Bonner Shaft of the Gould & Curry Mine
Comstock Historical Marker No. 13
The Bonner shaft was named in honor of mine superintendent, Charles S. Bonner and began operations in the mid-1860s to explore the lower levels of the Gould & Curry Mine. This four compartment shaft reached a depth of almost 700 feet and cost over $75,000 to build. Construction of the shafts consisted of 12 inch timbers installed every 5 ft. and supported by vertical posts the same size. The cribbing was then covered on the outside by 4 inch planks. Wooden or metal guides were then installed down each side to the compartments to hold, and keep, the platform cages in place as they rode up and down the shafts. Construction costs for the Bonner Shaft averaged $109.00 a foot, which included materials used in its operation. The Bonner’s housing works survived the great fire of 1875, but with the decline of mining its machinery was later sold, and the building was eventually scrapped. In October 1992, a sinkhole measuring 40 feet in width and 60 feet in depth opened up at the site caused by an underground flowing water leak and rotting timbers. The Bonner Shaft cave in was filled with a plug consisting of steel and concrete and a cost to Storey County of $250,000, and has been trouble free ever since.
Marker is on South D Street near Washington Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
