Arizona silver belt., 1883-06-09
Copper.

lhe extent OF the copper deposits CT
Il, 'ttlha, country through which the A. NJ.
q. road will pass is difficult to deter
mine. In what is known, locally, as
"the Verde country" they are far more
extensive (arca conSidered) than they |
are in Globe District, though the work
done on them has been comparatively !!
little. Considerable prospecting is
being done, and claims are taken and
held by men who trust to the A, NJ. B.
railroad to make them valuable. So
far as actual production goes these
mines have no record, due to the fact
eSat they are fW from the railroad,
and have no wagon roads over which
to kaul their supplies or bullion. In
Globe District, the area Of country in
which copper shows as leading min
eral, is irregular but extensive, Two
miles from McMillen, east, it shows in
strong veins mixed with silver, and it
also shows west of the Bloody Tanks,
a. distance, longitudinally with the
copper belt, of thirty miles. II is
about two miles across. From Nc.
Millen to Globe it does not crop much,
bat from the latter place to the Tanks
it is always present. The principal
development is included in an area
embraced by a sweep of four miles
from the east, around the north, to the
west. The ore is found in veins Of
varying size. That of the Old Globe
is $50 feet widc-the largest; and that
of the Takoma has the greatest depth
development-450 feet. Both of these,
and the Buffalo and Long Island are
on true veins and yield high grade
of ore, Copper production may be
= said to have started with the Carrie
company, two years ago; but they did
not score a success because of faulty
management, and the silicious charac-
ter of their ores; the latter feature
making it necessary to use large guam
titles of fux, thereby reducing the
percentage of copper, to such an cx-
tent that with the enormous freights
charged it could not be handled. The
Buffalo company erected smelter and
ran it with much success, but they too
had to succumb to the heavy outlays
and the reduction in the price of cop
per. The Old Dominion company
erected smelters where they had no
mine, and spent money lavishly and
foolishly until the advent of j. j. Will
liams who welded the mines and smell
terS, and has made continuous record
such as never was known in the his
tory of copper mining before. The
Long Island company, under Frank
Nicholson's management, produced a
great deal of copper, but high freights
have stopped the work. The Takoma,
a rich property, and the Old Dominion
must also stop until railroad makes
. it possible to use lower grades of ore,
and pay dividends to stockholders in
stead of enterprise-killing freights to
3. the Southern Pacific railroad and
teamstcrs. The copper product of this
district, for the actual running days is
revelation, as it passes six tons per
diem for each smelter. From the data
furnished by the different superinten-
dents, we gather that, 1850 tons OF
: ore have been treated; that 3,777 tons
of coke have been used; that 8, 159 tens
:. Of copper have beon produced, and
that S2ll,716 have been paid for
freight. There are six smelters in
Globe, all of which must soon be idle;
if there was railroad, all of the COM
panies but one would increase their
plant, and new companies, now organ
lied, would commence operations. 1t
is safe enough to say that twelve
smelters would be operating in this
district. in six months after the COM
plction of a railroad; and between
Globe and the A. & ?. road at least
twenty. These would consume an ag-
grega.e of 160 tons of coke each day,
or 5S,400 year, and produce-say
29.20O tons Of copper, With the cog
nate interests that must necessarily
grow up about such an enlargement
ofthis industry, it would seem to be,
<shd is, cogent argument in favor Of
the building Of the A. M. B. railroad
not only as an agent in developing the
country's wealth but as a channel for
profitable investment.