The weekly union record., 1864-07-16
The Mines Of Arizona.

f of your paper. l Rs.l ,ry aud fal6il my engage
meut, aad furnish you with history Of my
interests 10, aid description Of my joarney to
the mines Of Arizona.
+ During the heat Of the silver lode epidemic,
was taken down early IN the year 1868, with
severe attack Of the millionaire fever, which
proved to be Of the continued form. lasting
several months, and costing much time ard
money. Wishing to become millionaire in
fair, honorable way (ot ooa7sel commenced
by purchasing several hupdred feet Of silver
bearing quartz lodcs in the Humboldt mines in
Nevada Territory, and few baudred in Ari-
zona Territory. And, upon the representations
of su old acquaintance, who had been in Ari-
zona the year before, | advanced sufficient
money to send and furnish him with tools and
provisions to prospect and locate claims another
year, for which | was 10 have one half of al
that be might locate or secure By purchase or
otherwise. Wishing to change my place Of
business, aud feeling that nv interests in feet,
if properly guarded, would soon rise in value
and place me above want for the necesSaries
of life, l resolved to enter the political arena
and cease the practice of medicine for awhile.
My attempt at politics, as you are aware,
proved a success. and was permitted 10 spend
the winter in Sacramento. Dpring my stay
at the Capital, my old prospector returned from
Arizona with his Dag OF rocks, feeling bat be
was q millionaire, and that be had made rs
both rich, having found and located about six
thousand feet in Fl Dorado Canon Learning
that the laws of the District required from City
to sixty dollars worth of work 10 be performed
on each claim of two hundred feet, each year
to prevent their being Jumped, soon ascer-
tanned from the simple rule of mental multipli
cation that my feet would cost me over t
thousand dollars a year for work to hold them,
and from thirty to sixty thousand dollars 10
open them sufficiently to learn their true char
acter and position. And, if taxed as some
claims are, it would Sost hundreds of thousands
before oil would be opened in readiness to pay
expenses to say nothing Of dividends Failing
by the use of all the rules and figures 10 Thom-
sons Arithmetic, applied the letters and rules
of the Algebra. and substituted y, Y and Z for
various sums of money and fees TO be derived
from the practice of medicine yet was unable
+ to see my way clear, unless could dispose of
some Of my vast possessions. Consequently.
determined. before settling down in business
again, to visit the country and examine NY
interests, and retain no more ground than my
means would justify me to work.
/ Therefore, on the 22d Of April, all necessary
arrangements being completed, in company
with Hon. W. H. Sears. of Nevada county,
(who also has rich possessions in Arizona), |
took passage on the steamer Senator, at San
Francisco, for San Pedro. The weather being
pleasant and the wind aft, We made the voyage
10 Al hours, averaging about ten miles an hour.
/ The Senator, under the command Of Captain
Butters, makes regular trips from San Francisco
/ to San Pedro and back every ten days, touching
at the vaeious ports on TIE coast whenever
/ there is freight either way. Capt. Buffers is a
jolly good fellow, and knows how to manage a
ship aud treat bis passengers.
/ From the anchorage of the Senator we were
conveyed about five miles up fine channel to
/ the new landing (now called WilIiamsville and
sometimes Bunningtonl, in small steamer
owned by Banning & Co. From thence TO Los
Angeles on Bannings stage line. Camp Drum
/ Is located in Bennington and. Judging from the
+ general appearances Of its location and business
transactions, l am of the opinion that it will
soon iujure the trade Of Los Angeles, if it does
not supersede it altogether. Los Angeles is
one of the oldest Spanish towns in the State,
situated about 20 miles east from the seacoast.
at San Pedro or Bennington. in beautiful
horseshoe valley. being hemmed in on three
sides by high bluffs overlooking the town The
city limits are three miles square, and contain
many large and well cultivated gardens, vine
yards orange and English walnut orchards.
The houses, with the exception of few blocks
Of brick buildings recently built by white men,
are OF the Old spanish style, Quilt OF ado0es, 10
long rows, one story high, the roofs nearly fat,
and project several feet over the walls, to pro-
tect them from the effects Of the rain during The
: wet season, and serve as awnings OF shades
during the hot, dry weather. The population
is about FIVE thousand mostly Catholic and
strongly Democratic" in politics, and very
much mixed in blood aud color, ranging from
the European, embracing Jew and Gentle and
Spaniards, down 10 the negro and American
Indians and it would require the skill Of the
most accurate Southern doctor, with his Nero
scope, to decide which race predominates. Not
wilhstanding all this mixture Of blood, iudoleace
and degradation among the lower races, there
are ma1y good, eDterprisiug white families, who
own most of the property. aud do the largest
share of the business. We we're well enter
tained 6nrin- onr stay IN the CITY bv tbese