San Andreas independent., 1860-08-11
The Colorado Mines.

any newcomers.
The Colorado Mines.
A short time since | visited the Colorado
Mines situated about twenty miles above Fl.
Yuma, on the river found there a small
mining camp, containing population of 40
to so persons-Amercans and Mexicans, prin-
cipally the latter. The placers are near the
river, and, from what information could COL
lect, pay from 81 to So per day-oftener the
former than the latter figure The gold is
rough, craggy and heavy There are hill
diggings also in the neighborhoo6. which re-
port says paid aceU taoo gears ago-there hav-
ing been parties who realized as high as
$4,000 for summers work | received this
information with some grains of allowance
There are certainly no such diggIngs there
now. Doubtless, the Colorado and Gila. and
the country they wafer, for two or three hun
dred miles above this point, abound in mine
raj wealth. | have seen specimens of copper
found near the " Colorado Mines" containing
73 per cent. OF that metal; also, specimens of
silver ore, which to my Impractical eye, look
ed as well as any ever saw from Washoe-
The day may come when the restless gold
seeker will find in this desolate, and sun
scorched region, the full fruiton of his hopes
but for the present the scarcity of water will
prevent any extensive mining operations-the
count, being so level that it is impossible to
lead the water from the river to the placers
The Rio .nfemBres Mines.
There has been good deal of excitement
here for the past month in relation to the new
gold discoveries on the Rio Miembres, between
Tucson and Ell Paso. As we have here fire.
quent and direct communication with that
part of the world, we are we'll posted in re-
gard to what is transpiring there. The valley
of the Rio Miembres is of small extent. and al
though gold has been found in large ouanti-
ties in few of the claims, the number of feet
allowed each claim, Zone hundred will leave
but little room for new miners Scarcity of
water there prevents many from working. and
mining operations generally are carried on by
the Mexican process of dry-washing have
been shown letter from an intelligent gentle
man--an officer of the Provisional Govern
ment of Arizona-written at the Miembres
mines, to his brother, advising him to remain
where he Is, and stating that there is nothing
there to warrant the excitement which prp
walls. This, like other heartless stimulated
gold-fevers, has been gotten up by interested
parties for.private and selfish ends. An inhux
of population into Arizona would serve to
give tone to the present Provisional Govern
ment which its sparsely populated condition
now, fails to secure. 1t would be imnossible
to conceive the crimes, sufferings and horrors
that would follow in the event of precipitatinp
three or four thousand penniess and broken
men into such wild, desolate and barren
country as Arizona. say penniless men be-
cause the gold-hunting class, those most apt
10 oe allured by such excitements, usually ar
rive at the haven of their hopes with pockets
lightly freighted. If the mines on the MEM
bres are really humbug, many poor fellow
will suffer incredible hardships and die " un-
coffined and unknown" I have been permit
ted to extract the following from a private let
ter addressed to Mr.. Wells, merchant of Ar
Izona City written by friend of his at the
Miembres mines:
MrEMBREs RIVER July 17th 1860
Friend Wells-l returned from the mines last night
The prospect there out better than expected in
some respects bur bad witha There is dirt there which
prospects from ten to fifteen and thirty pan
In fact quite lot Of it. but there is very little water to
work with. even with rocker. and enough for any
party to work that way for whole day. In the
main dggngs there parties making from S. TO SIS
per day, but only few seven-tents lying still or
prospecting dry gulces and quartz which they EXPECT
to find rich, the gold plainly shows 1t comes
quartz 1t being very little washed quite rough In appear
ance, and light The largest that had been taken out
weighed S460 although they tell outside Of nuggets be-
Ing found weighing three, four and FIVE The
gold Is what may be called but 1t is light saw
some prospects that looked like saneedle points, TIA
king 1t altogether think it is place for man to
make money: so got up and got. Bacon ia s. cents
per pound -four, 16; long handled shovels xs: picks
So coffee sugar. and other small articles from 81 u to
50 "bust hsad whisky. 81 per bottle and bit drink
There are aDOut dOZen they
ed all through the woods Of them expecting large
supplies soon One moved his goods to the copper
mines yesterday. He didn't like the prospect think
dsing. II person had shovels and rocker-irons be
might do WELL as they using campkettles
aud wood to run their rockers But Il would not nav