a distance of 500 feet in all directions from the main shaft by means of the diamond drill, and nothing of value was encountered. Between the 2,700 level and the surface there is considerable new ground in each of those mines in which no work has yet been done. It is the intention of the different companies to thoroughly prospect this ground as rapidly as possible. Owing to its favorable location and close proximity to ground from which large and valuable bodies of rich ore have heretofore been extracted, there are at least reasonable expectations that good ore may be discovered.

Sherman district.-This district is situated about 6 miles north west of Virginia City and includes a highly mineralized territory. Before the discovery of the Comstock this district had quite a population engaged in prospecting. The camp, however, laid idle until within the past two years, when it regained some of its early popularity. Within the past year a large number of locations have been made in the district; upon many of them work has been done, showing in most instances strong ledges of very good ore.

The Burke mine is the only one upon which any systematic develop. ments have been made. A shaft 200 feet deep has been sunk, showing a true fissure vein of good ore, varying in width from 4 to 10 feet. The greater portion of the ore between walls will pay a profit on cost of working.

The assessors' returns show a production in excess of last year of over $600,000 and the amounts produced by the mines reporting:

Argentine district.-Mr. Edward Harris, owner and locator of the Harris mine, gives the subjoined brief review of the discovery and condition of his property:

"The ledge being a blind one, a cut was run 30 feet in length and a small stringer of gold ore found, after which an incline was sunk 35 feet in depth. The quartz gave out at a depth of 17 feet in the incline. What ore was found milled $400 per ton. A drift was then run out 55 feet in a southerly direction from bottom of the incline and 2 feet of low-grade quartz struck. A second drift from the easterly direction of the incline was then worked, and at 40 feet cut a large ledge of broken quartz, from which some very fine specimens of gold ore were taken. Work was then abandoned for a time, and upon its resumption a tunnel was run into the hill about 100 feet west of the incline. At a depth of 40

feet a silver ledge, 16 inches wide, was found, assaying from $20 to $1,700 per tou, and a winze sunk to the depth of 35 feet from the face of the tunnel. The ore having improved, a drift was started out and followed the ledge 165 feet in an easterly direction. At this point the gold vein intersected the silver ledge; a winze was sent down 60 feet and a drift run out 40 feet on the ledge. A third winze was sunk at the face of the drift 50 feet in depth, and drift ruu from bottom 35 feet on the ledge, which at this point, 210 feet from the surface, had attained the width of 4 feet. Being satisfied with the prospect, a new shaft was started, which is down 75 feet, and 6 men are employed about the work. The mine has so far been prospected to a depth of 210 feet on the ledge and 100 feet in length. The ore taken out while doing this work has paid for all improvements about the mine, and besides netted the owner a handsome dividend. The ore has been of a very high grade, some selected lots yielding $40 per pound. The silver ledge has never been prospected, but where run through it gave some beautiful specimens containing native silver, ruby, black sulphurets of silver, bromide, and chloride of silver."

On the West Harris a shaft has been sunk 90 feet, and a drift 19 feet run south. Work was discontinued before the drift had reached the ledge.

The ledge of the Washoe Giant shows some fine quartz, assaying from $10 to $70 per ton, but the developments amount only to a tunnel now 64 feet long. There are several stringers of quartz in face which give low assays in gold.

Smith and Marker mine lies east of the Harris. In sinking two shafts of 100 feet each several stringers of quartz were found.

Burns and Dunlop mine, lying north of the above, has a shaft 90 feet deep, from which a drift was run out on ledge about 2 feet in width of solid quartz giving assays of gold and silver.

The Sage Hen is a relocation of the Hazard, which was worked by a tunnel 900 feet in length and an incline of 100 feet in depth. The ore worked $48 per ton in silver, also containing a small percentage of copper and lead. All work on this mine was discontinued in 1867. Since its relocation a lot of 5 tons of selected surface or float ore gave a return of $206 in silver per ton.

Sherman district.-The Burke is not being worked at present, but the following was the result of six assays made from its ores:

Pyramid Lake district.—The development of the Crown Prince Gold and Silver mine consists of a shaft at the west end 430 feet in depth; a tunnel on the east end following the course of the mine about 300 feet; also one uprise of 45 feet about 100 feet from commencement of tunnel; and one shaft about the center of the mine 110 feet deep.

The assessors' returns give the production of only one mine, the Harris, which was 18 tons, valued at $3,093.90.

WHITE PINE COUNTY.

The

Aurum district.-A great deal of prospecting has been done in this camp during the year. The principal mines are the Sadie L. and the Blue Bell. The former is opened by two tunnels and an incline shaft to the depth of 500 feet, and has developed a small ledge of rich ore. The Blue Bell has reached a depth of 400 feet by shaft and tunnel. vein is a contact between lime and shale. A large deposit of rich ore has been stoped out the past year along the line of the tunnel level. From the Blue Bell mine there is a track around the side of the mountain to a tramway leading down to the ore house at the mill, where all the ore handled by the company will be reduced. The mill, intended for wet crushing, is a 10 stamp, with all improvements.

The Aurum, in Silver Canyon district, is a fine prospect, for the depth, some 20 feet. Assays run from 11 ounces in silver as high as 267 ounces. A shipment of 690 tons of ore as a test worked at the rate

of $300 per ton. Cherry Creek district.—The various mines of this district have not employed during the year as great a number of men as in former years, owing partially to the financial troubles of the Star Mining Company, the lien claims against the property being still in litigation. On the Rob Roy, Messrs. Taylor & Co. have sunk an incline nearly 40 feet on the ledge and have taken out about 5 tons of $200.ore.

The incline shaft on the Ti-Cup is down about 600 feet, and eight levels have been opened up. The hanging wall is shale-slate, the foot-wall limestone.

There are two belts in this section. The upper ledge is a contact vein traceable for 5 miles. The principal mines on it are the Ti-Cup, Bob Tail, Rob Roy, and the Chance. South of the Ti-Cup are the Bohemian Girl, the Blacksmith, Steptoe, and others. The ore is free milling, and much of it has run from $60 upwards per ton, and worked up to 90 and 95 per cent. The Rob Roy is said to produce ore worth from $80 to $100. The lower ledge consists of a series of fissure veins cutting the formation from east to west. The ore as a rule is refractory, needing roasting.

The most promising mine is the Star, not now worked; next may be named the Exchequer, the Big Giant, the Grey Eagle, Chief of the Hill, and west extension of the Star, all in one group.

On Flagstaff Hill, 2 miles south, are the Pacific, Mary Ann, the Flagstaff, Little Maud, and others.

Eagle district has a net-work of well-defined veins in granite.

Work is being done on the Wheal Anna, the vein of which shows a width of 4 feet and ore that will work up to $200.

Granite district.-Thero is the only mine in this district which has been worked to any extent. The ore assays about $60 per ton, much of the rock showing free gold. Some work has also been done on the Summit adjoining the Oro, and a ledge of very fair ore has been uncovered.

Osceola district.-Work has been vigorously pushed on many of the mines in this camp, besides the expenditure of a large amount of money in developing the placer claims for the thorough working of which Messrs. Godbe & Hampton, of Salt Lake City, have commenced a system of water ditches that when completed will add largely to the value of mining property in the camp.

The Osceola Gravel Mining Company is a Utah incorporation. They H. Ex. 268-24

are constructing a canal some 16 miles long to convey the waters of five creeks to their placer grounds. The aggregate quantity of water furnished will be 1,000 miner's inches. An examination of the deep bars showed them to contain gravel varying in value from 45 cents to $1.25 per cubic yard. The unusual snows of last season furnished the means of using a small hydraulic, by which they washed from various places over 10,000 cubic yards of gravel.

The district is a ret-work of quartz veins. The Cumberland, one of the pioneer claims, is a strong 6-foot vein and has a shaft 100 feet down. Forty tons of ore from this mine gave a result of $40 per ton.

The Osceola, owned by the same parties, has a shaft on the ore-body 130 feet. About 60 tons worked from this mine yielded about $37 per ton. The vein is 3 feet wide and pitches south at an angle of 70 degrees. The Crescent and Eagle mines have workings to a depth of 300 feet and many tons of ore have been reduced showing $11 per ton.

The Saturday Night, a 4-foot vein, has no deep workings. Twentysix tons of ore worked last fall yielded $80 per ton.

The Verde mine has yielded $34 per ton from a sample of 37 tons. The Gilded Age has yielded over $40 per ton, mill process.

The Red Monster, owned by Pat Revey, has a shaft 100 feet. From this mine the owner washed out with a rocker, after screening the ore, $600 in less than 30 days, securing at the rate of $9 per ton and leav ing about $20 in the quartz.

The Saturday Night, owned by Mr. B. Tilford, has a drift of 50 feet, and has turned out 75 tons of ore, 25 of which assorted yielded $82 per ton, mill process.

Shelbourne district-Although little work has been done on the mines in this district, some ore has been taken from the Northern Light giving returns of $200 per ton, but its average assays will not exceed $120 per ton in silver.

Surface rock from the Summit claim, adjoining the Northern Light, gives very favorable results.

Patterson district.-The mines of this district have been worked by only a small force of men. Some 40 tons of ore shipped to Frisco, Utah, for reduction, netted the shippers a fair profit over cost of shipping, extracting, and reducing.

The Gray Eagle mine is reported as containing rich ore.

Ward district.-The Martin White, Argus, Osceola, and Silver Cañon mines are the principal claims in this district.

The Martin White has been worked constantly during the year and good progress has been made in its development. According to the superintendent's report the explorations have been confined mainly to the southerly portion of the lead, a fair amount of ore of good grade being extracted. Suow so flooded a part of the mine that work was suspended. Prospecting was resumed on the 160-foot level in another part of the mine not affected by the wåter, and some good ore was extracted. The most of these developments were of a very encouraging nature. In all there was run during the year about 1,450 feet of drift, 170 feet of raises, and 60 feet of shaft. About 250 tons of ore of the assay value of 41.32 ounces in silver per ton were extracted.

White Pine district.-Considerable work has been done on quite a number of mines in the district. The Eberhardt Company are still pushing the work with air drills upon their property, the Eberhardt and North Aurora mines.

At the north end of Treasure Hill the Sweetwater Mining Company have been operating during the past season with good results. They have

fourteen locations, the most important at present being the Stafford and Original Hidden Treasure. On the former the ledge is reported 30 feet wide and the best defined in this vicinity, with good foot and hanging walls, and an 8-foot dike of spar lying next to the foot-wall. The ore ranges from $50 to $60 per ton.

The Wheeler tunnel has been run 900 feet toward the Original Hidden Treasure, and a contract has been let to drive it 413 feet further, which will take it through the ground. The ore from this mine runs all the way from $25 upwards.

The yield from these two mines since the summer of 1883 has amounted to $73,350. The rock is a free milling, silver-bearing ore with a mere trace of gold, and is reduced at the company's 20-stamp mill at Hamilton. The average yield is about $360 per ton.

The mill of the Ward Beecher Consolidated, better known perhaps as the Edgar mine, has been running on tailings for some time and has shipped nine bars of bullion, averaging .995 fine, and valued at about $10,000. About 10,000 tons of tailings remain on the ground to be worked.

The Consolidated Treasure has reached a depth of 115 feet, with ore of the same grade and character as that of the Edgar. Their water privileges are said to be by far the finest in the district.

The ore of the Jennie A. and Black Rock is base metal, averaging 43 per cent. lead and $40 per ton in silver, carrying some gold. The vein is a contact of quartzite and limestone.

The Silver Chamber shows a small vein from 1 to 19 inches in width. The rock is said to be rich, and a few men have been engaged in extracting ore with a view to shipping it.

The Hope mine, owned by Matthewson & Co., has been worked more or less during the year, and present prospects are said to be flattering. The Chief is located on the north side of Treasure Hill. It is opened by a tunnel 300 feet in length, and one shaft 180 feet deep, showing an 80-foot ledge that will work by mill process $35 per ton.

The Continental Consolidated, comprising the C. O. D. and Fay, have been worked by tributers. The ore is base and works as high as $130 per ton.

The White Pine Belcher is looking well. One hundred tons shipped to Eureka worked up to $120 per ton.

The Konsberg has been prospected to a depth of 196 feet and about 500 feet in drifts, inclines, and winzes have been run. Ore taken from the mine to Eureka, Nev., gives returns of 1,620 ounces in silver.

Taylor district is located on the western slope of the Shelbourne range of mountains, at an altitude of 8,000 feet above the level of the sea and 500 feet above Steptoe Valley. Near the center of the district are located the Monitor and Gore mining claims, operated under the name of the Monitor Mill and Mining Company.

The Monitor has been worked since 1880 through two shafts each 57 feet deep. The ore-body has been found at a depth of from 40 to 60 feet, lying flat. Within the past three months, however, the ore-bodies uncovered have commenced to go down at an angle of about 30 degrees, the dip of the ore being south of west. The mill runs about eight months in the year. The total yield of the mine for the past year, reported by W. G. Lyons, superintendent and one of the owners, was $129,972.24 silver.

The Argus Mining Company have three claims, 4,500 feet in length, running parallel with the Monitor. The ore-chambers lie in a similar