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| The Comstock Mining Project
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Civil War era ore refinement techniques and the Comstock Lode.
In 1859, a rich deposit of sliver sulphide was discovered on the Comstock in Nevada. This silver, laced into quartz rock, required extensive refining or milling to yield its wealth. The earliest techniques used were the crude patio and arrastra processes derived from Mexican mining practices. The miners used animal power to crush and mix the ore on broad stone platforms. The California stamp mills, perfected during the California gold rush, were the first machines for crushing ore. During the early 1860s several of these mills were hauled over the Sierras to the Comstock. Over the next few years of capitalists, attracted by the Comstock’s production, financed new mills. By 1863, an estimated seventy-five mills were operating. After that long decline in mining production resulted in the construction of fewer mills. Nevertheless, until the turn of the century, stamp mills prevailed as the primary means of crushing ore.
The cyanide process of treating ores was perfected during the 1890s. This process substantially improved the 60 to 70 percent recovery rate achieved with the stamp mill and the amalgamation process formerly used on the Comstock. As a result, several new mills using the cyanide process were erected. At its best, the cyanide process yielded a 96 percent recovery. Some of these later mills, the Donovan, Dayton, and the Crown Point Mills in the vicinity of Gold Hill and Silver City, operated through the 1950’s and remain essentially intact. Foundation remains from early Comstock mills can be seen along Gold Canyon, from Gold Hill to Silver City, to Dayton, in Six Mile Canyon, and along the Carson River extending from Dayton nearly to Carson City.
Over the last 100 years, many things have changed but there are lots of problems with its growth. The biggest constraint on the Comstock over the many years, is the availability of water. Virginia City, Gold Hill, and Silver City are served by the same water system which was built in the 1870’ s and is now operated by Storey County. Their system is allocated 500,000 gallons per day (CPD). Currently, only 400,000 CPD are delivered to the area, and of this 28 percent is lost through leaks in the piping system. During peak summer months, the facility utilizes the system’s present capacity to its fullest. The Storey County commissioners have limited by ordinance the number of new residential building starts to thirteen per year for Virginia City and Gold Hill. Silver City is effectively also, not by ordinance, but by a county-determined water allocation.
If you get an opportunity to visit Reno, Nevada, be sure to visit the smaller Gold Mining towns. Several years ago I had been a lobbyist during legislation for one of the entities in Southern Nevada. I then had the opportunity to spend some in those small cities, when as the rest of the legislature and lobbyists would go home for a break. I would stay over and hunt the abandoned areas around those mining towns. Sometimes detecting or just searching. By the time I came home at the end of the sessions, I had gathered many coins, etc. etc., even some false teeth with gold. I can’t remember the other junk, but it was very worthwhile if you like to get down and dirty.
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