Townsend made a calculation.

Then he said to the men: "So you have taken a contract to run a tunnel into this hill two hundred and fifty feet to strike this ledge ?" "Yes, sir." "Well, do you know that you have got one of the most expensive and arduous undertakings before you that was ever conceived by man ?" "Why no--how is that ?" "Because this hill is only twenty-five feet through from side to side; and so you have got to build two hundred and twenty-five feet of your tunnel on trestle-work!" The ways of silver mining Boards are exceedingly dark and sinuous.
We took up various claims, and commenced shafts and tunnels on them, but never finished any of them.

We had to do a certain amount of work on each to "hold" it, else other parties could seize our property after the expiration of ten days.

We were always hunting up new claims and doing a little work on them and then waiting for a buyer--who never came.

We never found any ore that would yield more than fifty dollars a ton; and as the mills charged fifty dollars a ton for working ore and extracting the silver, our pocket-money melted steadily away and none returned to take its place.