POTENTIAL GREATNESS OF NEVADA 



The silver mines which chiefly contributed to its pros- 

 perity in the past were principally those of the famous 

 Comstock lode, which produced more than $500,000,000 

 in precious metals ; of Eureka, $125,000,000 ; of Austin, 

 30,000,000 ; of Lincoln county, 830,000,000 ; of Esmer- 

 aida county, $20,000,000 ; of Elko county, $10,000,000. 

 There were many other camps of lesser moment. 



Now, it is perfectly true that the extraction of such 

 vast amounts wrought material changes in the character 

 of some of these mines, notably of the Comstock. It by 

 no means follows, however, that the deposits of ore have 

 been "exhausted." The richer ores were utilized at a 

 time when silver commanded a high price and when 

 economy in milling was not important. But it may be 

 asserted upon the best authority that even the mines of the 

 Comstock, some of which have been worked to a depth of 

 three thousand feet, possess wellnigh unlimited quanti- 

 ties of ore running from $6 to $15 per ton, and that un- 

 der more favorable conditions for silver mining the fa- 

 mous lode would perhaps duplicate its peerless record of 

 the past. It is not likely that fabulous profits will ever 

 again be realized. It is certainly not to be desired that 

 the old romance of life in Virginia City, with its hot 

 fever of speculation, its glittering successes, and its tragic 

 disappointments, should be repeated. But though the 

 bonanza days are of the past, the better days of sober 

 industrial development are of the future. This state- 

 ment applies yet more forcibly to other old camps. 



With few exceptions, deep-mining has not been pur- 

 sued. Only the richer ores near the surface have been 

 utilized, and these by expensive processes and at high 

 cost of transportation. Eureka, Austin and Tuscarora, 



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