mill connected with, 110, 126, 139
mining operations in, 73, 74, 76, 107, 114–17, 119, 403
naming of, 68
one-ledge legal theory at, 176–77
productivity of, 73, 107, 120, 135, 140, 149, 291, 329
rebuilding of, after fire, 360, 372
sell-outs and consolidations of claims in, 69–70
share price of, 141, 142–43, 149, 159, 172, 174, 183, 330
share sell-off and price drop of shares of, 332–33, 334
Sharon’s ownership of, 329–31, 332, 337, 341
square-set timbering system in, 119–20
value of ore from, 75, 84, 86, 88, 115, 140–41, 152, 195
Virginia Ledge boundary issues and, 141–42
opium, 163, 167
Oregon, mines in, 138, 139
O’Reilly, Peter, 51, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 68, 69–70
Ormsby, William, 91, 93, 94–95, 97, 98
Osborne, John “Kentuck,” 62, 69, 70, 195
Ott, J. J., 63
outside claims (wildcats), 87–88
Owyhee mines, Idaho, 237
Pacific Insurance Company, 185
Pacific Ocean telegraph cable project, 426–27
Paiute Indians, 48, 51, 71, 97, 99
description of, 91
as mine workers, 249
mining’s impact on, 78–79, 91–92
Ormsby and, 91, 93
Palmer, Walter W., 174–75
patent medicines, 163, 167
Paul, Almarin B., 63, 106, 108–10, 119
Peerless mines, Arizona, 399, 416
Penrod, Emanuel “Manny,” 51, 52, 58, 59–60, 61, 62, 66, 68, 69, 70
Penrod, Comstock & Company, 62–63, 66
Petaluma Mill, 208, 214, 249, 303–4
Phelan, James, 196–97, 198, 201
Philadelphia Mint, 19, 31
Pine Nut claim, 86
Pioneer Quartz Company, 54–55, 57
Pitt River Indians, 99
placer, meaning of term, 28
placer gold mining, 27
camps around, 34
dangers encountered in, 52
end of, 35
on Gold Hill, 56–57
gold in quartz mining compared with, 53, 54
later rewording of, 49, 50
miners’ successes in, 42
river deposits and, 37, 50, 51, 52
techniques in, 28–29
Placerville, California, 38, 42, 50, 72, 74, 77, 81, 86, 133n
Placerville Route, 83n
Plato, Joseph, 56
Podgers (Richard L. Ogden), 89, 123, 133, 142, 175, 181–82, 197
Polk, James K., 17
Pony Express
demise of, 132
first run over Sierra Nevada by, 83, 87, 191
Indian massacre news from, 90, 91
Indian raids on stations of, 101
Lincoln’s election reported by, 122–23
Williams Station Indian massacre reported by, 90, 91
Postal Telegraph Company, 397–98, 420, 431
Potosi mine, 125, 136, 143, 149, 158, 177, 197n
combined Chollar-Potosi mine, 190, 202, 223, 251, 252, 272, 274, 289, 296
Price, Johnson, 99
Pride, Baruch, 40–41
prostitution and brothels, 33, 160, 164, 352, 365
pump engine and pump machinery, 217–19
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
First Battle of, 94–99, 108
Indian meeting about Williams Station massacre at, 91
Second Battle of, 101–2, 108
quartz mining
Comstock and, 235–36
Pioneer Quartz Company by-laws on, 54
selling “feet” to raise capital in, 84
railroads. See also Central Pacific Railroad; Virginia & Truckee Railroad
Gould’s ownership of, 395, 403
Mackay’s investments in, 213–14
national economic problems and, 320–21
Sharon’s construction of, 233–34, 266–67
speed advantage of, 233
Ralston, James, 189
Ralston, William, 429
Arizona diamond field hoax and, 307
Bank of California closure and, 342–44, 345–47, 350
Bank of California debts of, 279, 308–9, 338, 340, 341, 342, 344
Bank of California management by, 278–79, 307, 309, 342–43
Bank of California opening by, 182
Bank of California Virginia City branch and, 186–87
Belcher mine and, 307, 308
Comstock mine and, 189
Crown Point mine and, 203, 278–79
death of, 347–50
federal currency issues and, 309–10
financial problems of, 342–44, 345–47
Gould & Curry claim and, 124
Hale & Norcross mine and, 231
Mackay and, 349
Ophir mine and, 142, 331, 332, 341
Palace Hotel and, 338–39, 340, 342, 351
railroad construction and, 233
Sharon’s relationship with, 184–86, 279, 331, 332, 339, 349, 350–51
Spring Valley Water Company and, 341–42
Sutro’s tunnel project and, 204, 235
rats, in mines, 317–18
rebellious silver ores, 66, 240–41
Red Bluff Independent, 105, 112
reduction mills, 201–2
Reese, John, 47, 48
Reese River mines, 158, 189, 193
religious traditions. See also Catholicism; Mormons
mining camp life and, 33–34, 164
Sunday law proposal and, 126–27
retorts, in gold mining, 28, 109, 158, 335, 361
Rippey, Wesley C., 418–19
Rising Star mine, Idaho, 237, 240–41, 243, 416
river-turning technique, in gold mining, 30, 37
Roberts, George D., 237, 397
rockers, in gold mining, 28, 29
daily amount earned using, 16, 42, 56, 59, 60
description of, 4
quartz mining with, 47, 57
Rogers, James, 56, 86
roller-skating craze, 282–83
rope-ways, in San Francisco, 321–22
Roughing It (Twain), 152, 158, 164
Russia, Mackay as special ambassador to, 390–91
Sacramento Daily Union, 42, 49, 71, 74, 75–76, 78, 98, 106, 115, 139, 140, 149, 153, 175, 194, 206, 235–36, 352, 386
safety issues
cages with, 216–17
Mexican mine collapse and, 161
mine accidents and, 250–52
railroad car hopping and, 270–71
rats’ warnings about, 317
shaft stations and, 256
Said, Kinney, 75
saloons, 33, 110, 111–12, 123–24, 154, 160, 163–64, 238, 356, 359, 361, 365, 366
Salt Lake City Tribune, 399, 415, 427
San Francisco
Brannan’s mining-provisions store in, 14
businesses profiting from gold in, 26–27
cable cars in, 322, 399, 429
Comstock and economic success of, 428–29
First Battle of Pyramid Lake reported in, 99
Flood’s businesses in, 238–39
Fraser River, Canada, gold rush’s impact on, 36–37
gold and silver sent east from, 187
gold coins and gold dust used in, 26
gold fever and departure for goldfields from, 15, 16
Lincoln’s assassination reaction in, 192
Mackay family’s later visit to, 420
Mackay family’s residence in, 319–20, 322–23, 353
mine stock investment in, 141–42, 156–57
proposed ban on mining capital from, 126, 127
railroad completion and, 264–65
Ralston’s suicide and, 349–50
rapid expansion of, after beginning of Gold Rush, 21, 25–26
real estate speculation in,
26
rope-ways used in, 321–22
rumors of gold strike and, 14
Sharon’s political work in, 184
smallpox in, 248
telegraph network opening celebration in, 38–39
Virginia City fire and, 353
Washoe bullion displayed in, 122
Washoe Diggings’ economic impact on, 72, 75, 77, 122, 141
water supply in, 341–42
San Francisco Bulletin, 42, 106, 154, 164, 367
San Francisco Chronicle, 199, 202, 223, 269, 275, 276, 277, 282, 284, 288, 290, 294, 296, 297–98, 301, 303, 305, 306, 312–13, 314, 315, 316, 319, 328, 330, 332–33, 335, 341, 343, 344, 351, 355, 359, 360, 361, 372, 373, 374, 412, 420, 422
San Francisco Evening Bulletin, 132
San Francisco Mint, 77, 278, 309
San Francisco Stock & Exchange Board, 141, 184, 228, 231, 243, 298
San Francisco Weekly Bulletin, 77
Savage mine, 223, 381
mining operations in, 156, 158, 176, 181, 199, 242, 244, 271, 294, 378
one-ledge legal theory at, 176
promising developments and share price of, 294–95, 296, 297
safety issues at, 216
share price of, 159, 174
Sharon’s control of, 182, 203, 204
Schussler, Hermann, 290, 314, 315
scurvy, 32
Segovia, Josefa, 27
Sharon, William
assayer corruption by, 227
background of, 183–84
Bank of California and, 185–86, 228, 298, 340
Bank of California reopening and, 349–50, 351
Bank of California Virginia City branch and, 186, 187–88
Belcher mine and, 307, 308
bribes used by, 228, 330
Comstock Lode and, 185–86, 189, 201–3, 223–25, 274, 330
Con. Virginia mine and, 302, 303
Crown Point mine and, 189, 202, 203, 213, 223, 276–77, 279
death of, 406–7
early business ventures of, 184
gambling by, 186, 188
Hale & Norcross mine and, 228, 231, 232, 241, 243, 244, 245, 249, 280, 299
Kentuck mine and, 213–14
Mackay’s shared-use arrangement with, 299
methods of making money from stockholders by, 225, 226, 270
mine fire accusations and, 296, 297
mine share losses by, 241
mining taxes and, 336
Ophir mine and, 329–31, 332, 337, 341
Palace Hotel and, 340, 343, 351
personal mining engineer and other experts used by, 226, 334
power of, 228
railroad construction and, 233–34, 266–67, 269, 270, 337, 342
Ralston’s relationship with, 184–86, 279, 331, 332, 339, 340
Ralston’s suicide and, 347, 349, 350
senatorial race and, 298, 330, 382
stock market decline and, 296–97, 297–98
stock market profits of, 226–27
Sutro’s tunnel project and, 204, 205, 235, 266
theater company sponsored by, 220
transportation control by, 228, 267, 270, 337
transportation costs and, 232, 270
Union Mill and Mining Company and, 203
valet Ah Ki and, 187–88, 407–8
Virginia City fire relief and, 359–60
water supply control by, 227–28
woman companions’ lawsuits against, 407
Yellow Jacket mine and, 189–90, 202, 213, 223, 225–26
Shaw, John B., 113–14
Sherman, William Tecumseh, 18
Shoshone Indians, 91, 99
Sides, William, 58, 112
Sierra Nevada mine, 62–63, 90, 378, 379
Sierra Nevada Mountains
economic impact of miners’ exodus from, 35
first gold strike in, 13–14, 15–16, 17
geological formation of gold deposits in, 27–28
impact of mining in, 35
Mackay and O’Brien journey over, 2, 44
Mackay’s camp in, 39
Mackay’s later memories of, 39
miners’ searches for gold in, 34
Mormon settlement in, 47
newspaper reports on mining in, 18–19
pull of gold in, 22, 23
quartz mining in, 44
speed of Pony Express riders over, 83
winter crossing problems in, 77, 78, 82, 86
silver
assays of Washoe Diggings quartz vein for, 63
formation of quartz veins and, 52–53
Silver City mining camp, 71, 108, 137, 139, 195, 207, 270, 290, 294
silver mining
currency support related to, 134
difficulty of, 66
Grosh brothers in Great Basin and, 52
Owyhee mines, Idaho, and, 237
rebellious ores in, 66, 240–41
Rising Star mine, Idaho, and, 240–41
rush to invest in, 157
techniques used in, 108
winzes used in, 121
Silver Platter (Berlin), 165–66, 432
Simpson, Mary Jane, 270, 275, 276, 278, 283, 286, 288, 290
Six Mile Cañon, 46, 51–52, 55, 58, 59, 61, 62, 66, 71, 86, 87, 90, 158, 187, 192, 334, 371
slavery
admission of new states and territories and, 17, 123
Emancipation Proclamation and, 140
secession of states before Civil War and, 123
slaves, as mine workers, 29
sluice boxes, 28, 29, 35, 171–72
Smallman, Amelia, 379, 398–99
smallpox, 9, 32, 138, 247
Smith, Ben, 336, 355, 362
Smith, Grant, 351–52
Smith, Hank, 264, 274, 275, 276, 287–88, 289, 307
Soule, Frank, 87, 92, 99
Sprague Elevator and Electrical Works, 420–21
Spring Valley Water Company, 154, 341–42
square-set timbering system
additional reinforcing timbers needed in, 315
Big Bonanza mine with, 363
Caledonia Tunnel with, 148
Con. Virginia with, 315, 316
cost as drawback to using, 120, 121
Deidesheimer’s design of, 115–17, 117
Fair Shaft with, 214–15
Mackay’s understanding of, 121
Gold Hill mines and, 133
Ophir mine with, 119–20
Savage mine with, 156
speed of mining using, 120
winzes used with, 120–21
stagecoach lines, 31, 38, 83, 137, 151, 159, 250
Stanford, Leland, 127, 342
Stanton, Edwin M., 183–84
steam-hoisting machinery, 143, 156, 192, 199, 200–201, 208, 215, 219, 235
Stewart, William M., 176, 309, 330
Stone, J. F., 63
Strong, Charley, 177
sump pumps, 218–19
Sunday law proposal, 126–27
Sunderland, Thomas, 203, 214, 233
Sutro, Adolph
Bank of California’s conflict with, 194, 204, 205, 234
Comstock mine and, 83, 190, 377–78
deep-drain tunnel project of, 190, 191, 194, 203–5, 234–35, 265–66, 298–99
description of, 190–91
first Pony Express run in Sierra Nevada witnessed by, 83, 191
Nevada Legislature election and, 295, 298, 382
Ophir mine ownership and, 142
Sutter, John, 13, 14
Sutter’s Fort, California, gold discovery at, 13–14
Swansea Mill, 202, 203
Sweetwater mines, 235, 236, 273
Tahoe Lake, 48, 82, 160, 337
tailings
land damage from, 35
loss of gold and silver in, 224
recovering metals from, 224, 334, 381
taxes
Mackay’s income and, 381
mining and, 336–37
Taylor, Zachary, 22
telegraph networks. See also Western Union
cost of, 385, 387–88
first transatlantic, 37–39
first transcontinental, 131–33
Gould’s “pooling agreement” and, 388
Mackay-Gould transatlantic cable war and, 402, 403–4, 408–10, 413–14
Mackay’s interest in, 397, 398–99
Mackay’s transatlantic cable companies and, 402, 403–4, 408–9, 411, 416, 420
Mackay’s transpacific cable project and, 426–27
Virginia City with, 72, 85, 125
Western Union’s near monopoly of, 395, 396
Telfener, Countess Ada Hungerford, 164, 167, 209, 379, 405
Telfener, Count Joseph, 379, 383, 388
tenements, New York City, 8–9, 283
Territorial Enterprise, 43, 71, 100, 110, 126, 131, 138, 140, 141, 149, 153, 154, 156, 158, 159, 191, 192, 207, 220, 221, 229, 233, 235–36, 242, 244, 248, 259, 260, 274, 276, 281, 282–83, 285, 287, 288, 292, 293, 294, 297, 298, 306, 314, 316, 323, 326, 329n, 330, 355, 357
Tevis, Lloyd, 237, 348, 378
Thomas, C. C., 229
timber, 105
Bank Ring’s profits from, 227
the Firm’s company for, 337
Mackay’s early work felling and shaping, 40–41
Mackay’s profits from, 381
mine fires and, 255, 260, 354–55
mines’ need for supplies of, 178–79, 213, 228, 232, 337
transportation of, 232–33, 268, 271, 332
timbering methods. See also square-set timbering system
Dall’s approach to, 115–16
traditional post and cap, 108, 114
timberman, Mackay’s work in mines as, 113–14
Tjader, Anton W., 98
transportation
costs of, 232, 267
disease spread and, 248
equine influenza’s impact on, 311–12
freight wagons used for, 232–33
of ore to mills, 232
Sharon’s control of, 228, 267, 270, 337
of timber, 232
winter weather affecting amount of gold and silver sent using, 133
Tritle, F. A., 208, 214, 233
Twain, Mark, 45, 152. See also Clemens, Sam
lecture tour of, 206–7
Mackay’s relationship with, 155–56
meaning of pseudonym, 154
mining reporting of, 149, 151, 154, 156, 159, 173, 191, 207–8
Roughing It novel on mining experiences of, 152, 158, 164
underground mining (“drifting”), 41, 45
Union Mill and Mining Company, 203, 205, 224–25, 228, 231, 277, 398
Hale & Norcross mine’s use of, 232, 245
Ralston’s ownership of shares of, 308, 338, 340
Sharon’s control of, 289–90
water supply for, 289
Union mine, 62
Mackay’s transactions in “feet” of, 76, 89, 103, 134–35, 148, 158, 171
Mackay’s work with, 76–77, 88, 90, 114–15
speculation on worth of, 89
The Bonanza King Page 80