Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-29

crosses, the word Tucson drops off and
Tombstone becomes the substitute in every
passengers mouth. Tombstone has now
more two.story buildings than Tucson, and
many more are being erected. Town. build
ing is being carried on with rush, boom
On every lot some one is putting up some
kind of structure in anticipation Of
the value it will obtain when this be-
comes the great city. Hopes and ex'
pectations are high, and there is no lack
of confidence in the ultimate result.
The population of Tombstone may now
be put down at 1000, and is very rapidly
increasing, and beyond doubt will within
residents than any place i'll Arizona. Be-
sides the residents-the people actually
living here-there are hundreds who daily
find temporary sojourning place within
the city limits foHlengths of time rangir G
from two days to two weeks. OF this
class is the prospector, who comes in from
his tour, camps at the town, has his liam.
beree," lays in his supplies, and is then off
for the mountains again. Every night in
the week crowd of men can be seen
upon our streets, at the hotels, and gam
bling houses, that forcibly remind one of
the flush times of 40 to So in the gold
camps of early California. All the con.
comitants of rushing camp are now to
be found in this place, save only the rows,
the fights and homicides. The heavy out
fitting stores, the long file of men at the
Postottice when mails arrive, the crowd of
men that throng the large gambling
houses, the number and variety of frail
humanity, male and female, all to be daily
and nightly seen, carrying ones thoughts
back to other days, to other camps in other
places. Speaking of the exceptions of
homicides, we must claim much credit for
our peaceable, orderly town, where the
of the Peace is about as much interviewed
as in sober. New England or the rural
Western States.
Our merchants already can sum up their
trade to million. All branches of bust
ness is fully represented, from couple of
wholesale jobbing- houses in all lines of
goods, down to nearly dozen Chinese
wash-houses. Two daily lines of six-horse
coaches run to the end of the railroad, be-
sides two-horse hack line, and lines of
stages to Charleston, Patagonia and other
places. Schools and churches are now be-
ing looked after, and theater is talked of.
The Nugget will issue its daily next week,
which, with the Epitaph, will give us one
daily and two weekly newspapers. Our
hotels, now nearly completed, will be the
most commodious and best furnished in the
Territory. All these things have been ac-
complished in less than one year? What
will the future be? Faith in the mines has
done all this, and the beginning is but now
The great country for hundred miles in
each direction lies before us an almost
unexplored country, now being penetrated
shovel, hammer and drill, aided by that
" onderful agent dynamite, will soon add
untold millions to the already wonderful
wealth of Arizona. Was not this dyna-
mite the article meant, but once called
faith, by the use of which it was said, a
long time ago, that mountains could be
moved? If there were mines beneath, the
miner with his dynamite would move the
mountain to get at them. A new feature,
of great Importance in this country, is the
new
TOWN OF BENSON,
The location of which has been selected on
the western side of the San Pedro river, at
the point where the Southern Pacific Rail-
road will cross. The site is on a mesa or
plateau of land, beautiful location, giving
a fine view up and down the river. From
this point no less than three branch rail
roads are already projected to Tombstone,
while one has Mexico for an objective
point, and the main line of the Southern
Pacific Railroad will pass about twenty
miles to the north of US. On one of these
branch roads the grading has already COM
menced, and the other two have corps of
engineers in the field The one that pro-
poses to strike into Old Mexico has a
charter to the boundary line, and is now
negotiating with the Mexican authorities
for like franchise to carry the road on to
Guaymas, Mazatlan, or some other object
i've point. If the sister Republic should be
like Barkis, possessed of willing DISPOSE
ton, we may expect soon to see railroad
extended up the San Pedro into that be-
nighted land, where no progress has been
made in agriculture or commerce, save only
by throwing aside shekels and cubits, and
selling their whisky by the pound and their
meat by the yard. From my own observa-
tions, having travelled over much of North
ern Sonora, l think that this route is the
most feasible for railroad of any that has
been suggested. 1t passes up the San Pc
dro to its head, all the way on wide bottom
lands, thence down the Sonora river, with
light grades, and through rich mineral and
agricultural country, to such point on the
seaboard or elsewhere, as they may wish
to obtain. / am of the opinion that when
ever railroad is extended into Sonora from
any point on the Southern Pacific Railroad.
the route will be the one I have pointed
out But to return to Benson. 1t is not
only given "good send-off" as a
RAILROAD CENTER,
But from it's central and favorable position,
by limited expenditure in repairing
wagon roads, it can control the trade of
the Globe country, and all of Apache
county, and with proper efforts on the
part of business men, can take from
Tucson the trade and business of Pata-
gonia, and of that great mining country,
and of the Huachucos, San Jose and Mule
Pass country, with a control of the Sonora
trade; while the Dragons, Yellowstone,
Galineo, and all the camps and country as
far to the northeast as Aravaypa and
Pueblo Viejo valley will become directly
tributary to it. OF course a combination
of all these advantages will make it con-
siderable of town, and at once afford
plenty of business to the town builders.
These town-builders are an enterprising
race peculiar to the West, and are always
happy and prosperous so long as there re-
main towns to build. Their winter of
discomfort sets in as soon as the towns
they have built are completed, and ready
to be fenced In. l am credibly informed
that as soon as Benson is plated, and the
auction day for the sale of lots is passed, a
number of the heaviest merchants and
business men Of Tucson will erect COM
modious business houses and open large
stock of goods at the new town, II this
be SO it will seriously damage Tucson,
calm down the wild Juror of Tombstone,
and give us three chief cities in southeast
ern Arizona, viz the ancient and honor
able pueblo, the argentiferous cemetery,
and the railroad center. So much for
towns. Now let us return to a more in
teresting subject, enc that gives more
money to the country, viz: the mines.
Since my last letter there has, in no in
stapce, either in Tombstone proper or the
surrounding country, been decline in any
property, but on the contrary, wherever
work Is being done, on mines or prospects.
the showing of vein ore and values have
steadily increased. In