Tombstone epitaph., 1890-04-05
Gold Fields of the Grand Canon.

an object Of unusual interest. Hun dreds of people have visited it an nually, and gone away pondering over it's mysterious depths, precipices, mountains and wonderful chasms. Its rustic beauty has been viewed by thousands of inspecting viSitors, and has been the theme of many well written articles It far surpasses the widest dreams ever conceived in the brain of man for it's picturesque beauty and grandeur. Little did the visitor as he stood short time since, poised as it were, on the brink of a chasm eighteen miles from wall to wall, and looked down into the silver thread like river of the Colorado as it wended it's mad, turbulent waters through this great labyrinth, ever dream that he was in the midst of opuleDce and wealth. Little did he ever think that this wonderful, inde- scribable object known as the grand canon contained millions of dollars in rich mineral. Little did the sight seer ever expect to know of it. and only as d place of curiosity. But time has wrought change that can hardly be realized. This noted canon has for the present lost its charms as a wonder, and is now transformed into a field of investigation. As we heretofore stated, about four weeks since Wm. Ashurst. Wm. Morris and John Marshall left Flagstaff to explore the grand canon in quest of mineral. They were not long in stumbling upon what they thought to be a bonanza. They re- turned to Flagstaff and at once sent specimens of their ore to be tested and receieved such encouraging returns that they at once repaired again to the place from whence they had taken out these specimens. Alter they left Flag staff others were soon enroute for the canon, where it is thought millions of dollars in gold and silver lies beded in the earth. Messrs. Ashurst, Morris and Marshall came back last week with quantities of ore from different leads and have sent it to Denver to know the true value of it. These ] three parties located ten claims while there. Ashurst and Morris left again on Wednesday for their mines, where they will commence work on a trail down into the canon. We saw the re- turns from the first assay they had made in Prescott and it run $162 in gold and $737 in silver to the ton. They all three are self-confdent that they have rich mines. One of the parties said the vein is 25 feet or more in width, and that owing to the immense quantity of it. that if it will run even $l0 to the ton that they now possess the most valuable mines in the west. It lays in the cliffs of the canon and can be seen from one side of the river to the other. These three parties made raft and attempted to cross the river, but it was too swift and they had to abandon the effort. They say they have an abundance of water at hand by which they can work these mines, and they are so situated that machinery can be placed near them. MT. Marshall is still in Flagstaff await ing the returns of an assay from Den- yer of these minerals. He informs us the leads can be seen for distance of seven or eight miles and that they run in a north and south direction. He also says the formation is that of syenite and slate, which is pronounced by scientific mineralogists to be the finest in the world. Ashurst and Marshall are both experienced miners, the latter gentleman having worked in the noted Comstock mines in Ne vada. l