Silver Tailings: Germany and the Comstock

Baron Ferdinand Richthofen (uncle of World War I German fighter ace, the ‘Red Baron’) visited  in 1866 to examine the Comstock Lode for himself. He wrote a report of his trip that claimed the lode was a ‘true fissure vein.’

This meant the silver went down into the earth for thousands of feet. The quantity of it was unknowable, but surely the mines were worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The baron was one of Germany’s leading authorities on silver mining, so his report was well received.

In 1869, when the Comstock was in borrasca and miners were leaving for other places to find work, mine owners and superintendents used the baron’s report to remind themselves of why they were still spending money in the search for silver. They were rewarded with the ‘Big Bonanza.’

In 1872, Adolph Sutro preached the ‘true fissure vein’ gospel to the McCalmont Brothers in London, England. His reward was financing for the ‘Sutro Tunnel.’