National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-06-05
Tho Tombstone District.

The following is description of the new
mining district OF Arizona, through which the
Southern Pacific railroad is now building:
This celebrated mining camp is just now
attracting more attention than any other town
or mining district on the Pacific coast. The
village of Tombstone is situated in southeast
ern Arizona, in latitude $40, longitude 1909,
altitude about 1850 feet above the level of
the sea, and some 500 feet above the San Pedro
valley.
The town is handsomely located on de.
scending plain nine miles northeast of the San
Pedro river. The streets are wide aud run at
right angles with each other, with perfect
natural drainage. The municipal authorities
consist of II mayor and four touncilmen
marshal and other officers. For peace aud
good order IL will compare favoraby with any
town of its size on the Pacific coast. Present
population 2,000ncluding the outlying mining
districts about 5000. The climate is splendid.
The mercury In summer seldom rises above
95o, or in winter falls below 800; and as to
health IL is. superior to most OF California
towns. There has been no log or dew since
my arrival here in January last. The scenery,
as viewed from the hills back of town, where
the best mines are situated, is magnificent the
bold rock-ribbed mountains twenty miles to
the north, the vast plains to the west as
far rs the eye eau reach and the high
mountain ranges of the Milestone and Hua-
OhuCh HouAuWChb anu lar dCIooo Aut odu 4 ShlO
river afford the lover of nature scene of un
usual beauty. The people are cosmopolitan in
character, with u free-and-casy, go'as-you-
| please style about them that tells the quiet OBJ
server at once that he is in the presence of old
prospectors aud miners that have followed
| every mining excitement from Alaska 10
Sonora. All kinds of business are well repre-
sented i'll this village-thc merchant me-
chanic lawyer, doctor, dentist machinist and
assayer. The catholics and mcthodists have
church organizations with goodly number
| OF members. We also nave free school, sew
eral hotels, restaurants and lodging-houses.
The mines of this district contain free mill
| ing ore, known US chloride and carbonate, that
mills from $50 to $4,000 per ton. Ore of less
value than $50 per ton is left on the dump for
the present, to be used at some future time
when transportation and milling facilities will
be cheaper. The best paying and well-defiued
| mines at present are the Toughnut, Contention
and Good Enough. All of said mines have
mills on the San Pedro river ut Charleston
and Contention cities, where their ore is
hauled from the mines by large mule teams,
at cost of from 81 to So per ton.
The Sunset, Grand Central, Empire Head
Centre and Randolph mines are showing up
richer ore bodies than the frst-named mines,
but have as yet no milling facilities to crush
their ore. Most of the last-named mines have
steam hosting works on their claims and
| thousands of tons of ore OH the dump ready
| for their mills in course of construction on the
| river.
AS to the permanency of the mines in this
district there can scarcely be reasonable
doubt, rs large assure veins have been dis
covered and worked to u depth of $50 feet in
| several mines. All we need at present is cap
ital to develop our mines and build mills tc
crush the ore. good custom mill would
enable the poor claim-owner to develop his
own mine us good milling ore can be had nj
Il depth of from twenty to sixty feet. Hun
dreds of poor miners here have good locations
but are only able to do their assessment work
on their claims from year TO year.
Wood and water are both scarce and OF
limited quantity. Water at the steam hoistinl
works ut mines is worth three cents per gal
Ion. Wood is worth s. per cord. This is
serious drawback to our prosperity, which
may soon be overcome by the bringing int
the mines and village the water of Sycamor,
springs, ten miles north of us in the Dragon
mountains, by company of Boston capitalists
They propose to sell their water at one aud
fourth cents per gallon, at which price they
have q franchise from our city authorities /,
lay pipes in our streets, and have IN onopol,
so to do for the space of ten years.
The nearest point that the Southern Pacif
railroad comes to our town is twenty -thre
miles, but branch road Is now in course o
construction from that point to our mines anC
village. We are nearer Galveston than Sal
Francisco So when the railroad is finished
and connections made, San Francisco will hav
to exert herself or she will lose q portion @
Ler trade with us.-[ Correspondent Press.