The following news letter just received from Patrick Lowney, one of the pioneers of the Buckskin and Bell View mining districts gives the details of what is being done in that interesting mining community:

"Almost every one in Smith valley are getting artesian water at depths varying from 40 to 100 feet, and what was sage covered sand dunes three years ago is now the most fertile, and best yielding land in any part of Smith valley. There are no less than 20 of the pioneers of the stampede that was brought into this country by Jack Bell seven years ago comfortably located on well tilled, fine producing ranches.

"A Los Angeles company have started work in the old Jack Bell shaft on the Billy Pitt ground. They have retimbered it from top to bottom. They went in the drift that was driven by Bell at the 150 and drove on south, they began three shifts where he had left the sensational ore that was struck - and there is where Bell lost a fortune. After driving through the vein for 37 feet, careful sampling showed that the entire 37 feet breaks within a fraction of $4000 per ton, as it comes from the mine. The company have ordered a 40 h.p. steam hoist and will go ahead on this development. It is the opinion of every man here in the district that this will be the biggest copper-gold mine that there is in the entire Yerington country.

"John Hardee is now in three hundred feet in the tunnel that he started last year, on his ground that adjoins the Pitt ground, it looks from the indications that he will soon cut the Bell vein.

"Pierce and Groves are doing their annual work. Doc Walton has just left after doing the work for Banyan. Knox is working four men up on his ground in the north east part of camp. He is mining two feet of copper-gold ore that will go to the smelter at better than $25.00 per ton. The Honest Endeavor company that adjoins the Ludwig on the north are working two shifts, they have a carload of ore stored that samples nearly one hundred per ton. This is the property that was located by Gus Goodale, the young engineer from Denver.

"Over on the Nevada Douglas they are working over a hundred men. They are getting out four cars per day out of the old Ludwig shaft. Two cars of copper ore that runs about four dollars and two cars of gypsum that is shipped daily to the Western Gypsum company at Reno.

"There is a Denver outfit up in Red Canyon, and they have uncovered the lead silver, that was a prospect a few years ago into a mine now that is shipping regularly.

"There is not much being said of this old district, but over here on this side at Bell View everything is down to a basis of production, and every one of the boys are getting their start, and I believe that there will be some great mines here within the next year.