Salt River herald., 1878-12-14
RIVER HERALD.
Saturday. December II. Iszs.

saturday... December II. Iszs.
 - The sVaIezciana EIine. Arizona.
 We have had an opportunity of ex- amining a report made by Henry A. Bigelow, of Prescott, Arizona, to the President of the California and Ariz- Ona Mining and Real Estate Agency, on the Valenciapa mine, in Black Can yon district, Yavapai county, Arizona. We make such extracts from the re- port as may be of interest.
 The mine is about 40 miles sOuth- east of Prescott, and 60 mics north or Phenix, near the stage road between the two towns. The vein is in the great gold-bearing slate belt which traverses the country cast of Prescott and the Sierra Prieta and Bradshaw ranges of mQuntains, in which are many clusters of gold veins known as the Black Hills mines, the Bigbug, the Black Canyon Gin which the Val enciana is the most conspicuou9 and the New River and Cave Creek mines
 The Black Canyon mines were dis covered in 1864 by MeXicans, who were working placers in Turkey creek on which Black Canyon is situated, and thay at once built arastras and worked the mine for two years, dur ing which time they extracted, accor- ding to Pcralta's books, over $3j,000 in gold.
 Three times the Apaches stole tlie horses and mules from the Peralta party and harassed the miners so much that they abandoned the mine, which then laid unworked until 1870, when a party of Americans worked it for several months, taking out about S21, 900. by arastraS, until the silver excitement in the Bradshaw noun tains lured them away. In the fall of 1877, J. R. DerOchc sorted over the ore left on the dump by previous workers as worthless and worked 10 tons, which paid $4G per lon. Dur ing the present year VI. l.. Pcralta & Co. worked three tons from the mine which paid in the Phenix mill a trifc over $100 per ton-selected ore from the bottom of the old workings.
 The ledge runs nearly north and south and crops out boldly above the the surface for several hnundrcd feet, where the principle work is done, showing at intervals for 3,O00 feet. The main shaft is worked down in the old Mexican style, by benches, to about 90 or 1O0 feet, and is not tim berej, not being in a safe condition for work. The main opening is made where the vein is 20 feet thick and the quartz has been taken out from wall to wall and for 30 feet along the vein. South of the shaft is a good To. cation for running a tunnel in on the vein which would underrun the old workings and admit of stoping out all the ore to the surface. The quantity of ore in sight is enormous. Second class ore on dump is estimated at 2jC tons, which will pay from $12 to $1j per ton. The quartz in chimney il shaft for about 200 feet in length or surface will mill $2O. Walls of vein are soft slate. Vein runs down near ly perpendicular and shows every in decatiOn of permanancy. Quartz i: of grayish white in which golt shows plainly, though richest DOT tion arc copper stains in which not sC much gold is visible. \ good site fol mill can be had for the choosing or Turkey creek, anywhere from a mile CT two from the mine, from which tC the creek the hauling would be dowI hill.
 At the mine there is no timber, bu all along the creek is a good growtl of cottonwood, willow and ash, suita ble for firewOod 4 heavy growth O pine timber crosses the Bradshaw mountains six miles west of the mine Lumber and sawed timber can b, bought at Prescott for S3O per 1, 900.
 The Nigger, Brown, Gillespie Swilling, Mason and other gold mine which have been worked by arastra in years past. arc near the Valenciani and could furnish ore to any mill cree ted on Turkey creek that would worl custom ore. Mir Bigelow, in conclu sion, states that all the facilities of aC cess and working considered, he rc gards the Yalenciana mine as one O the most desirable gold mines vet di. covered in Yavapai county.-Scieatj ic Press
 TIE ox-train of Gregorio Aragon
 Dona ,.or-.I