Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-21
FINDING TOMBSTONE.
How the Famous District
Was Discovered.
EDWARD sCHIEFFELIN'S STORY
A Los Angeles Mining Prospector
Pours His Tale into the Ear
of Reporter.

last night, smoking cigar and watch
inc the mon who walked in and out.
He wore a suit of brown and gray, che.
viot shirt, thrown open at the throat, a
silk handkerchief tied in loose knot
peeped out from under his bushy beard
and the wristbands of the cheviot
showed below the sleeves of his coat.
His face was rosy, and when he stood
up he was more than six feet high and
broad-shouldered. He sauntered up to
the counter and chatted with Clerk
Howes and spoke about Philadelphia
being q dull place to strike on a rainy
day. The register showed that he was
Edward Schieffelin, of Los Angeles,
California, and he said he had left home
a week before, where the wheat was
two feet high and the peach trees were
in bloom. Edward Sohieffelin discov-
cred the famous Tombstone Mining Dis
trict and made q fortune. He is the
biggest mine proprietor in the West, and
the mines he has discovered have yield
ed up more than $25, 600, 900 worth of
silver ore. He came East just for fly
ing trip and will return to California
next week.
THE DISCOVERY OF TOMBSTONE.
In speaking of the discovery of Tomb
stone he said: II discovered the
Tombstone Mining District in The sum.
mer of II. had been looking for a
successful find for fourteen years. l
went into the Tombstone hills on the
5th of July, 1877, and found silver ore
on the surface. l found some very rich
ledges-some of the ore was worth $l5.-
600 q ton. l didn't dsre to stay there
on account of the Apache Indians. They
were troublesome. and Cochise, who was
then their chief, had his stronghold
down the San Pedro river, nine miles
from Tombstone. I went there from
day to day to look at my find, and made
what we call dry camp l was busted
when made the find. One day in
August gathered up some of tho ore
that was worth SIS, 900 ton and took
it to Tucson; but the people wouldn't
listen to me when l told them that the
ore assayed $l5, 600 to every ton. So !
went back to Tombstone all alone, with
out any money or any frieuds or any
provisions, and lived on the game l
killed with my rife until the fall of II.
Then left to hunt up my brother, who
was mining at the McCracken mines,
four miles away, in the northern part Of
Arizona. There met Dick Gird, who
and ho ord I orad
my brother got a wagon and some pro.
visions and an assaylng outfit and went
back to Tombstone, arriving there on
the 26th day of February. 1873 Dur.
ing my absence old Cochise died and
his band scattered, and that made
Tombstone mparatively safe. So we
established camp. Tombstone in the
rough, just as found it, was worth a
clean half million. In the spring of rs
parties came from San Francisco. We
wanted money. So we sold them what
was known as the Contention mine for
$4,000 cash. We sold it just as we 10.
Gated it and don't begin to know the
millions of dollars it has yielded since.
SELLING OUT TO HAMILTON DIssToN.
"In the winter of IS and the spring
of 70, Dick Gird. my brother, ex.Gov.
ernor Stafford of Arizona and myself or.
ganized the Tombstone Mill and Mining
Company. Hamilton Disston and other
Philadelphians became the purchasers of
our interests. D.sston made the dicker.
He came out there and asked us to name
our figure. We said S4OO, 900 apiece and
we got it on the spot. Disston just
jumped at it. was rich man. Ayear
before that went to my home in Jack
son county, Oregon, after having been
absent seven years, and only had 81. so
in my pockets, and when left home
again borrowed 500 from my father
and told him l was going to locate
mine sure, and did. I've been pros
pecting all my life, for twenty-five years
steady, and suppose I'll be prospecting
till 1 die. l like it better than owning
the richest mine in the country. After
we sold out Dick Gird bought stock
ranch, thirty miles from Los Angeles.
There's 40, 900 acres of it, and he's got
to-day one of the finest stocked ranches
in the country. It's known as the Chino
Ranch. NV brother came to Philadel-
phia, lost good deal of his money in
speculation, and last March he came out
to Los Angeles and died of consumption.
The Eastern climate had ruined his
health. l went to Los Angeles for a
time.
HOW TOMBSTONE GOT ITS NAME.
"Before discovered the Tombstone
mines 1 stopped in the military mines at
Huachuca, was waiting for q party of
scouts to 90 out, calculating tOfollow them
through the mountains all summer.
was afraid to travel alone, on account OF
the Indians, but went into the Tomb.
stone country frequently. and when Ia
come back after two or three days pros.
pecting the soldiers would ask me 1t !
had found anything. I'd always tell
them I hadn't, and one soldier kept tell
ing me that if didn't look out for the
Indians I'd find my tombstone some day.
was impressed with what the soldier
said, and 30 when discovered the ore
Just named the place Tombstone Now
it's the county seat of Cochise county.
The county was named after the old
Apache chief. When everybody was
excited about the Tombstone mines the
place had population of about 5000.
but now it's down to about 5000. The
floating population has left.
PROSPECTING IN ALASKA.
I'm 1882 went to Alaska. built o
river steamer and fitted it with three
years stores. l went up the Yukon
river 1900 miles. think the river is
equal to the Mississippi. spent two
Summers and one Winter there. found
gold, but not in big quantities. 1t
would pay man about $l5 day to
mine it. It's very pretty. coarse gold.
It wouldn't pay to mine it, though, be-
cause the nearest source of supply is