The Tombstone epitaph., 1882-01-16
'VICTORIO. NEW MEXICO.
A Rich Mining District Ne Gu Doors about which but te i Known

Known Overland travellers on the l>ulliegn route have their attentions called to wayslde station about l20 miles east of Be son by the conductor singing out, "Gage statipn," il which tue train stops for moment to give time for whatever stray passengers there may be for that place to get of, and for others who are anxious to depart to get on. They little dream that within three miles of this station is an Fl Dorado that will at no distaLt day make the for. tunes of many patient toiers in the silver mines of that now comparatively little known locality. From dr. John H. Jack son, one of the most practical and exper. fenced miners in ArIzona, who recently visited Victorlo, we have learned the fol. lowing facts about the mines of that To- calty, which, we trust, will prove of inter. est to our readers .@
 The mines are located in low range ot mountains three miles south of Gage station on the Southern Pacific railroad, ard, are reached over almost dead-level road-or, at least, the carp is, which is situated on q plateau almost surrounded by hills. The AtchIson, Topeka & Santa Fe survey runs directly through the camp and when built will give shippers the di- rect benefit of competition. Wood is scarce in the neighborhood of the mines, but in the Faorta moantains,>to the east, are large forests, from whence the railroad company get large numbers of ties, and it can be laid down Tn Victorio as cheap as wood now is in Tombstone. Water can be obtained in unlimited quantities by sink. ing, this fact having been determined by the well at Gage station. So much for the surroundings, and now fo: the mines.
 The Arizona, belonging to Nebraska company, that is represented al the mine by gentleman by the name of McComas, is the best developed of any in the district They have three shafts. of the depths 100 feet, 70 feet and 40 feet, respectively. The vein is from to ! feet all ore, of which 1000 tons are on the dump. When MT. Jackson was at the mine they were ship ping. ore by rail to some point East for reduction, to thorughly test its value. Former tests gave value of from $60 to ESQ per ton, just as It comes from the mine.
 Next adjoining the Arizona on the south, and direct continuation of the same lode, is the Chance mine, which has been developed by two shafts, 60 and 40 feet respectively. They have 800 tons of ore on the dump of the same average grade as that of the Arizona, two or three lots having worked from $6O to $50 per ton This ledge Is one of the most prom inent and promi ing of any in the whole country, and bids fair to become large bull!on producer so soon as machinery has been erected for reducing the ore. The ore is 8 lead carbonate carrying ufiicient iron to fux it for smelling, or, in the opinion good experts, it may be treated by amalgamation quite as successfully as the average silver ores.
 This mine as also the Virginia, Star, Jackson, Emma, Vlctorifo;s issDd Southern Pacific belong to Mir. A. SH Slebbins of this city The other ml6Stall show quite as good indications asifhe Arizona. and Chance, and, in fact, the victor.o IS sad to be preferable ts any of the others, the ore being richer in chloride and horn silver. This mine shows croppings ten feet wide, and has been opened superfcially by open cuts at points along the whole length of the location. The country rocK is lime, and the outcroppings or ca. brock of the ore is iron, in some cases intermlxed with quartzite as on the Victorio.
 A most remarkable phenomenon oc- CUTS at the Star mine in the depths of cavern which IS 120 feet Tn vertical depth, by about 800 feet in horizontal, which opens out into series of chambers as it descends into the bo yels of the earth. The roof is pendent with stalacttcs of all con. ceivable sizes and forms, while the floors are studded with stalagmItes, formed by the residue of solid matter in the water that percolates through the root, forming the stalactites as it trickles down. At the base of these stalagmites is found silicate and carbonate of copper, which carries quite an appreciable amount of silver, samples having, it is said, assayed as high as $20 per ton. That the phenomena of ore formation is there being daily demonstrated, is positively as- serted, and we see no good reasons tor denying that such fact exists. From our study of the ore deposits at Bisbee, in a similar lime formation, we long slnce came to the conclusion that the great ore cham. Der of the Copper Queen, as also the smaller ones surrounding it, were filled with their present rich contents by the pre- cipitation of the salts of copper from its, liquid bath by chemical processes of nature carried on upon gigantic scale, such as puny man cannot initiate.
 From all that we can gather in relation to the mines in the Victoria distrlct, we have most favorable opinion of them, and shah watch future developments with agieat deal of interest, believing that who soever takes hold of those properties with the capital to thoroughly develop them, and to erect reduction works will reap .