Cornucopia. (February 11, 1876)
Letter 20
CORNUCOPIA.
Bridge and Freight Matters—A Dig at the Post—The Court Busy—
A Big Strike—Custom Mill Wanted.
Cornucopia, Feb 6.
The last number of the Silver State received here contained a letter from Paradise, which was read here with considerable interest. That letter stated that the citizens of that valley took a deep interest in THE OWYHEE BRIDGE. It is right that they should, as teams are arriving here frequently from that section with flour and other products, as well as from Winnemucca. All are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the committee, and when they come Judge Sinclair and others will give them all the information they can relative to the best site. All are anxious to have the bridge built (the Post man to the contrary, notwithstanding). The Hussey will build a mill in the spring, and with the bridge, all the freight will come from Winnemucca. This is the general talk and opinion here. Elko, with its five cents per pound freight, does not compare with Winnemucca at two and one-fourth and two and one half cents. The eyes of the blind are getting opened. Let that committee come soon, and if time is given, there will be responsible bidders from this place. Ringgold and others will try to do the work. I wonder how the Post man can account for our merchants shipping all their goods by way of Winnemucca if the Elko route is so much superior? It appears to me, if some want soap, he needs less old rye, and something to clear his intellectual vision.
THE QUACKERY ACT. We tried a Chinese doctor for a violation of the Quackery Act of 1875. The jury disagreed, so we don’t know yet how the M. D.’s Caucasian or Mongolian will come out. The case will come up for trial before the next term of the District Court.
There is something in the wind ABOUT OUR MINES, but where it is, I cannot tell at present, as things are kept sub rosa. That a big strike has been mails in some one of the mines—Leopard, Hussey or Panther—there is no doubt. Some rumors have it in the Leopard, with ore that assays $3,000 to the ton, but a little rebellious; others that it is in the Hussey; and some say the Panther. Something is surely in the wind. A private messenger was sent post-haste to Elko yesterday evening, and I think you will in a few days hear something good from this camp. The weather is pleasant now, and roads from the mine to the mill are good, Mr. Willard, the contractor for the hauling of ore, is using every endeavor to get rock ahead, so the mill will have plenty to work when the roads gets bad. There is not now much danger of the mill shutting down. The company are already making preparations to work the rebellious ores. Everything now indicates an early spring, and a prosperous season.
The great cry is for a CUSTOM MILL. There are many ledges here which produce good paying ore, and easily worked, if mills were afforded, to add greatly to the mineral productions of this camp, I have no doubt that a custom mill of equal capacity of the Leopard mill would continually yield as good results in production of bullion. The new mining camp west of here, in Aurora District, is attracting some attention now. Prospects there assay well, some as high as $2,000 per ton. It is about twenty-six miles nearer Winnemucca than this place.
But I must close, as this letter is getting sufficiently long, so I will stop, with the assurance to you that the majority of the people here desire the construction of the Owyhee bridge at an early date, and hope that the people of Winnemucca and Paradise will not be frightened out of their understanding by the opposition of Elkoites, as manifested by the vaporings of the Post. Yours truly, S. M. H.
Originally published in the Silver State on February 11, 1876. (link)