Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-10-05
The silver King.

| Arizona 10 now making phenom'
email advances. New districts are
being discovered and the staunch
discoveries of other days are re-as-
serting themselves. Amongst the
latter the Silver King mine is pre-
pairing to make a splendid record,
which is, Of course supplemental
to Its former capital history. A
correspondent of the San Francisco
Stock Exchange has lately visited
Arizona and speaks thus of the Sill
! YER King:
1 next visited Pioneer District,
IPinal county. Here are many 10.
cations, on which considerable
work has been done, but the lack
Of capital and judicious expendi-
ture and labor have greatly retard-
ed developments which sooner or
later must be made. I then pre-
dict that this will be one of the
most productive silver districts in
Arizona. Many locations can now
be secured at a small figure, which
will pay well the investor when
properly opened up. They are easy
Of access-50 miles from the South
ern Pacific Railroad; climate good,
and water and wood abundant.
The Silver Kiug mine is the only
one, SO far, that has been continu-
ously worked for several years, and
have taken the time to satisfy
my curiosity regarding this much
talked of location. Fortunately
had known the Superintendent In
Colorado while in charge there of
several valuable mining properties.
and he seemed glad to have me ex.
anime the property. The Silver
King was accidently discovered In
March, 1875, by four farmers living
near Florence, returning from their
annual prospecting and hunting
trip in and beyond the Plnal range
OF mountains. Being all men of
limited means, they worked their
claims as best they could, and, for
tunately for them, the groupings
and ore taken out near the surface
enabled them to sell out in 1877 for
a large sum, neither realizing less
than 100000, and two of them
trebled that cum. In that
year Colonel Barney bought con-
trolling, interest, which he still re.
tains. The company was then in-
corporated and listed on the San
Francisco Stock and Exchange
Board. Since that time the prop.
erty has gradually been put in bet.
ter ehape, ami 1 now find it we'll
opened by double. .com partment
4x8 vertical shaft, thoroughly tim
bered to q depth of 400 feet WITH
seasoned Puget Sound pine, and as
we'll done as any shaft l have ever
seen anywhere. Connecting with
1t four levels have been opened at
ITO, 252, 305 and 358 feet depth.
Each seemed to have crossed the
vein at an average distance of say
IS feet, and in each the showing OF
ore is good, that in the upper cross
cut being the poorest in quality,
and in the deepest one the richest.
The latter shows ore similar to that
mined near the surface from the
open cut by the original locators,
aud which paid them go hand
somely. At the mouth of the ver-
tical shaft hosting works have re.
Gently been erected, and I was glad
to see that they were manufactured
by San Francisco tirm-Prescott,
Scott & Co. They are powerful and
complete, and will raise all the ore
necessary for o 5O.stamp mill, at
least, and all that will be necessary
for the sinking Of the shaft the
next 1000 feet. There seems no
limit to the ore body, as exposed,
and l can see no reason for any
fear on that score for at least sew
eral years. The work in the open
cut has been stopped as being too
expensive, and now that the
mine is opened properly, with
main working shaft, unn ecessary.
The ore is transported from the
mouth of the shaft to the mill di.
rect, and is, therefore, handled but
once after 1t reaches the surface.
The mill is we'll built, is on Queen
creek, has water in abundance aud
of good quality for steam purposes.
Twenty stamps crush the ore, a
portion Of which Is concentrated,
and the balance reduced by the
lixiviatiOn process into silver bars
of the usual fineness. The wood
used Is mesquit, palo verde and
cottonwood mixed, and costs six to
seven dollars per cord delivered at
the mill ready for consumption.
The concentrations are sacked in
canvas bags OF 100 pounds each;
are shipped by mule teams to the
railroad, thence to your city by the
8. p. r. r. They assay from $500
to $1,000 per ton-the average since
January last being 85 cents per
pound, or 500 per ton. The bullion
will 60 by Wells, Fargo Il Co. as
soon as they establish an agency at
Pinal, which is about being done.
Several dividends were paid in
1877 and 1878 and will be resumed
this or next month. From the ex-
tent and quality Of ore in sight
and the thorough and complete
business shape the company are
now in for its handling and reduc-
ton, l see no reason why they
should not be continuous for years
to come, and judging by the facts
and record feel safe in predicting
a steady increase In quantity and
value Of ore as greater depth Is at