first exploration. In 1858, he placed before capitalists specimens of cinnabar taken therefrom. They discouraged the opening of any new quicksilver mine, stating as a reason that the supply was greater than the demand. Under these discouraging circumstances prospecting was continued on a small scale for several years until the appreciation of quicksilver and the increased demand for the use of California mines enlisted the assistance of San Francisco capitalists, through whose efforts several promising mines have been opened in the Coast Range counties north of San Francisco Bay. Among these is the Saint John quicksilver mine, which is thus described by the Vallejo Chronicle: This mine and works are located on the Wilson Hill ranch, five miles directly north of Vallejo, in the range of high hills that forms a portion of the Coast Range. The ledge runs southeast and northwest, near the summit of one of the highest hills in the range, and dips to the north at an angle of about forty degrees. It was opened by a drift 20 feet below the outcrop, developing a width of 30 feet for the ledge, with 15 per cent. ore all the way through. At the end of the tunnel or drift, or at the wall," on the east side, the workmen have gone down with an incline for a distance of 50 feet; and it is in this latter excavation where the largest deposit of rich ore has been found. From the mouth of the incline, down, the rock grew richer, and the bottom of the incline shows a solid mass of 50 or 60 per cent. ore. The superintendent is running a tunnel to tap the ledge on a level 173 feet below the outcrop. At a distance of two or three hundred feet west of the location of the above-described ledge, near the summit, a little prospecting has been done, developing a vein 6 feet wide, containing a lead of very rich metal, 6 inches in width, with a foot and a half of paying ore on each side, which, when first discovered, was only the thickness of one's hand, growing wider as they went down upon it. The lode of this portion of the mine has been traced and explored for half a mile, and at intervals of 25 feet shows the outcrop of metal of exceedingly rich character. At the mouth of the tunnel is located the smelting works of the company. The furnace is constructed of brick, in a circular form, between 9 and 10 feet in diameter, and about 13 feet high. The largest diameter of this furnace inside is 4 feet and 6 inches; it has a depth of 12 feet; the chamber is "charged" by filling it with ore and cokea layer of each, one above another-and its capacity is eight tons every twenty-four hours. There are five condensing chambers altogether, situated about 10 feet apart, connected by a long brick flue, each chamber gathering some quicksilver; but in the fifth chamber little, if any, is found, the vapor having condensed before reaching that point; the smoke then passes off into a chimney, thence into the atmosphere. At the first week's run of this furnace 50 flasks of quicksilver were produced, and the mines have probably turned out about 200 flasks per month for the last six months of 1873. This statement may be too low, although it is made on the assertion of parties competent to judge. However, the Benicia Tribune, a paper published in the vicinity of the mine, places the production at 300 flasks per month. Definite informa-1 tion on this point was refused by the superintendent of the mine. The Phoenix is the principal of the Pope Valley mines. This place is eighteen miles from Saint Helena, Napa County. The Phoenix is said to produce about 50 flasks per week out of about 125 tons of ore. Most of the good ore is taken from the "Antone spout," nearly at the end of the main tunnel. The deposit runs all the way from 3 to 18 feet in thickness. The mine has been successfully worked for over three years, and has a Knox & Osborne furnace, the second of the kind ever built. A No. 8 Blake pump is required to keep the mine free from water. The machinery consists of a 12-horse-power pumping-engine at the top of the shaft, and a 12-horse-power for driving the Root blower at the furnace. This mine produced, during six months of 1872, 1,047 flasks of quicksilver. It was discovered in 1861 by John Newman, but it was not until the spring of 1871 that operations were conducted systematically. Up to January, 1871, 960 flasks of quicksilver were produced. From April, 1871, to October of the same year, 764 flasks were produced, and this year, 880 flasks. The Washington mine is also located in Pope Valley. The ore is all taken from a cut in the hillside, and as the mine is being worked on a lease, no systematic developments are carried on. It is said to turn out 30 flasks per month from 100 tons of ore, the extracting and reducing of which costs only $4 at the mine. No machinery is employed. The furnace is the same as those used at New Almaden, and a section of iron condensers attached. It is charged ten times a month, with ten tons for a charge. This mine produced, in 1872, 127 flasks, working on a small scale. It run eight months in 1873. As they use adobes they cannot work after the rains set in. It produced, in 1873, 197 flasks. The Etna mine, a combination of the Silver Bow, Valley and Pope mines, has a furnace of the Knox and Osborne type, but the production is as yet unimportant. The Great Western mine, in Lake County, is another of the very promising mines now producing quicksilver. They have a 10-ton furnace, and are working 65 men at present writing. The mine produced, in October, 290 flasks; in November, 191 flasks, and in December, 170 flasks, or 651 in all, during the time the furnace has been running. The following description of the mine was written by Mr. Skidmore after a visit in August, 1873. The Great Western Quicksilver Mine is situated on the east slope of the Saint Helena Range, at an elevation of 2,200 feet above sea-level and about 1,000 feet above Saint Helena Cañon-distant sixteen miles from Calistoga. The mineral-bearing matter has a width of from 30 to 50 feet, and consists of a serpentine and talcose formation, associated with chlorite and shales, the whole mass irregularly impregnated with cinnabar, and containing ores of various grades, from one per cent. to pure cinna bar. The ground has been explored for a length of 1,500 feet by numerous tunnels, and a large proportion proved to be mineralized to a profitable degree. The workings of the mine through the various tunnels, which attack the ore-body at right angles to its course, have satisfactorily demonstrated its continuity and richness for more than 1,000 feet in length and an average depth from "grass roots" to floor-sills of lower tunnels of 150 feet-leaving apparently the best ground under these floors to be developed by shafts. The ore-body has been tapped by eight tunnels. Four of these-the upper tunnels-may be considered as mere prospecting tunnels, though available for the extraction of surface-ores. Of the four lower tunnels, the main adit, No. 8, attacks the deposit from the southeast side, running under a ridge 100 feet higher than its mouth, and connecting (when completed) by means of a main drift with three lower tunnels on the other side of the ridge. When this work is completed, the entire product of the mine will be run out through this tunnel, in cars, over a tramway nearly 1,000 feet in length, to the ore-chute, where it is dumped. on the feed-floor of the furnace, 100 feet below, thereby saving handling and hauling of the ores. Pending the completion of this work, the tunnels on the other side of the ridge are being vigorously driven on the ore-deposits, and a shaft is being sunk on No. 8 for a new level, and "raising" to surface is progressing. No extensive and rich chambers or deposits have as yet been struck. The entire mass is permeated with veins of cinnabar, alternately contracting and expanding, but showing the remarkable feature of a uniform and continuous widening with depth. In fact, in all the faces of the various drifts and tunnels, the faces look better on the floor than on the roof. This indicates that the present deposits are stringers of exflorescences of larger deposits. These stringers are sometimes mere seams, but are nowhere absent in any part of the works, and in some parts have an expansion of 5 to 10 feet. The property was acquired a year since by a few shrewd capitalists of San Francisco at a cost of about one-tenth of what the same prospect would now command. They have quietly and steadily proceeded in its development, having expended some $50,000, and are now about to reap the reward of their perseverance and enterprise. But few except the owners have known of the existence of a property which at no distant day will compete in production with the New Almaden and Redington. The furnace was built on the plans of Riotte and Luckhardt, and has a capacity of from ten to twelve tons per twenty-four hours. They are provided with double sets of condensers with capacity sufficient for running another furnace of equal size, which will no doubt soon be erected, as even now the ore-supply will exceed the facilities of reduction. The object of two sets of condensers is that one may cool while the other is in operation, thereby insuring continuous runs. The company own several hundred acres of well-timbered land, and are receiving wood at $2.50 per cord. Mr. Luckhardt estimates the cost of treatment of ores at from $1.25 to $1.50 per ton, and the loss of quicksilver at from 5 to 6 per cent. of the average assay of the ores. Under all these circumstances, taking into consideration cheapness of labor and fuel, and conveniences for extracting and delivering ore from so vast a deposit, it would seem that a fair profit may be made on 1 per cent. ore, and a large revenne derived, by the construction and operation of another furnace of equal capacity, even of this low grade of ore. However, there is no reason to suppose the average yield will run below 23 per cent., and even 5 per cent. may be looked upon as reasonable. The extent of supply is practically unlimited for many years unless the reducing machinery should be largely increased. The appliances of the mine are first class, and show the exercise of skill, experience, and judgment in planning and execution. This is manifest in the construction of furnaces, chutes, roads, and handling of water. The Quicksilver Company, owning the New Almaden mine, in Santa Clara County, produced, during 1873, 11,042 flasks of quicksilver of 763 pounds each, being an average monthly production of 920 flasks. The production for the several months was as follows: Flasks. 3,253 7, 663 126 11, 042 This product was disposed of as follows: Delivered D. O. Mills, under contract of sale which expired April Delivered Thomas Bell, for sale on account of the company. Total..... The earnings from all sources, as detailed in the manager's report, were $827,169.28. The expenditures were $398,666.01, showing a decrease as compared with the preceding year, while the outlay for prospecting and dead-work has been fully equal to that of former years. After the expiration of the contract, (April 1, 1873,) for the sale of the product to Mr. D. O. Mills, at $50.50 per flask, the company entered into an agreement with Mr. Thomas Bell of San Francisco, to act as agent for the sale of the product for one year. It was considered fortunate that the old contract was got rid of at a time when, from natural causes, the price of quicksilver was considerably enhanced, thereby enabling the company to reap the benefit of a higher price. The first-mortgage bonded indebtedness of $500,000 in gold, due June 1, 1873, has all been paid and canceled. Through the extinguishment of this funded indebtedness the company is relieved of an annual interest charge of $35,000 in gold. While the product of the mine has fallen off largely, as compared with preceding years, the financial condition of the company has materially improved. The surplus in cash, quicksilver, and ore, after paying the first-morgage debt and the interest due January 1, 1874, was $320,000, The second-mortgage bonds, amounting to $1,000,000, now constitute the only outstanding obligation. The operations of the mines of New Almaden are shown in the report of Mr. Randall, the manager, for the year ending December 31, 1873, to have been as follows: Earnings: flask... ...... From 3,253 flasks of quicksilver produced from January 1 to March 31, sold and delivered to D. O. Mills, esq., under contract of $50.50 per ... $164, 276 50 From 7,789 flasks of quicksilver produced from April 1 to December 31, as follows: Sales of 5,638 flasks through the agency of Thomas Bell, esq., at current market prices for account of the company. Advances on 2,025 flasks consigned to Thomas Bell, esq., for sale.... Amount to be received over advances on 2,025 flasks, and value of 126 flasks at the mine, estimated.. From rents and privileges From miscellaneous sources. 410, 100 55 101, 250 00 70,830 00 26,729 81 2,322 64 51,659 75 From ore account increased. Total.... Expenses: Mine and hacienda pay-rolls Material and supplies consumed. Miscellaneous property Taxes and miscellaneous expenses. Net earnings for 1873... Total.... 827,169 2 $317,573 69 56,244 1,314 3 23,533 63 428, 503 27 827,169 2 Showing, as compared with 1872, a decrease in gross earnings of $82,249.07; in expenses of $58,993.17; and in net earnings of $23,255.90. Under the present arrangement for sale of quicksilver, the company r ceives on its monthly product an advance of $50 per flask, and subsequen settlements at market rates. Half the quicksilver is now delivered in irregular flasks, containing 67 pounds, thus making available 20,000 tasks, which have been stored at the works for many years as unserviceable. The quicksilver which is intended for sale in Nevada and New York is delivered to Mr. Bell at San José instead of San Francisco, thus saving freight and charges amounting to 25 cents per flask. The advance in market price has been rapid. In May it was 95 cents per pound; in June, $1; in August, $1.10; and in November and December, $1.20; while the price in London for quicksilver from Spanish Almaden was £20 per flask, or $1.25 per pound. Mr. Randall gives the following interesting details of operations: The mine pay-rolls are classified as follows: Ore paid miners by the carga Ore cleaning by the carga Terrero $101,552 00 9,236 95 16,424 77 The price paid for mine ore averaged $5.18 per carga of 300 pounds, and the cost for eleaning it was 47 cents per carga. The terrero or lowest grade ore, picked from the Camp, and the tierras, or fine screenings, cost respectively an average of $1.84, and 30 cents per carga. For ore of all qualities and grades the cost per carga was $3.04, in which cost are included all expenditures on mine pay-rolls. The dead-work and prospecting equaled an average cost of $1.07 per carga. The hacienda pay-rolls amounted to $41,645.51,of which the expenditures were for― General account, including repairs Operation of railroad.. Operation of furnaces.. Total.... $29,647 08 2,789 19 9, 209 24 41, 645 51 The average number of furnaces in operation was 5, and the number of charges fired and roasted was 185, the average quantity of ore in each charge being 93,678 pounds, making an aggregate of 17,330,375 pounds. The furnaces consumed 2,363 cords of wood, at an average cost per charge of $76.64, or a cost per carga of 25 cents, or $1.28 per flask of quicksilver produced; coke, charcoal, and coal were used to a limited extent; and adding their cost to the value of Wood consumed, the total average cost per carga for fuel is 26 cents. Taking the totals of the hacienda pay-rolls and the value of wood consumed, the average cost per charge for roasting ore was $301.75; per carga, 97 cents, and per flask of quicksilver produced, $5.06. The following is a comparison of these costs with those for the same purposes in 1672: The low grades of ores reduced account for the increased cost per flask of quicksilver produced, and the same cause, with the fact that all current expenses for repairs are included in pay-rolls, instead of being made a separate charge, as was done last year, explains the increase shown for pay-rolls and wood. The cost of 11,402 flasks of quicksilver was $347,006.26, or $31.42 per flask, being $6.7 more than the average cost in 1872. |