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Virginia City,NV - Storey County - May 3, 1870 - Gould and Curry, Bank of California Check :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Banks, Registers & Vending Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Virginia City,NV - Storey County - May 3, 1870 - Gould and Curry, Bank of California Check :
No. 7584, payable to N. Hewlett for $150.00 signed by Philipp Deidesheimer. Green ink on off-white paper; vignette on left is the Nevada State revenue stamp for two cents with a star. Also has imprint revenue stamp in orange (RN-B17)
Phillip Diedeshiemer spent a quarter of his life on the Comstock in mystery. Credited with the invention of square set timbers, which allowed for mining larger stopes and leaving less good ore behind in pillars for roof support, Diedeshiemer milked his Comstock mining career based on this concept. New research by Holabird in communication with European mining historians and mining schools has revealed that Diedesheimer never attended (let alone graduated from) any European mining school, as suspected by many. He remained quiet on the Comstock and never did press interviews, refusing to ever discuss his background publicly or privately. Coming from Germany, he must have worked in the mines there, where he learned the square set timbering methods, and brought them to the United States. Indeed, similar underground timbering methods are shown in Pettus and Agricola. Diedesheimer was promoted to mine foreman and superintendant at a number of Comstock mines, but his management was unsuccessful, and his duties were regularly dismissed soon after promotion. In summary, he never did interviews because of the obvious – the rumors were far better than the truth, and he was safe as long as no one knew it – that he was a European miner with some good ideas.