Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1879-07-24
Wealth OF Now Mexico.

A correspondent Of the San Francisco
Bulletin has written quite an extensive
communication to that journal on the ag,
ritutural and mineral wealth OF New Mex
leo and Arizona. The probable effects oI
the several lines Of railroads now being
built into these Territories. The article
is to the point and portrays in forclblC
manner, the wealth and advantages oI
this country. He says:
In New Mexico the railroad by long odd,
runs through the best portions of the Ter
ritory; in Arizona, leaving out the mines
the worst. There isn't much of Arizona
outside Of her mineral wealth, that is
comparatively and if ever that is dcvcl
Oped to an extent she will have New Mex
leo to thank for it. There can be no ques
tion of the existence of mineral to a most
remarkable extent in Arizona. The hill.
and mountains are full Of it and in places
wonderfully rich. Unfortunately, howev,
err, there is an exceedingly limited sup
ply of water, and outside of the mesquite
brush no fuel worth speaking of. Will
the completion of the Santa Fc to Arlzo
ma the latter difficulty is entirely rcmov
ed for New Mexico is in many places lit
orally bedded with coal, and it can be
mined so chcaply that the question of sup
ply becomes simply one Of transportation
The GalisteO coal fields, between Santa FC
and the Rio Grande and through which the
road passes are of enormous extent and
the coal declared by experts to be anthra
cite equal to Pennsylvania coal. 1t can
be mined and placed upon the track, to a
profit, for 81 per ton, and at one cent pei
ton per mile could be placed at the ArizO'
ma line for $3.50 per ton. Some concep,
tion of the extent of these fields maybe form.
ed from the fact that were 200 tons ship.
ped per day for the three hundred and fit.
teen working days Of the year, but twelve
and three tenths acres of the six thousand
acres would be exhausted. The San Pc.
dro fields, further down the Rio Granle,
are very extensive, and the coal of excel.
lent quality costing 3,25 per ton on the Ar
iona line. This question ofcOal on the line
of the Santa Fc becomes of great.
est Importance, not only from tine fact
that there is no coal whatever on the line
of the southern and Texas Pacific. All in
all, New Mexico is incOmparably the rich
est of the territories of the Union. With
a mineral wealth exceeding it, she has Il
much greater agricultural area, while in
fruit possibilities she has no rival east Of
California. Her copper interests must in
time, become of even greater Importance
to the country than those eff Lake Super.
ior; for even now, the district mines, near,
and extending over the Arizona line, pay
$50 per ton for charcoal and $40 dollars
per ton for OK team transportation to end
OF track, and competcs with the Lake Su.
pcrior district in the great markets of the
East. With railroad facilities and cheap
fuel the copper products of New Mexico
can DC placed in the Eastern markets at
ten cents per pound-the present price
is sixteen and half, with greater mar
gin of profit than now. The agricultural
area of the Rio Grandc is fully half a mil
lion of acres, and though it has been set
tied from one to three centuries, not one
in ten is under cultivation. And such
cultivation! They plow with a stick, hoe
with sharp-pointed pole, NOV with a
hoe and thresh with goats. All the hogs
are chained up, the dogs run loose, and
cattle are yokcd by the horns. In fact
what they call farming is but mere
scratching in the ground, and they 70
through with it precisely as their fore.
fathers dld three hundred years ago.
There is no development of the mineral
resources worthy the name, and, although,
New Mexico was pcoplcd long before the
Pilgrim Fathers landed in New England,
its great wealth underground has been
undisturbcd for century. Everywhere,
almost, are traces of early, and in some
instances very extensive work upon mines,
done away back in the time of the Span
lards.