Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-10-16
NEW M IXICO.
silver City-Rich Mineral, Climate &c.
cl,-.osnondanca of NnRrHEEN TRIRINE.

Silver City is a mining town about IL
years old, but little prog ess W. made
in mining until about five years ago,
when mills We e.ected and NIL es be-
gan to pay. At present there is quite a
large amount of silver bullion shipped
from here, in fact it is the principal
mining town in the territory. Like al
most all the towns of any Importance in
the territory, it is mainly dependent on
mines for support. There are about g
dozen stores here, some of them carrying
$4,000 worth of goods, consisting main
iy of miners outfit, such as clothing
tools, canned fruits and vegetables.
There is daily stage from the States
and from California. 1t takes four days
from San Francisco, say twenty-four
hours to San Simon by stage, and TO
hours by S. P. R. p. to Frisco, and all
the way from Z toto days to st. Louis,
Chicago, Cheboygan, etc. The prices for
most articles ale lower than might be
expected, though the freights is enOr-
! nous, being by team five cents per
pound, saying nothing OF railroad
freights. There are number OF mines
that are self sustaining, and promise to
n be a source of great wealth to the place.
I was down two OF e OF them-nO
pleasant lob to dangle at the end of a
rome. over hundred foot shaft and de-
pend on the strength in your arms for
your safety-aDd found some very rich
ore. and every evidence of large deposits.
: One mine was sold few days ago fol
$4,000 cash, and that believe was only
discovered last Septembe There is an
other mine here, well developed, that
can be bought for Sc, CO, thatI believe
would be a great bargain to any party
who had the means to put up a stamp
mill. Without a mill it is comparatively
unprOductiye, although they are hauling
rock Is miles to little old mill that
probably does not Get near all the silver
out OF it, and yet they say they are max
ing money. Stock thrives all the year
round without feeding. visited Oae
dairy, and found them milking so cows
and selling all the butter they could
make at 80 cents per pound. We HAD
been so long while crossing the desert
without milk, or even water, that when
/ drank glass of it, / thanked Victoria
for not driving off the cows. 1t will
never be an agricultural country, pOr-
fessOrs to the contra nOtwivhstald-
ing, it is to poorly watered, and the rain
that does fall is at the wrong season to
do crops any good, Ii trained MarchOr
April the crops might get staff as
they do in California, aud do without
rain the rest of the year, bat it rains
June and July, and that is too late to do
any good, and The result IS that soon the
rivers go dry, and cannts be relied on
for irrigation. The Rio Grandc that is
at this time nearly dry, is In June fully
half mile wide. Like SOL OF our
rivers int States, the amO 4 OF water
seems to decree from year to year,
rather than increase, and so that the
fortune of New Mexico must depend on
the bowels of thessisa. tn rathe,than on the
surface. The surface is certa' lily wide
enough, but it is s'mOst en.;Iely vOlcan-
lie soil, with vast ranges of mountains
and desert plain, Oh the first of which
grass only grows, with a few exceptions
stunted pine, cedar d pinyOn, but lit
tie of which is fit for building or farm
ing purposes, though for fire wood it is
good. enough, being already dry while
vet green, on the vast plains grows the
cactus and soap root plant that stands
about six feet high and folds its leaves
up and down like an umbrella, and al
fOrds hiding place for the Stalking
Indians to waylay the white man.
There is no use talking of trying to
raise anything on these vast deserts
without an abundance of seasOnable
water. Even wells If they reach water,
which l DOUBT in many locations, would
cut a sorry figure in irrigating cOun-
try like this whe the whole is parched
up, and when the tongue of man and
beast cleaYe to his mouth while crossing
it. But the mineral wealth of New Mex
leo believe to be far greater than Cali
fOrnia, Nevada or Utah. / think the
mineral far richer, and nearer the sur
face, and this will compensate to great
extent for its sterility on the surface.
Railroads will bring IN the products OF
the middle states, and the rich bullion
of the mines will be sent in exchange,
but it will take capital to develop those
vast stOrehOuses of wealth by the oil Of
machinery, and other scientific appli-
ances. Not but that there is rich field
for the pr0spect0r, but when he has found
his lode he can do no more until the
capitalists either buy i'm out or come to
his assistance with capital or machine
~. A man might starye to death sitting
over the shaft of mine worth millions
of dollars sif he had not the means to
turn the ore into money, it must not be
forgotten that even prospecting is a
science
: A clerk in store or even farmer is
totally unfit, without a knowledge of the
s qualities of ore, when they see it they
would be as blind as bats at what they
were doing. "A true miner can tell ore or
the indications of its presence as far as
he can see, while the novice is liable to
be mistaken at every step, and have his
labor in vain. 1t is to be said in favor
of the territory in preference to
Nevada or Colorado, the climate is tenn
perate and lovely, some of the days are
hot Gin the sum from 8 A. M.-tO 6 p. M.
but there is almost always a breeze,
while in the shade it is cool and the
nights are simply delightful. Where the
greatest and most rapid development is
going to be is difficult to tell, but the
most pleasant and promising town L
have yet ret in the territory is SOcarrO,
about 80 miles south from Abbugues-
que. The next is Silver City, and while
the latter will not be on the direct rail
road route, and may not have for some
years any railroad cor nectiOns nearer
than 80 miles, still believe it will out
strip all other towns in the territory and
it is even now quite business center
for the s0uth-WcJt. Pi lctical miners
get So per day, while nc ices end Next
cans get $3.50. Men can get ample en-
ployme 1t at driving teams and various
other vacations. Blacksmiths are in good
den and; so, shoe maters and wagon
makers, the c.; late is hard on both
shoes and wagons. Any man with or
dinary shrewdness can bring small
stock of goods in this territory and do
well with them. :.
Mexico as a cattle rangeis too dry and