Yellow Jacket Mine

Storey County

When I first began researching mining deaths on the Comstock, the April 7, 1869 Yellow Jacket fire was the first incident that came up. After that, information became extremely limited. After I researched this subject for many months, I easily concluded that the Yellow Jacket was the deadliest and most accident prone mine on the Comstock. There is no close second. Per USGS, the Yellow Jacket was first discovered in 1859. The first year of real production took place in 1864. Gold and silver were both listed as primaries. USGS Report Quote: "A bonanza strike- mined out big ore body by 1870, but development and production were almost continuous through the 1800's and early 1900's. Currently part of Houston Oil & Minerals open pit operations." USGS Report Quote: "A bonanza strike, this deposit was mined to the bottom of its ore body by 1870... First staked in 1859, work began in 1860; Ore discovered in 1862, more in 1864. Development and production continued almost continuously thru the 1800's and early 1900's. Total production, 1864-1919 was 997,870 tons of ore, averaging $17.57 per ton..."

Yellow Jacket Mine- Mining Deaths- (1864 through 1880): My source: Comstock newspaper archives from that era.

1864:
John Gorman- May 4.
1865:
James Cynnor- August 26.
1866:
Peter Soule- January 9; Leonard St. Jacques- August 9.
1868:
Patrick Conner- June 27; Bernard F. Curran, John W. Campbell & James Griffin- July 13; Andrew Gagne- September 12; Michael Moran- September 18; Owen McCabe- October 29.
1869
***Yellow Jacket/ Kentuck/ Crown Point mine fire of April 7. (37 deaths): George Bickle, James Bickle, Richard Bickle, Peter Blouin, Patrick Buckley, Jeremiah Chenette, Martin Cloney, George Edmonds, Joseph Glassen, A.G. Grant, John Hallisy, John Hogan, Patrick Hogan, Edward Jewell, William Jewell, Jonathan Jones, Thomas Laity, Joseph Matthews, Joseph McClellan, Michael McCormick, Thomas McCoy, Thomas McCollum, A.J. McDonald, Archibald McDougall, William Mitchel, John O'Brien, Daneil O'Neil, James Peters, Patrick Quinn, A. Reinay, John Rowan, K. Ryan, Harry Stevens, Thomas Toland, George Tompkins, Matt Tooney and Anthony Toy.***; William Williams- April 19th, 1869 (Died while recovering victims from April 7, 1869); Joseph Mitchell- August 13, 1869.
1870:
Peter Hopkins- June 27; Manuel Alameda, Patrick Doherty, R. Hanson & John Kennedy- June 28; Charles Johnson- September 30 (Inland Empire/ Yellow Jacket).
1871:
John Gill- May 8; Richard Stevens- July 30.
1873:
W.S. Broadwater, Thomas Cusick, Louis Louiselle, Geo. Mudd, James Niles & James Waters- September 20.
1874:
Cornelius McCarthy & Richard Pearce- May 2; Joseph Brown- September 6; Jerry Cross- September 11; John Quinn- October 28.
1880:
James Matthews- May 3; Neil Gallagher, Alfred Temby, Alfred Whitcomb, Tim Wilkins & Hannibal Williams- June 18; William Pollard- July 15; Charles Merrow- September 2.