Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-10-17
A MINE FOUND BY A MULE
A Sensational Mining DiscOv-
cry in Arizona.
How Three Prospectors Came Across a
Valuable Silver Ledge.

A sensational mining discovery was
made in 1875 in Arizona. 1t was one
of the most interesting finds eve made
on the coast. Three prospectors Cope
land, Mason and another, were one day
lodging Indians in the neighborhood
of Queen Creek, Pinal County, about
fifty miles from Florence. The Indians
had been very bad that year in that re-
gion and no prospectors felt safe a mo-
ment. One evening Copeland and par
ty were looking for a place to camp
when all at once one of their pack
mules gave a snort and with ears poin-
ted forward stood stock still. A mules
OF any dog for game, and the party
knew there was danger ahead. They
dismountet and reconnoitered. While
Copeland prepared to scout on the side
of a little rise, he tied his mule to a
clump Of sage brush which grew in
the cleft Of a ridge of float rock. while
he was gone something scared the
mule, and the latter jerked the sage
brush up and started down the
canyon. The party located a
"rancheria" Of Indians a mile
off and wisely beat a retreat undis-
covered. A half a mile away they
picked up the mule, the sage bush still
hanging to his bride. Copeland de-
tached it and was about throwing it
away when something clinging to the
roots attracted his attention. 1t was
a piece of shattered white quarts, as
big as a walnut, the disintegrated
mass being held together by a perfect
network Of pure white silver threads
the size of a number eight wire. Some
of the roots Of the bush ran through
the quartz and firmly attached it.
The party were greatly excited, but
they did not then dare go back on &C
count Of the Indians. They staked the
locality, and Copeland fairly cudgeled
his brain to impress upon it the exact
spot he had tied his mule. Two weeks
after they ventured back and to their
JOY found the coast clear. For several
hours they searched among the rocks
and scoria of the vicinity, and at last
Copeland found the place where the
sagebush had been torn up. A few
minutes digging revealed the crown of
of the most beautiful silver quartz,
ledge any of the prospectors had ever
seen. They dug for several days on
the spot and laid bare a section twen-
ty feet long and ten feet wide. The
vein was without foot or hanging
wall, was Of pure white quart, with
streaks of native silver (pure white
silver and blotches of black sulphur
cts running all through it. This was
the discovery of the famous Silver
King mine of to-day. This mine has q
peculiar interest from the fact that sc
many public men of note invested in
it. soon after its discovery Colone,
James NJ. Barney, of Yuma, bought
the property for S275,00 and placed
the stock on the Eastern market.
The mine has paid since 1877!
$l.5OO.00O in dividends, and has pro
duced something like $780, 900 il
silver. Strange to say, the ledge
stands alone by itself. Scores of loca-
lions have been made around it, but
nothing has ever been found in any Of
them. If any other evidence were
needed to prove that mining for IN,
precious metals is a game of chance
the history of the Silver King deposi
alone would prova II - Ihjao1o Horo15