APPENDIX. 495 



longitude 114° 30' west, 120 miles by the traveled road, and 

 500 miles in a direct line from San Francisco, and 110 miles 

 south of Elko, on the Pacific Railroad. The altitude of the 

 mines varies from 7,000 to 9,000 feet above the sea, the richest 

 claims being on Treasure Hill at the higher elevation. 

 Treasure City, the chief town, is on this hill; and 1,500 feet 

 lower dow^n is Hamilton. These two towns have together at 

 present a population of 10,000, though neither is yet five 

 months old, and within three months they may have twice or 

 thrice as many. The dwellings are mostly tents and shan- 

 ties, soon to be replaced by substantial dwellings: 



The mines at Treasure Hill were discovered in September, 

 1867, but little w^as said about them until the fall of 1S68, 

 w hen the bullion began to arrive in San Francisco. Large 

 quantities of chloride of silver, an ore very rich and very 

 easily reduced, were obtained within a fev/ feet of the surface, 

 and several hundred tons that yielded nearly or quite $10,000 

 to the ton, were extracted. Most of the chloride thus far 

 discovered lies in irregular deposits between horizontal strata 

 of limestone, and their nature imj^lies that they will soon be 

 exhausted, or at least that it is unsafe to expect a long-con- 

 tinued yield from them. There are, however, several large 

 veins of silver ore rich enough to pay for working, and these 

 will produce considerable quantities of silver for scores of 

 years. Although it is not yet six months since the general 

 attention of the public on this coast was called to "VYhitePine, 

 that district is already producing $450,000 per month, with 

 only 33 stamps, or $500 to the stamp per day. Such, at least, 

 is the statement made in late letters, though it seems almost 

 incredible that the average yield should be $250 per ton. A 

 gentleman who worked in a custom mill last Fall says, that he 

 worked ores from thirty-five difierent mines, and every lot, 

 save two, yielded over $150 per ton. ISTot less than a hun- 

 dred mines have now rich stores in sight, and if there w^ere 

 mills to reduce the ore the bullion yield would be four times 



