Ledge. Of such are the grounds of the Cedar Hill Tunnel Company, the Sacramento, Irving, Osceola, Independent, Allen, Utah and Orleans, all of which have been opened, more or less extensively, both by means of tunnels and shafts, and from most of which very encouraging prospects have been obtained.

Among the claims first taken up and recognized as a part of [Page 107] the Comstock Ledge are the Spanish, or as it is sometimes called the Mexican, the Ophir, the Central, California, Kinney, White and Murphy, Sides, Gould and Curry, and the Chollar grounds, some of which by extensive working, and others by tests almost equally conclusive, are demonstrated to form a part of this wonderfully rich lead. There are many other claims in the Virginia District that require special mention, either because of the rich rock taken from or the amount of work performed upon them; of these we may name the following: Miller, Burning Moscow, Bradbury, Mount Davidson, Sierra Nevada, Buckeye, Virginia, Santa Fe, Hale & Norcross, Potosi, Ironsides, Belvidere, Corsair, Grass Valley, Golden Era, Granada, United States, Bloomingdale, Durgan, Latrobe, Morning Star, Zouave, and the Central Gold and Silver Mining Company.

VIRGINIA CITY. Of this, the largest and most important town in the Territory, we may remark, that while its situation at the mouth of the most prolific mines in the world, gives it great local advantages, its progress and prosperity have been greatly promoted by the energy and business tact of the inhabitants themselves. Located against the side of an arid and barren mountain, its position, saving proximity to the silver mines, was the most unpropitious possible. Yet, on this site so unfavorable, within a little more than two years from the time it was founded, has sprung up a city abounding with large and substantial fire-proof buildings, a multitude of comfortable houses, and a great number of costly mills and reduction works, while through its streets water flows in abundance, and luxurious gardens are cultivated in its suburbs. That a spot so desolate and forbidding, and withal so remote from the great central depot of the Pacific, should have been transformed in so short a time into a thrifty and populous city, speaks well for those who have had the work of building it up in hand. The Census Report shows the city to have contained two thousand seven hundred and four inhabitants in August last; from which we may infer that its present population is something over three thousand. It has three churches, a [Page 108] theatre, court-house, several flourishing schools, and a number of other institutions for the advancement of educational and religious interests, or the promotion of social pleasures. The Virginia City Water Company have laid their pipes through the greater part of the town, supplying from springs in the vicinity a sufficiency pure and wholesome water for all domestic purposes, while the tunnels furnish an inferior quality for the use of the mills, irrigation, etc. With this supply the health of the inhabitants will not suffer, as has heretofore been the case, from the use of bad water. A company has also been incorporated for furnishing the city with gas, to be manufactured from the Whitman coal, which has been found well adapted to that use. From Virginia City good wagon roads radiate in every direction, rendering it of easy access from all parts of the Territory as well as California. It is made the terminus of several railroads now projected, and some of which will soon be built, adding much to its prospective consequence, not only as a mining town, but also as a commercial depot and point of distribution. With the railroad completed to Washoe Valley, freight destined for Virginia will find its way to that point over the Henness and Truckee turnpikes, now being constructed, and to be opened at an early day, thus making the passage of the mountains with greater expedition and economy than at present. Virginia City was incorporated under the statutes of Utah Territory in February, eighteen hundred and sixty-one. The election for trustees came off March eleventh, resulting as follows : N. W. Winton, President; J. C. Bateman, Secretary; George H. Shaw, Joseph Scates, Louis Feusier, Trustees; C. P. Robinson, City Treasurer; D. Bailey, Marshal and Street Commissioner; Joseph F. Atwill, Justice of the Peace-all elected for the term of one year. As the prosperity of the city is wholly dependent on the mines, and as the great agent for making these available is the quartz mills, we append a list of the latter, now complete and running in the District.

Quartz Mills.

The mills and reduction works of the Ophir, one of the leading companies here, are, as has already been stated, situated [Page 109] in Washoe Valley, sixteen miles west of Virginia City, with which they are shortly to be connected by means of a railroad.

SPANISH COMPANY'S MILL. This establishment, one of the largest and first erected in the Territory, is located in the northeastern part of the town, about one hundred yards below their tunnel, and consists of a crushing mill with sixteen stamps, driven by a forty-horse power engine, and an amalgamating department containing twenty barrels, working the Freyburg and also the Thayer processes. It crushes from ten to fifteen tons of rock per day, employing sixty hands, divided into two gangs, working day and night. There are also a number of hands employed getting wood, salt, etc., for the works. The main building is thirty-eight by eighty-eight feet, two stories high, besides which, there are several large out-buildings. The cost of the mill and appurtenances is seventy thousand dollars; monthly expenses about sixteen thousand dollars. It was built by Mr. Henderson, formerly of Grass Valley, in the short space of two months. The following persons are employed in the capacities named : Theodore Winters, Superintendent; Mr. Tompkins, Foreman of Mill; Harvey Beckworth, Foreman of Mine; Mr. Beslit, Superintendent of the Freyburg, and Mr. Marshall, of the Thayer Process.

CENTRAL COMPANY'S MILL. This company was incorporated under the laws of California, October first, eighteen hundred and sixty, by the name of the Central Silver Mining Company; capital five hundred and forty thousand dollars. The mine, consisting of one hundred and fifty feet of the richest portion of the Comstock Ledge, is under the charge of Mr. Holland Day; Elliott J. Moore, President; G. W. McHenry, Secretary; W. H. Godfrey, Superintendent. This mill was constructed by I. S. Parke, in the latter part of eighteen hundred and sixty, and commenced operations the following January. The edifice, including wings, is one hundred and forty by thirty feet. Ten stamps are in use-Howland's Battery, driven by a ten horse power engine. Separate apartments are used for the crushing, smelting and assorting operations. Twenty men are employed in the mill, and an equal number [Page 110] about the mine; seven tons of rock are worked daily, and the product of the mine since being opened is about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. "The Veatch Process," an improvement on the Freyburg, being both cheaper and more effectual, is used in this establishment, under direction of Mr. Andrew Veatch.

GOULD AND CURRY MILL. The mill of this company is located about two miles northeast of Virginia City, on an inclosed flat of sixty acres, and with its numerous out-buildings and houses for workmen, presents the appearance of a small town. The main edifice, in the shape of a cross, is two hundred and fifty feet long, with wings seventy-five feet each, being the largest building in the Territory. It is divided into compartments,-that for the work of amalgamating under the charge of Capt. S. Tyler, being eighty-seven and one half feet deep and fifty feet wide, two stories high. The center of the building, occupied by the batteries, is one hundred and twenty-five by fifty feet, and contains eight batteries of five stamps each, capable of crushing forty tons of ore per day. The engine of one hundred and fifty-horse power, and very perfect workmanship, is from the Pacific Foundry, San Francisco. There are six furnaces and three boilers, the latter twenty-six feet long and forty-two inches diameter, with fourteen-inch flues. The engine room is of the same size as the amalgamating department. The mill, under superintendence of R. G. Carlyle, employs sixty men, working by relay night and day. The ore house and drying department is one hundred by eighty feet. A feature of this establishment is the perfectness that marks it in every department and operation, and the great economy of labor secured thereby. It not only exceeds in capacity any other quartz mill in the Territory, and perhaps in the world, but also surpasses all others in the completeness of its parts. The Veatch Process is employed. The mining operations are under the efficient and very successful management of Mr. C. L. Strong.

OGDEN & WILSON CO.'s MILL.-This mill, situated about one quarter of a mile below the town, was put up by George [Page 111] L. Fuller for the Company in November, 1860, being the first mill completed in the District. The main building is forty by eighty feet, with an extensive shed having a chute for conveying the rock to the batteries. An engine of twenty horse power drives eighteen stamps, crushing twelve tons of rock per day. The rock, after being crushed, is carried by elevators to the second story, where it is bolted into a receiver, and thence conveyed to the amalgamators on the lower floor, an arrangement that saves much manual labor. The erection of this mill, with the necessary adjuncts, cost about forty thousand dollars.

A small mill located near and constructed upon the same plan as Ogden & Wilson's, and intended for custom work, was erected shortly after the latter. The building is twenty-six by forty feet, and has six stamps, propelled by a twelve horse power engine. The establishment cost about twenty thousand dollars, employs six hands, and is under the superintendence of J. T. Brown.

THE CEDAR HILL MILL, owned by Patterson & Land, is situated on Cedar Ravine, one mile west of Virginia. It employs eight men; has four straight batteries, four stamps each, and crushes twenty tons, running night and day. The engine, forty horse power, comes from the Pacific Foundry, San Francisco. In the amalgamating department there are eight Knox's Improved Pans. The Jeffrey process is used. This mill does custom work, and cost about thirty-five thousand dollars.

THE MARIPOSA QUARTZ MILL-Goodman Hubbell, proprietors-is located at the foot of Cedar Hill. It is propelled by a fifteen horse power steam-engine, driving twelve stamps of six hundred pounds each, and crushing fifteen tons of rock per day. Knox's pans and the Hungarian Bowls are used in the amalgamating department, the pulp being also subjected to a steaming process, as heretofore practiced by the proprietors. Cost of mill about twenty thousand dollars.

THE EMPIRE MILL, a short distance east of the town-O. F. Griffin, Mark Sheldon and W. H. Graves, proprietors-runs [Page 112] sixteen stamps, driven by a powerful steam-engine, crushing twenty tons of rock per twenty-four hours. This company purchase their ore, employ twenty hands, and use the Veatch Process, Wakelee's pans. Cost of mill, forty thousand dollars. W. H. Graves, Superintendent; W. T. Stephens, engineer; W. H. Bevins, foreman. The company are building a new road to their mill; and intend soon to double its crushing capacity, as they have sufficient propelling power to do so.

Three quartz mills are in course of construction in Seven Mile Cañon, within the limits of Virginia District. Of one of these, Booth & Co., formerly of Eureka, Nevada County, are proprietors. Of another, Patterson & Co. are proprietors. This is a large sized mill and nearly completed. The entire cost of these mills will be between seventy-five and one hundred thousand dollars. Their aggregate capacity will be about fifty horse power.

FLOWERY DISTRICT.

This District, lying east and adjoining the Virginia Mining District, was laid out in the fall of '59, a great many good-looking ledges having been found there, several of which have since been opened and proved to be rich in gold and silver. Many of the claims at first taken up were afterwards abandoned as worthless; of those retained and prospected to a greater or less extent we may name the Lady Bryan, Rogers, Monte Cristo, Utah, Norman, Cherokee, Harrison, Flowery, Adriatic, Union, Aurora Borealis, Uncle Sam, Desert, Anglo Saxon, Storey, St. Johns, and Mammoth. The recent census showed this district to contain three hundred and thirty-nine inhabitants, a number that has since been largely increased. Running entirely across it is Six Mile Cañon, a deep ravine, through which, since the opening of the tunnels at Virginia, several hundred inches of water flow constantly. This water has led to the building of a number of steam quartz mills, and two or three others driven by water, which, besides enhancing the value of the mines, by giving employment to a great many hands, have caused a small town, called Flowery City, to spring up at a point about half way down the cañon. It is a smart [Page 113] little place, as indeed the whole ravine is an active and bustling locality, both by means of the numerous mills along it, and the fine road leading from Virginia to Carson River, and the Butte or Whitman Coal Fields, extending its entire length.

Quartz Mills.

The following are the quartz mills now in operation in this District :

SUNCOOK MILL-A. Bassett & Co., owners-located a short distance below the Gould & Curry Mill; building fifty feet by forty; four straight batteries, sixteen stamps, driven by a thirty horse power engine, from Pacific Works, San Francisco; crush twenty-four tons every twenty-four hours; employ ten men and use sixteen Varney pans for amalgamating. A. Bassett, superintendent; S. Kellogg, engineer.

WINFIELD MILL-L. A. Booth, proprietor. This is a steam mill, being driven by a forty horse power engine, intended to run twenty stamps, though but eight are now in use, and to crush twenty tons of rock per day. In amalgamating, forty Bertola pans are used. Seven men are employed. John Leavitt, superintendent; M. L. Remington, engineer.

EMPIRE STATE MILL-R. M. Billett & Co., proprietors-situated at foot of Sugar Loaf Peak. Both water and steam are used for propelling this mill, either being available for that purpose. The water-wheel is forty feet in diameter, and the engine of twenty horse power. The mill employs eight hands, runs ten stamps, and crushes twelve tons per day. The company purchase ore or crush rock for customers. They use Knox's amalgamators and Howland's patent flues.

SUGAR LOAF MILL-Rafael Cardenas, José Ma. Ruiz, and Francisco Llaguna, proprietors-near Sugar Loaf Peak; driven by water falling on an overshot wheel and generating about a twenty horse power. The mill has four stamps, employs three men, and uses what is known as the Mexican process in amalgamating the ores. It has thus far been successful in its operation, and is soon to be enlarged, as the power is sufficient to carry eight or ten stamps.

[Page 114]

THE FLOWERY MILL, three miles east of Virginia, is driven by a forty horse power steam engine, made at the Vulcan Works, San Francisco. It runs but eight stamps, crushing twelve tons at present, though its crushing apparatus will be extended to its full capacity as occasion may require. This mill is erected for custom work, runs night and day, and employs twenty men, and uses Dr. Veatch's Process. A. C. Austin, superintendent.

THE BERTOLA MILL, No. 2, is situated at the junction of the Flowery Toll-road and Desert Cañon; water power, with wheel forty-two feet in diameter. Has ten stamps and thirty amalgamating pans of the Bertola patent-to be increased to sixty; employs ten hands, runs day and night, and crushes ten tons of rock per twenty-four hours. L. B. Brooks, superintendent.

THE OLIVE BRANCH MILL, driven by a thirty horse power steam engine, crushes about twenty-four tons of rock per day. It runs sixteen stamps and thirty-two of Knox's amalgamators. The building covering this mill is seventy-two feet long and sixty wide. Connected with the establishment is a laboratory for testing ores. It does custom work, employs twelve men, and runs night and day. Israel W. Knox, superintendent.

IN THE CASTLE DISTRICT, north of Virginia, a number of ledges have been located, and samples of rock have been found that assay from fifty to two hundred dollars a ton in gold and silver. A considerable amount of work has been done on the Monticello, Alliance, St. Valentine, Northern Light, Pine Tree, and several other ledges.

[Page 169]

GOLD HILL DISTRICT.

This District, lying south of and adjoining the Virginia District, contains the most productive mines, as well as extensive quartz mills in the territory. Gold Hill proper, a mound-like mass of quartz rock, if both quality and quantity be considered, equals, perhaps, anything ever before discovered. Yet it is remarkable not so much for the richness of the rock as the great amount it yields, and the facility with which it can be raised. The quartz taken from this locality does not, it is said, yield over sixty or seventy dollars to the ton, yet the ledge being from ten to sixty feet thick, becomes immensely valuable on account of its magnitude, the ground selling from five hundred to three thousand dollars per foot. The following is a list of the principal claimants in Gold Hill, and the amount of ground owned by each :

Copperas Gold Hill Company 1,200 feet
Charles E. Olney & Company 118 "
Woodruff & Bacon 45 "
Stewart & Henning 32+ "
Harold & Hamilton 22+ "
Henderson Company 50 "
Trench's Claim 20 "
Harold & Drynan 20 "
Plato Claim. 10 "
Bowers Claim 20 "
Hurd & Winters 20 "
Mosheimer & Winters 80 "
Stevens Company 12 "
Twigg & Hirschman 8 "
Hobart, Robinson & Company 20 "
Logan & Holmes 60 "
Theodore Winters & Company 50 "
George ll. Shaw & Company 25 "
Arrington & Company 30 "
Irvin Claim 30 "
Hamilton & Burke 40 "
Sabine Ground
Stewart & Kirkpatrick 30 "

[Page 170]

A number of claims lying immediately adjacent to Gold Hill, and by many considered a portion of it-such as the Crown Point, Erebus, and Yellow Jacket grounds-are also regarded as very valuable, there being every probability that they will prove as rich as any when thoroughly opened.

Gold Hill District, embracing Gold Cañon and a portion of American Flat, contains a multitude of claims in every stage of development, many of which are indisputably rich and well entitled to the attention of those desirous of investing money in this species of property. We have no means of obtaining full and accurate information in regard to most of these claims, but may mention the following as enjoying a good local reputation, viz: The Luzerne, Rich, Waller's Defeat, Lucy Ella, St. Louis, Succor, Catahoula, Sharon, Foundry Lead, Hope, Niagara, Justice, Baltimore, American, Eureka, Fairman, What Cheer, Hawkeye, Lafayette, Mary Ann, Overman, Royal.

The town of Gold Hill, situated at the rich mines, has had a rapid growth, having been built up and attained its present magnitude within the space of two years. It contains a number of large fire-proof buildings, and is an active, lively place, being co nstantly thronged with heavy wagons hauling in lumber, fuel, goods, machinery, etc., or carrying away quartz to the mills, nearly all of which have heretofore obtained their rock from this place. The roar of the numerous steam mills never ceases, nor are operations in the mines suspended for a moment, except on the Sabbath. There is a sufficiency of water flowing from the various tunnels opened near the town -some also being brought in from Virginia-for the mills thus far erected; a better article for culinary purposes is to be furnished by the Virginia Water Company.

Quartz Mills near Gold Hill.

COOVER & HARRIS' MILL- the pioneer in this district, and claiming to be the first that ever got up steam in the Territory, like all the mills in this vicinity, is propelled by steam. The engine is a fifteen horse power, drives eight stamps, Howland battery, crushing six tons of rock per day; employ five men, and use Paul's Concentrator and Knox's pans.

[Page 171]

WASHOE GOLD AND SILVER MINING COMPANY'S MILL-- This building, erected in eighteen hundred and sixty, under the supervision of Almarin B. Paul, is one hundred and ten feet long and seventy-five wide, containing one hundred thousand feet of lumber. The engine is of sixty horse power, drives eight Howland batteries-eight stamps each-in all sixty-four, being the largest number in any mill in the Territory. The machinery comes from the Miners' Foundry, San Francisco, and is very massive. Use Knox's pans and Paul's Muller and Concentrating Tables; runs day and night, Sundays excepted, as do the mills generally throughout the country. All the operations of this mammoth establishment are conducted with system and skill, each having a separate apartment, perfect in all its parts and appliances. Being erected at a time when freights and material were high, the entire cost of this work will not fall short of two hundred thousand dollars, nearly thirty thousand dollars having been expended for freight alone; one hundred and twenty tons of iron were used; and while being built, one hundred men were engaged, and it now gives constant employment to over fifty hands. The entire establishment is under the control of Mr. Almarin B. Paul, who has the double credit of being the pioneer and most extensive and successful worker of quartz in the Territory.

THE MARYSVILLE MILL-under superintendence of John Rule-is driven by a thirty-five horse power engine; runs eighteen stamps, of eight hundred and fifty pounds each, and four Chile mills, crushing thirty-six tons per day. Building seventy by fifty-five feet. Company employ twelve hands, use the Hungarian pans for amalgamating, and work by a process of their own.

GOLD HILL QUARTZ MILL AND MINING COMPANY.-Works erected in spring of '61. Building seventy-four by thirty-five feet; steam-engine of thirty-five horse power, from the Pacific Foundry, San Francisco; run thirteen stamps, crushing fifteen tons per day. Rock from Rice Claim, Gold Hill. Employ nine hands, and use in amalgamating department twelve Knox and three Varney pans. S. H. Robinson, superintendent.

[Page 172]

CENTERVILLE MILL-Douglass, Wheeler & Co. proprietors. Ten stamps, of seven hundred and twenty-two pounds each, and two arrastras, propelled by a twenty horse power engine, capable of reducing fifteen tons of rock per day. Use sixteen pans for amalgamating, so arranged that steam can be introduced for facilitating the process. The pans are from the Miners' Foundry, and other machinery from the Fulton Foundry, San Francisco. Company employ twelve hands, have a process of their own, and purchase rock, or crush for customers. Building fifty-two by sixty feet.

GRANITE MILL.-Dast & Harris, proprietors. Stone, fireproof building, eighty-six by forty-three feet; thirty-five feet high. Engine, forty horse power; five straight batteries, four stamps each, crushing twenty-five tons per day. Proprietors employ eight men, and crush rock from their own claim at Gold Hill. Patio process used in amalgamating. Steam to be introduced.

STEWART, KIRKPATRICK & Co's MILL.-Building one hundred and twenty feet by fifty. Forty horse power steam-engine; sixteen stamps, crushing twenty-four tons of rock per day; employ twenty-five hands. Company crush their own rock; and for amalgamating use forty-eight Knox and sixteen Varney pans. Machinery from Miners' Foundry, San Francisco. Zenas Wheeler, superintendent.

UNION MILL.-Owned by the Crown Point Mining Company.-A. Staples, superintendent. It is furnished with a fifteen horse power steam-engine, and has eight stamps, crushing ten tons of rock per day. Work Gold Hill rock, also rock from Crown Point Claim. Amalgamate with sixteen Hungarian bowls, working for gold only. Employ nine men. Company incorporated with a capital of $120,000. Building forty by twenty feet.

CROWN POINT MILL, at the mouth of Crown Point Ravine, is seventy feet long and forty wide. Has two straight batteries, of four stamps each, propelled by a twenty horse power engine. Employ eight men; crushes ten tons of rock per day, and uses [Page 173] sixteen Hungarian bowls for amalgamating. Company crush their own rock from Crown Point. H. B. Summers, superintendent.

J. B. GAGNON & Co.'s MILL.-Building sixty-one by fifty-eight feet. Steam engine thirty-four horse power. Employ nine hands; run four straight batteries, of four stamps each; crush twenty-four tons per day. Purchase rock; also crush from own claim. Twenty-four Knox pans and eight steam flues are used in amalgamating. J. B. Gagnon, superintendent.

DERRICK'S MILL-Is driven by a sixteen horse power steam engine. Has two straight batteries, four stamps each, and crushes sixteen tons of rock per day. Does custom work, and employs six hands. Proprietor uses a process of his own, and intends soon to introduce arrastras, working for both gold and silver. This mill was brought over the mountains in eighteen hundred and sixty, from Oregon Gulch, Butte County, California, where it was known as the White & Nutter Mill. Present superintendent, and one of the owners, F. Derrick.

THISTLE MILL-L. S. Bowers, proprietor-is covered by a building one hundred and eighty-three by forty-four feet. Runs two straight batteries of ten stamps each, and crushes twenty tons of rock per day. Employs twelve men; uses forty Hungarian bowls. Proprietor has a process of his own, and crushes rock from his own claim, one of the best at Gold Hill.

ECLIPSE MILL.-Grissim, De Land & Co. proprietors. Building forty by seventy feet; engine twenty-four horse power; fifteen stamps, crushing twenty tons of rock daily, taken from owners' claims. Smith & Dewey process in use.

ST. LOUIS CO.'s MILL. - Is situated in Gold Cañon, one-fourth mile above Devil's Gate. Building fifty by sixty feet. Has four arrastras and one of Broadhurst's Crushers, capable of pulverizing twenty tons of rock daily; driven by a steam engine of forty horse power, from Miners' Foundry, San Francisco. The amalgamating is done by what is known as the "Sage Brush" process; the arrastras are of large size Mexican, [Page 174] with modern improvements. The company crush rock taken from their own claim, situated near the celebrated "Waller's Defeat" Claim, the first ever located below Gold Hill, having been taken up in August, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine. The St. Louis is also a very valuable piece of mining ground, and has been thoroughly opened by means of tunnels amounting in the aggregate to over a thousand feet. This mill employs thirty hands, and is superintended by Samuel F. Curtis.

On AMERICAN FLAT, within the limits of Gold Hill District, and about two miles south of the town, there are three quartz mills-two completed, and one in course of building-all driven by steam. That of Smith, Nettleton & Co. runs ten stamps, and uses the Hatch process, with the Wakelee pans. They buy their rock, and crush about fifteen tons per day. The mill of McClelland & Davis is of large capacity, crushing thirty tons of rock per day.

Toll-Roads.

Leading from Gold Hill are two toll-roads-one owned by H. C. Howard, S. D. Bosworth, and G. D. Roberts; the other, by Waters, Blanchet & Carson. The former runs down Gold Cañon to Dayton, a distance of seven miles; and being the route over which most of the quartz passes to the various mills below, has an immense travel, with a corresponding income. It was commenced in September, '59, and has cost about twenty thousand dollars. The other extends from the town to the Half Way House, on the Carson Road-it was built in 1861, and cost twelve thousand dollars. There is also a short toll-road extending from Gold Hill to the limits of Virginia City, a distance of one mile-cost two thousand dollars.

Pioneer Foundry and Machine Shop.

Hyde, Booth & Company, proprietors. Situated on Gold Cañon, one half mile below Gold Hill. The building, a very extensive one, is of brick, two stories high, and built in a substantial manner, resting on two fine arches, spanning the cañon. Both foundry and machine shop have proved of great service to the mines and mills in the vicinity, and also it is hoped sufficiently remunerative to its enterprising proprietors.

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Contributed by Unknown, extracted from First Directory of Nevada Territory. Containing: the names of residents of the principal towns, a historical sketch, the Organic act, and other political matters of interest ... And including Sketches of the Washoe silver mines by J. Wells Kelly, published in 1862

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