Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-05-26
TEE NEW Gnrn nEn1rs

frospectors and others who are rush. Ing to the Muleje (Mollehay) gold mines will, without doubt, cause a boom of some kind, but from the best sources of information obtainable, the boom will be m town on the coast, where few saloons and gambling houses will make things lively as long as the excitement keeps up. But the mines, which are from twelve to twenty miles from water, cannot be worked with any great sue cess. The gold that has been taken out Is from pockets-or rich streaks, and 1t may be limited in extent. The state meHt has been made that the placer ground embraces a strip of country % miles wide by loo miles long. This is simply a statement, without any knowl- edge of the facts. But if We stop and reflect a moment, and compare the ex- tent of these mines with the extent Oi similar mines in Colorado, California and Australia, the absurdity of such statement will be apparent.
 On a straight line from Santa Inez bay, on which Muleje is located inland about three miles-we find that by actual measurement the distance to the top of the Sierra de la Glgante mountains, on the west, is only twenty miles. The placer mines lie between Muleie, and the top of this chain of mountains. The country hereabouts has been settled for more than one hun dred years, by Mexicans, who knew what gold mining was, and thoroughly
 understood how to go to work to fin,
 gold, and how t0 extract 1t from the
 gravel apd sands. All canyons and
 washes iu that locality run from west JO east. and em sty the waters. when the,
 nave alv. Iuro ths Gulf of Californa
 consequently the uew gold fields cal not be so extensive as raportrd. N should not overlook the fac-, that G., atyes, wh0 are ever on She lookout iu inrifer1us deposits ot gold, have be5f over every toJg oi the ground many au, many a time prospecting; and that i such extensive placer mining existed
 here, they would have been dis covered long ago. Nine miles iulau, ], the northeast of Mulejs, Is the town aud settlement uf San Jose; ten milef further on is tLe ancient town an,
 .-ttiement of D)rotea, and eight miles forth on the coast is the town Of Jhivala Point. The distance from Con ,epcion Point, which is a tongue Of Ian .zteuding up the coast from a poir' -ome twelve nlles south to pom due east Of Mu'eie, rnd iron
 ere north to Cape VIrgenes, where 6 | .pur Of the Sierra ds le Giganta mou-- sius extends to the western shore o' he GuI of Cahforna, cutting off the wash to the Nuleje section, the distance is less than forty miles. IL will then he seen that the extent of the gold belt has been greatly exaggerated, and while gold las been discovered it is by no means certain that the discoveries will warrant the influx or prospectors and adventur -rs, who seem to be gathering in there. ] IS not reasonable that such rich mines, axtensive, were overlooked for so mans rears in a country which is inhabited b,
 gold miners, and we are Of the opinioi
 nat when the bottom IS reached 1t vii be found that there Is a small section Of country embracing but a few mile where there are rich, dry diggings. Al agree that water is scarce, and that onl, he very richest pay Girt can be worked. Iuless the system of dry wash 'ng is adopted, and so far ls We know. that system las never been made a succefs- .ithe- in Arizona or Sonora, and We can not see how it will prove more successful n Lower California. Our advice to ar orospectors is to go slow. But ifthere are those who will go. We should advise then
 % ilz.. ,-Bv,-sh ready money with thrr
 70 pay their return passage, in case the. ind nothing there. The mines, owinl 70 the topography Of the country as W.
 nave shown, must necessarily prov. ,ircunscrIbel. The country is not new mt much ol Ter than ours. Don't fir get that Mexican7 will anl have worked n,nes that pay b1t D cents day; snC
 hat there are hundreds of them whC
 lake rheir living by mining and tha'
 hey discovered these new mines, an
 re 1a the yr,1ulall o..1nv the fei