Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-12-08
A MINING BOOM.

From present indications, Tucson is to be the center of Q mining region sec ond to none other in the country, and must uecessaril. become the most four ishing town in the Territory. If Tue son has lived and grown as a trade cen- ter for a generation without mines, its must necessarily be greatly in- creased when mines are opened up | III every direction around us which will employ hundreds of men and place vast freight teams on the roads to and from the mines.
 The great importance Of the Quijotoa district to Tucson Is recognized by all. The men who have taken hold of the mines are the foremost operators of sll- yer mines in the world, and they will inaugurase a new era in mining opera hons m Arlzona. For many years past the time and energies Of John W. Macl5ay, J c. Flood and Senator Fair have been wholly occupied in the Com stock mines, which have produced more silver bullion than any mines of ancient or modern times. But the great Con- stock mines have had their day and have yielded up their treasure, and the two first named members of the old bonanza firm have turned their attention to Ari- zona and. as WAS announced in our local columns of yesterday, have purchased the Peerless group of mines m this county, for which they paid S45O,OOO. It will probably cost nearly as much more to develop the miaes in the thor ough and systematic manner ths' these men are known to do their work, and to build mills and erect machinery necessary to reduce the ores of the mines, Tor they are no common mines, but great mines with immense amounts of ore m sight, which will require ex- tensive and substantial works 10 re- duce to silver bars. The company will go to work understandingly, and in a business way. They have the best min ing men from the old Comstock mine to take charge of the works; there will be no false moves-no experiment work to be done, they understand their business and know from the beginning what is necessary to have and what is necessary Co do. The first work of the company
 will be To sink for water, which will be done at the mines, and at a point siE miles east of the mines, in what IS known as the "Payas," an extensive wash that extends through from the Souara line to the Santa Cruz river. During the rainy season the water runs down this wash in vast quantities and pr rents the appearance of rIver, but there being no hard pan, 1t gradually sluks into the sand and gravel aud is l lost. There k no doubt in the minds of 1 those who have examined the question { lhas there Is an underground river there
 and that a great abundance of water eau be had by sinking. It Is ! stated that a ranchman who sunk well at point about If. l teen miles soath Of the place deslgaated found an abundant supply of water at a | depth of twelve feet. We have no doubt 1 whatevr about the securing oi abundant supply of water. That ques
 ton in o1r opinion wlll be speedily
 solved.
 But the Qlijotoas are not our only
 hope in tue way of a mining boom. The
 Ray Copper Company at Riverside only
 fifty miles north of Tucson, which art
 represented by good mining men to bc
 among the finest copper properties 1T
 the country, will soon be ready to start
 up their smelters. The Gro BlancC district, notwithstanding it. many draw
 backs has some really good mines
 which will be worked, and will produce bullion the coming season. The gold
 and silver mines of the Santa Catalina l have proved their value, and have beer
 making regular shipments of gold bul l lion for several months past. There ar, many other mines tributary to Tucsor
 that are promising, and will be deSe
 loped during the coming year. Ther,
 is but one thing lacking to make Ou ! success complete-and that is a smelte . here for the reduction of all kinds O
 ore. Let us go to work at once anC ! build a smelter; this done and there |
 nothing that can prevent our city iron
 entering upon a season Of prosperit.
 and thrift such as 1t has never had.