New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-05
MINING IN SONORA.
,,nc,,,ps Avn ANCIENT METHODS.

ruo u.vv NrvrR sFrN PICK OR suovEL-A
RICH FIELD FOR AMERICAN ENTERPRISE
frRoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE IhieoNhI
SAN Francisco, June 1e.-Mining has always
been a passion with Cahfornians, but un'h receh,s
rostern capitalsts have been very shy about in
xcstnp in Western mining properties. lheH eVi-
dent disposition within the past year TO enter tins
craving field of American enterprise has probably
brought into active service larger NUMBER
of proctical mining men of this State thah
at any previous period Of her history. CAM 'rhia
has been the training school for nearly every prom
inent miner in Nevada, Colorado. idaho, DaNoVa
and Arizona. That rowing disposition SNOW" W
the Argonauts IN the mining districts OF 0anio'"''
Is as strong to-day as it WAS during the PICK anu
nan period. when the adyenturer packed DIS
tools and worldly wealth on bis back from guich 10
e,yer-bed and from creek to mounfain-top
This happy gO-lucky method oil courth9 c"pii0'o"'
fortune has been inherited by the present gehei'-
ton. who are as energetic, as sangune, as IT.
repressbe as their progenItors of thirty years
ngo. The American miner unites in himself the
shrcwdness of the plausible down-Easter. the
cbivolrous spirit of the traditional Southern
PLANTER and the outspoken manner of the western
pioneer Heis study, and will pan out rch results
in original character As IN former days. theIe WIZ
be found among them now the lawyer. the preacher
the business man, the farmer ard the mechanic
The miner adjusts himself to any surroundings ana
is turned back IN his pursuit OF wealth. nv 10 "p'
stacles. The rapidity with which the BLACK hils'
Colorado and Arizona have been brought
into business relations with the settled districts has
certainly been due to the intrepid spirit OF the
American miner. Newer fields to prospect " has
been the invariable watchword. Not only have the
reservations of the Dakotas and Utes been overlun,
bnt now the half-cvihzed States of Mexico are be-
Ing reused from their ethargy and drowsy peace OF
,onturies by this eager. bustling band OF adven-
tuIsrs -. ,,,v,co
Within the past six months the wlds of Sonora,
me of the Northern States of Mexico lying adacent
70 Arizona have been entered by the advance guard
of this small army OF goid-seekers' iheS
have explored portions of Sonora, where the
American was known only by tradition, ana where
the customs of the seventeenth century have been
nerpetuated with Chinese persistency and Chinese
hatred of improvements. The opening OF the pres
ont wear saw Northern Sonora almost an unknown
land The terror of the Apaches still hung over IT,
and the rich discoveries In Arizona diec'en 'ne
speculative tide toward that Territory. mere
accident Ii may be SAID led TO the exploration VI
several of the old Mexican mines OF Northwestern
Sonora and the result will probably be that an
other year will witness mining excitement III
this ancient land similar 10 that which has
followed the opening up VI oNhOi INNING
In the past C. L. Hoffman. an old prospeotor and
miner who is intimately acquainted with all the
mining fields of the coast and who has good repu-
fat,on az an EXPERT and, to a local expression,
s"cold-nosed.D was sent about January to inves-
tpate the Tom bstone district in Arizona Wnie III
Tuoson one day he saw Mexican bring IN some
rich specimens of quartz. Tie fell into conversation
with the native as he spoke Spanish huenty, ana
learned that he was from Sonora, near the Cai1Oia
Gulf coast and that he represented number oil ms
friends who were working several old mines
abandoned for a number of years. Allowing ior
Snanish extravaganza OF language, be thought the
mine might possibly be rich as the assays 81 the
ore were very high. He cultivated the MexioAn's
acquaintance they bad long talks about the district
which the Mexican claimed no Anne rican MINER h9d
ever penetrated; his curiosity became infamed TO
see the place and after much persuasion ne pre-
vailed on the Mexican to let him accompany MIN Cd
fhe return to the mine. They proceeded across the
Mexican border and southwest as far as Altar
little mountain town which WAS subsequently al
tackled and pillaged by Marquee, the revolution
let Here mustangs procured ana rue I'D
the same southwesterly dircctien for twenty-five
miles brought them to Caborca-tae town ID "hlch
the Crabb party was slaughtered some twenty five
gears ago after surrendering t. the Authorizes
From this place a westerly course was taken twenty
miles to the Caitos mining camp, their point OF deS-
tInatIoD. -
Here the veteran prospector found mining life
that was entirely to him. In conversation
since his return he has given me many curious IN
cidents of the life and customs of this and other
Mexican camps in the region which ne visited
The history of one is the history OF
all The CaJitos camp is twenty-five
miles from Port Libertad. In the district
a,4t q, Gulf Of IL
fornia These mines are in a low range OF noun
tains. and have been worked by the Mexlcans since
1912 The depth attained shows that they worked
them in hap-hazard way for years. until about
1872, when the Apaches came down upon tine camp
like the AssyriaD and left very few survivors totel
the story of their bloody raid. They killed even the
women and children. and great was the terror
which they inspired that for five years the mines
were not visited. After this, small armed bodies OF
miners were sent up from the southern towns,
worked IN the old drifts and inclines for few
weeks packed their mules with ore and beat q
basty retreat. The real owners never risked their
scalps among their dangerous possessions These
predatory bands of miners had things all their own
wav. and we're well rewarded for their daring. They
never mined any but the richest spots in the odes,
which cond be readily worked. They went IN bands
IF fifteen or twenty fully armed; and this style OF
mining was carried on until about one year and a
half ago. when the Apaches were finally retired to
their reservations. Since then the mines have
lapsed into the old methods In vogue before the
Indian reign of terror, but no desire has been shown
TO take advantage of American improvements IN
quartz mining.
METHODS HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
The mines are worked to-day exactly as they
were one hundred years ago. The Shafts are sunk
on an incline following the course If The ore vein,
but instead of using even primitive windlSss, all
the labor is done by hand Ladders. forILad ~
binding ceats of wood upcn poles with rawhide
thongs serve the sure-footeG norlvs workman IN
his ascent from one station 10 another, with