The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-04-11
Remarkable History of Gold Mine.
ARIZONA Sentinel

The Picacho Chimney Peak mine is
no new and untested discovery. The
gold washed down from it formed the
placers which caused the great Colorado
River excitement in 1861. Unlike other
placers of this country, these produced
only fine -four, gold, some of the gulches
giving one to two ounces to the pan.
Mr.. Redondo, the Contreras, and other
residents of Yuma give wonderful &C.
counts of the richness of these placers.
1t was soon discovered that these gold
deposits all occurred below an immense
reef or ledge of decomposed quartz, hay-
ing the appearance of red cement; no
gold has ever been found aboveit. This
ledge lies about six miles from the Color.
ado River, and the placers from it are
too high up to be reached by bitches
takenfrom the river. The gold wastaken
up entirely by "dry-washing;" the dry
gravel was agitated in pans, causing the
goldt to settle to the bottom, the stones
pushed off by hand and the dust famed
out by the wind. The ledge was found
to carry fine gold in every part of it to
the extent of $15 to $40per ton an aver
age has since been proved to be about
$25. Its greatest width fully developed
has been shown to exceed sixty feet,
though a much greater width is claimed
for it. After the placers were exhausted,
Mexicans packed ores to the river and
there worked them for years by arras-
tras, until the ledge fell into the hands
of. S. Spann, by location and purchase.
Spann bought a five-stamp battery from
the old Buena Vista mine, and bought
an engine which had been landed at
Castle Dome for smelling furnace IN
der the auspices of the late Thomas Sell
by, of San Francisco, and which had
been thrown into the river by the caving
in of the bank at high water. He had
the machinery dug out at low water. but
some of the pieces had settled into quick
sand beyond resurrection. Mr.. Poin-
dexter, nowminingin Puma County, was
associated with Spann, but their joint
capital was exhausted before they could
gettheir mill to work. Samuel urdy, Jr.,
then organized a company in SanFran-
cisco to buy and work the mine. They got
things to running in good shape, but by
bad management and ignorance of en-
ployees got a few thousand ollarsindebt,
became disguised and allowed the whole
property to be sold under attachment to
F. D. Welcome for David eahr. Some
work was then done TO open the mine,
and it was submitted to the inspection
of several distinguished mining engi.
neers. The high opinion of these experts
induced the present proprietor to haul a
quantity of rock to the river and to
crush it in the little old battery be.
longing to the property. The results have
more than justified expectations, and
amply prove that the Picacho mine will
pay handsome returns under ordinarily
prudent business management. Thelas
cleanup gave seventy-nine ounce o:
clean retorted gold bullion. All thu
bullion heretofore shipped has yielded
a value of SIS to $16 per ounce. Tit
rock worked has given an average return
of about $28 per ton. The ore IS friabl'
and readily crushed. The mine com
prises some 5000 feet along the ledge
besides twenty acres of placer grount
which will pay to mill. The road is ex
%cellent, and on a continuous down grad
to the mill. Such excellent results hav
been obtained from the little old ricket,
battery that it is now proposed to cree
|, a new mill and work the property t
greater advantage.