Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-12-25
Wonderful Mines.

Mir. ". II. Hoffman, who has charge
 Of the reduction works of the Consoli-
 dated Batopilas Silver Mining Com
 pGny of New York, arrived in Tucson
 last night. The mines of this company
 are situated at Batopilas, in the State of
 Chihuahua. Ex-Gov A. R. Shepard, of
 Washington, D. C.-famous during | Grants administrations Manager and i Vice President, and has his residence at
 the mines.
 | Besides this company there are also
 the following New York and Washing
 ton companies of which he has charge. Con. Descubrid0ra, Animas, Valenzuela. ! ROncesvailes. Penesquite, Santa Maria, | Camuchin, OrOchi Gold Mining Com | pany, RealitO, ChOcus and Zapote. The product of these mines reads like a story from the Arabian Nights, and al- most equals the inexhaustible island of MoI.e ChristO.
 With only five-stamp mill and two arastras, the mines of the Batopilas company have yielded SG00,0O0 in silver bars and about One-quarter as much in tirst-class Ore-this latter being native sllver-in eighteen months. The company have been shipping their ore and bullion by mule teams to Agia NampO, on the Gulf, and thence per steamer to San Francisco.
 They have also been shipping ore via Fl PasO to the East But this line will probably be discontinued in the future, ;he time taken to cover the distance be tween BatOpilas and Fl Paso-750 miles by mule teams-belng too lengthy; heretofore it has taken Uwenty-One days The reason for shipping ore was that the mills were in course of construction.
 With the exception of the ROncesyalles and San Miguel properties, all the oth- CTS are new, and are being opened up and developed in a systematic, practical manner, and no means will be spared to bring their full richness and value to light.
 The ores of these mines have been di- .gided into two classes-tirst and second class ores. The first includes native sil- yer, and ore running from S1. 800 to SlS,OO0 per ton, the latter assay having been obtained from the San Miguel mine.
 The Roncesvallcs mine has been yield ing about Sl5,0OO per month in pure na- tive silver since operations were first begun.
 All the product thus far yielded has been from tirst-clGss ore, the second class not vet having been touched. This kind runs from S5O Co 500 per ton, and they have enough of it in sight to run a ty nty-stamD mill a number of yeCS=e
 tEc BatopIlGs company are now ei '-' ing 70 new hfteeu-stamp mill, which will shortly be completed. The other com FaDiCs have also taken steps toward the erection of new mills, and in a short time mining will be carried on in this district OF am extensive scale that will be second to none in America.
 Wood and water are to be found in and no obstacle is ever to be feared in this respect.
 The only difficulty the companies have yet experienced has been the inability to find sufficient lab1ring men. During certain portions of the year they have all they need, but as soon as the fruit season arrives the Mexican employees lUit work and remain away as long as they can obtain from Mother Earth sui icient food to supply the wants of their , nature without working for it.
 The Meucans treat the Americans with all possible respect and kindness, and hold out every encouragement and to foreign capital that is de- sirous of developing their country.
 1lr. Hoffman IS accompanied by Dr. '. N. Ir0tt, who has been resident phy- sician at the mines during the last year. Both gentlemen leave for the East in Inc morning where they will spend the holidays -'