Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-06-09
Mineral Belt Road.


 Another railroad project in the south- west pn the Pacific slope, in which Bos- ton capital Is, and will be, largely in- teresied. has just taken the field to make its preliminary survey. In the great Territory of Arizona, l20,OC0 square miles In area, with its enormous mineral resources, there are but two lines of raIlrO q, both crossing the Territory from east to west-the Southern Pacific, forming through line along its south ern or Mexican border, and the Atlantic < Pacific, just completed. an ther through hne on its northern or Utah border. There are no lateral, or north and south roads; hence the Territory labors under the great disadvantage of having BO easy communication with, and no cheap transportation to and from, its large mining centres. In the great bullion producing district about Globe City, where the famed Old Dominion Copper Company and other valuable copper and silver mines eXist, and are larg -ly owned by Boston capital lsts. the great necessity for north and south l ne was perhaps there the most seriously felt, thus being the great miner al belt of the Territory. About two years since a charter was obtained for constructing q railroad from point on the Ene of the Atlantic and Pacific rail- road, across its great timber belt, through the Green valley, the Wild Rye, the Iunto Basin, Pinal creek, Salt river, on to Globe City, the present objective point.
 he officials of the Atlantic < Pacific looked with favor upon the project. as the proposed road would be a feeder to their line. Nevertheless, it took long time Co obtain the favorable terms de- sired, and the contract was only finally agreed 60 and executed by the two cor porations few months ago The cor porate name of the new road Is the Arizona Mineral Belt railroad, and Is auxiliary to the Atlantic & Pacific rail road. In the Territory it is familiarly known as the Mineral Belt road" Its president IS Hon. James W. Eddy, of Globe, \. T. Gen. 4. 4. Mcdonnell IS its managing director. and Col Thomas 5. King, Of New York, its chief engineer. About the first of the present month Colonel King and his surveying party, with guides, entered the timber belt at WinslOw, and Gen. Mcdonnell, with another party, started in from Globe, for the purpose of mak- ing the preliminary survey. The two parties expected to meet in the Upper Tonto basin. According to the press of that section, the Mineral Belt railroad Is hailed with much favor by the people generally, but m an especial manner by the propristors of the many mines and smelling mills, who suffer severely for the want of reliable and cheap transpur- tatiOn O; their re, coal and bullion. At present they depend altogether upon mule teams. which arc slow, and have frequent delays over the poorly made wagon roads. The route Of the Arizona Mineral Belt railroad. as laid out, cer- tainly promises very large earnings. It starts through a country in which tim Der Is plentiful for a stretch of 60 miles, and then traverses for 100 miles or more a country where there is absolutely no timber at all, and where m1ch timber Is required in the mining camps and large towns through which 1t passes. It will cross a large coal area, winch article is SO requisite in a mining region where smelling works abound. It will also pass through the copper deposits of the country east of the Verde, and il is within easy distance of a great many fertile little valleys now being rapidly occupied by Mormon and Gentle farmers. It will run through the gold district of the East Verde, the silver regions of the Tonto. the agrlcul- tural lands of Salt river, and the silver, lead. gold and copper plains of the Globe district. Between the Mazatzal and the White mountains and Globe are many fine ranches, and 1t is known as one of the finest grazing districts m this count-y There cannot be built in Ari- z1ua a north and south road offering fewer difficulties Of construction. and none move promising oi large results.