The Phoenix herald., 1879-07-12
PLANCHA DE PLATA. Translated Expressly for The Phoenix Herald. How A Yaqui Indian Made the
 Discovery. Chunks of Silver Weigh ing 8, 500 Pounds.
PLANCHA DE PLATA.

Eastern capital is forcing its way
 into our neighboring State of Sonora
 A mining company composed of some
 of the first capitalists of the East
 has recently been formed in New
 York, for the purpose of develop
 ing some of the rich mines situated
 in the district of "Planchas de Plata
 in Sonora Mexico, and we under
 stand the undertaking is being push
 ed with vigOr. To give our readers
 aa idea of this famous district, we
 give below the report of Mir Howard
 Schuyler NJ E. which has been
 translated from the Spanish for the
 HERALD by MT. E. Jung erman of the
 L. s. Military Telegraph Office.
 The Arizona range of Mountains
 which contains the famous district
 of mines, known as the Plancha de
 Plata, is by no means recent dis
 covery It is 120 years since these
 famous mines were discovered, fact
 we'll authenticated in the archives of
 Spain and Mexico, and many have
 been the efforts to obtain and hold
 possession of them.
 The mild climate, the fertile val
 leys, the hills covered with grass and
 timber and an abundance of the
 puI est mountain water for both man
 and beast, made it country select ed by the Apaches as their home and which was only wrested from them by the most desperate efforts. In 1871 Mexico succeeded in subjec.i ing and removing them, although since that time they have returned in sutfi- cient numbers to harrass the few who had been courageous enough to pros pect there. At the pc ;ent time ev- erything is quiet, the Indians have been removed to distant reservations, and the prospectors who have been working there during the past few years have not been molested.
 The history of these discoveries IS not matter of pure tradition. The actual petitions of the discoverers for the return of the silver, which the officials of the King confscated, are matters of history, and borne out by the archives which have been seen and read by many. In the year 1885, MT. Ward, Minister of the British Gov ernment to Mexico, made a special report of this district to his Govern ment An old Spanish work, entitled '' The Jealous Apostles of the SOcie- ty of Jesus," (pp 232 to 237, vol. II, chap. ID has the following regard ing the discoveries of the Planchas de Plata: " There was discovered in 1769, in the Apache frontier, in the region known as the La Arizona" to the north of the Presidio of Altar, and distant from there forty leagues, in:the vicinity of Agua Caliente, a region of native silver. A Yaqui In dian made the discovery, and com municated the same to trader who made it public. He made the dis covery in the vicinity of wood | which extended nearly mile from | that point. Those who were present, i explored the ground to the depth of | a few varas, aud found pieces of | pure silver weighing from 1 to 50 | pounds. Afterward, other pieces | were found weighing 800 pounds and one piece was found by a native of weighing $500 pounds, which had to be reduced to smaller dimensions before it could be trans ported. The finding of such enor- nous riches, soon brought together a arge number of people who eXcavat- ,d the earth in different directions. Some found smaller chunks, than hose above mentioned others merely ,raihs of silver and others again ound nothing"
 The foregoing is also cited in the tatistics of the State of Sonora. : Jose Francisco Valesco, Mexico, $50, .p, 19O) contains the following:
 ' From the foregoing you can cas- ly understand that this impor- ant placer of pure silver has it's ori in from some very rich vein or edge which must exist in the neigh boring. mountains because all of them ontain more or less mineral The ruth of this. discovery is not only au- hentioated in the history to which l Iave referred but also in Las Ocias Ispanolas' and in the writings of the rchiVe. cf the missions cf "Pimeria