430 MINING IFDUSTET. 



800 feet square, in the region of Chloride Flat, there were nearly 250 inde- 

 pendent locations, most of them claiming 1,000 feet in any direction assumed 

 as the course of the vein, which, in practice, means any direction in which ore 

 can be found. Nevertheless, considering the opportunity thus afforded for 

 quarrels, there has been comparatively little difficulty, and opposing interests 

 have been settled with less frequent resort either to violence or litigation 

 than might have been expected. The claims have usually been located, and 

 at first worked, by men who had no other capital than a few tools and their 

 own muscle, and, if fairly ejected from one claim, they needed only to remove 

 a short distance and resume operations on another streak of ore, the benefit 

 of which they could enjoy until some older claimant could establish his title. 



Consolidated, — More recently some large companies have been formed, 

 and many claims have been consolidated into one. The Consolidated Chloride 

 Flat Company is one of the most important of these, having gained, by original 

 location, compromise, and purchase, title to a large area, perhaps 1,000 or 1,200 

 feet square. This association has been carrying on extensive mining operations 

 in this field during a year past. In September, 1869, there were employed 

 about 125 men in the works of this company, producing about 40 or 50 tons 

 of ore per day. There are two mills, belonging to the company, situated 

 below Hamilton, to which the ore is hauled, in wagons, for milling. 



The writer is indebted to Mr. John E. Plater, one of the officers of the 

 company, resident at the mine, for the following statement of operations, which 

 shows the quantity of ore produced from month to month, its assay value and 

 yield per ton, total yield and percentage of its value obtained. 



