Vol. 4] 



Reid. — The Comstock Lode. 



189 



Analysis of Waters. — The ore now being mined below the 

 2150 level, which was all below water level within a few months, 

 shows the same conditions, with the surface minerals in the fresh- 

 est possible condition, precisely as if just deposited from solution. 

 A notable fact of these lower deposits is the greater proportion 

 of gold to silver than was found in the ores above. On the 2050- 

 foot level and below, considerable free gold was found. The 

 actual process of deposition cannot well be watched, hence as the 

 best substitute the deep waters from the 2250 level of the C. & C. 

 shaft were analyzed and assayed, to determine if they were able 

 to do such work as indicated. They are exactly suited to this, as 

 the following facts will show. The water is the typical deep 

 water of the Comstock lode whose temperature has reached as 

 high as 170° F., and is always over 116° F. : 



ANALYSIS OF MINE WATERS.* 



Grams per liter. 



Si0 2 0.1334 



AL0 3 0025 



Fe 2 0, 0091 



Cab 1404 



MgO 0097 



SO, 3957 



CI 0190 



CO. 0150 



K,6 0643 



Na 2 1765 



Total solids 9656 



Assay of Waters. — From an evaporation of 10 liters of the 

 water, the following assay values were obtained. This work was 

 most carefully done, and the results are accurate. The gold but- 

 tons obtained by parting were measured by a microscope and their 

 weight calculated. This result may therefore be a trifle high, be- 

 cause of the possibility of the gold being slightly porous. The 

 litharge used was remarkably pure, a number of test assays on 

 100-gram charges failing to show the merest trace of a button 

 tinder the highest powers of the microscope. 



Silver 2.92 mg. per ton of solution 



Gold 0.298 mg. per ton of solution 



* Analysis by X. E. Wilson, Professor of Chemistry, University of 

 Nevada. 



