["Singleline" (Dr. J. W. Gally), White Pine, Territorial Enterprise article, reprinted in Alta California, December 8, 1868]

 

WHITE PINE.

__________

The Mines and Country of the White Pine Region.

__________

Correspondence of the Territorial Enterprise.

BELMONT, Nev., November 25th.

            White Pine in one of the districts which abound in the great ranges of mountains which bound, on the east and west, one of the greatest valleys in this State — a valley which trends southwesterly from the Humboldt River, over the slight elevation of the great Flat top'd mountain (south of Reveille) to the Spring Mountains, and thence southwesterly to the Rio Colorado, near the east line of California. This valley is called in its different depressions and locations by various names, to wit: South Fork, Huntingdon's, Jacob's Wells, Gilson's, Newark, White Pine, Reveille, Hot Creek, etc., but these names are simply local appellations of parts of the same great valley which lies between the Diamond Mountains on the east and the White Pine Mountains on the west — for this great valley I suggest the name of

RAILROAD VALLEY.

            Railroad Valley abounds in salt, soda, mineral and hot springs, volcanic scoriae, abundant grazing ground and some agricultural land. The Diamond mountains (south of the Humboldt River) rise west of the mouth of the South Fork of said river and trending southwest for near three hundred miles are lost in the great Flat top'd mountains. The White Pine Mountains rise near the mouth of the South Fork of the Humboldt and trend, east of that little river, south near three hundred miles, and are lost in the Flat top'd mountains at a point something near opposite — east and west — from the south end of Diamond. Both ranges are composed mainly of lime, or limeiferous rocks and coarse slates. About one hundred or more miles from the main Humboldt, on the second highest elevation of the White Pine range, is the District of Great Expectations, called

"WHITE PINE."

            This place was first visited by a party from Austin, headed by Samuel Wilson and Charles Brooks, in the winter of 1864-65. Gilson cut his name on a tree on the west slope of the mountain, near a spring which is nearly due west from the present site of Hamilton — but the party discovered not much, except the white pine trees.

            In the autumn of 1865, a party composed of T. G. Murphy, —— Leathers, and others from Austin, entered what are now known at Mohawk and Leather's cañons, and found and founded the White Pine District on the west slope of the mountains. These gentlemen, with John Frost, Rev. W. G. Blakeley, and others, prospected and mined in the winters of 1865-'66-'67, and endeavored to give the district a standing where coin abounds, and so far succeeded as to enable T.G. Murphy & Co. to purchase a small mill, which was being removed and erected at the old White Pine location in the fall of 1867, at which time, "Lo, the poor Indian," came into camp one day with a piece of cale-spar, or carbonate of lime, in his hand, culling it "heap qaartch — wano happias."  "Lo" presented his specimen of "heap quartch" to Mr. Leathers, who, upon slight examination, threw it away in contempt.

            "Lo" went to the east side again and brought more of his "heap quartch," until his pertinacity induced Leathers to follow him over the high mountains to a sort of table land which puts out from the main elevation at a little lower altitude; and when arrived there, Leathers was confronted by a sort of sloping flat of naked, bald, barren limestone, streaked and flecked with white limespar. Tired, hungry and thirsty, Leathers took a disgust, a big disgust, to the Indian and limestone, and, for a moment forgetting the dignity of his race, he smote the native with his boot-toe in a manner that would have been impossible had the native been sitting in a high-backed rocking-chair. Leathers then reflected upon the vanity of human hopes, and began to pick about among the rocks just for luck — and retired, taking home with him some of the spar he had picked up, which, being assayed by and by, yielded hundreds of dollars per ton in silver, and thus White Pine was discovered. Industry receives a new stimulus, and speculation lays his greedy ear to the ground to find out what is going on in the remote bowels of the earth.

            Locations were made by Leathers, T. G. Murphy & Co. in the fall of 1867, and some prospecting was done by Messrs. Applegarth, Woodward, Willard and others, until the snow, spreading its white pall, muffled the clink of the drills down to a broad, white silence, disturbed, for months, only by the far-sounding sigh of the wind in the lofty and lonesome pines.

            Here, in this scene, the boys "froze to" their prospects, and sent the solitary curl of their camp fire smoke to the breeze all winter long. Well may it be said that here was energy and brawny labor on "picket duty" in front of the Grand Army of Industry.

            Spring time came at last — though late, but better late than never — and the great battle to wrest treasure from rugged Nature began. Following the thaw and receding snow — sometimes digging under the snow — rich rock was dug out, hauled away to Austin and Newark and milled, giving to the late winter-bound and ragged miner a magnificent return in clear coin, wherewith to comfort his inner and outer man, and return to the "old camp" armed and equipped for further development.

THE SETTLEMENT OF WHITE PINE.

            Of course "such conduct as those" could not be permitted to pass unnoticed. The white man is naturally a social being, particularly with those of his relatives who are doing well. In fact he will visit anybody, at any altitude, latitude, longitude or depression, if that body is getting rich, merely to congratulate him on his good fortune and ask him to "take something." So the saloon man grabbed his bottle and tumbler and went to White Pine, to treat the boys, then the hash house, the chop houses, the butcher house, the bunking house, the gambling house, and all the other houses. Then, of course, everybody went, until our excellent Governor, growing fearful that be would be left, like Byron's last man, "alone and in darkness," "got up and got" for White Pine also, where, among the tall crags and taller pines, his tall Excellency out-stretches even J. D. Emersly (who was once basely accused of being "Singleline") in the stride wherewith he laboriously climbs the "Hill of Fame."

            And now that all these people are there assembled, what is it all about '!

            One correspondent says "he is afraid to tell the truth about White Pine." He won't do! No man has any right to harbor such a fear as that. "Tell the truth and shame the devil" is the ancient rule of virtuous expression.  Now I am not particularly desirous to hurt the devil's feelings, but I would like to tell the truth as near as may be about White Pine.  But it is a tedious matter to enumerate the various items which go toward making up the prospects of the camp.  One thing I know is true, to wit: White Pine is a magnificent "prospect" for silver.  But will it improve, or will it "peter"? are the great questions, to which nothing but time and "taking the chances" can reply.  At present nothing ever has equalled the prospect for silver mining presented at White Pine.

            The elevation of the range at this point is divided into two summits, an eastern and western.  The eastern summit is perhaps 400 feet lower than the western, and forms an irregularly and quadrilateral flat slope of limestone, terminating at the northeast angle in a cone of slate and conglomerate rocks.  On, under and around this flat, and upward toward the cone, are the richest mines.  This is Treasure Hill, where very little base metal is found.  Here are two towns in the same place.

TREASURE CITY AND CHLORIDE CITY.

Two cities with a single thought,

Two 'wicky-ups' in one.

            Here is the busy place ; where the mining shafts are so close together, so numerous, and so near the houses, that a blast cannot be put off without public notice by the Town Crier to all persons to suspend business until after the explosion.  After the explosion we all take a drink, and after the drinks we fire off a shot — so that it is a question whether the people on Treasure Hill drink between "shoots" or shoot between drinks.  Several eminent mathematicians and lawyers have tried, by actual experiments and practical observations, to solve this question, without arriving at any satisfactory result, except a headache the next day. This great question was submitted to all prominent politicians of both parties who visited Treasure Hill during the late campaign, but they either declined to consider it or failed to solve it.

            Down and around a precipice, on the southeast slope of Treasure Hill, are the celebrated Eberhardt, Keystone, Blue Bell, etc., rich locations which have already yielded fortunes, and have more in sight. Still below these, for three-quarters of a mile, are many locations unworked, but prospected slightly, of similar rock in similar formation; while on the east face of the hill are other rich locations. Whether there is any real vein or lead in Treasure Hill, I cannot tell; but one thing is plain to all eyes, viz.: if there is any pay ore, either below the bottom or between the hundreds of holes that have been sunk and show good indications on that Hill, it must contain an untold and unimaginable number of dollars.

BASE METAL RANGE.

            Opposite to the west, is the higher summit of White Pine, called "the base metal range," and here the metallic substance is more massive, but contains lead in abundance as well as other metals, with considerable silver. I have do doubt that, some day not far distant, the base metal range will be the prominent feature of White Pine, but, at present, it is only prospected slightly; and yet I have seen assays from its rock which, three years ago, would have created a stir in mining circles.

            In short, there is at White Pine abundance of ore from the "pure stuff," which only needs smelting down, through all the grades of silver ore, to that which is so near pure lead that it will not pay in any way that silver ores are worked in America.

HAMILTON.

            Between the east and west summits, up a stone cañon, runs a toll-road from the town of Silver Springs, some four or five miles north to the town of Hamilton. From this road you turn, at the summit of the depression, east to Treasure City, west to the "base metal range" and tall timber. Hamilton is located on the northwest slope, in a naked, wide cañon and Silver Springs on the southeast, in a narrow cañon enclosed by nut pines and mahoganies.

FORMER SNOWFALLS HERE.

            If the snow falls in those parts as I have seen it fall there, heretofore, Treasure City will be shut up in the snow, and Silver Springs and Hamilton will have a coldness between them that will be insurmountable by teams for several weeks.

            To all persons contemplating emigration to White Pine, I say take some house and enough "grub," or wait until next May, unless you want to help establish as prosperous a graveyard as was done at Austin in 1862.

Yours,

SINGLELINE.