Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1891-07-11
COPPER QUEEN.
Its Miles of Tunnels and
Enormous Output.
SPLENDOR OF ITS AYES.
Town of Bisb8e, It's Business
Man and Enterprises.
Unique Career of Warren, the Scout,
Guide, and Discovorer of
Bisbee-


Al known, but of which more Of public il
= terest might be written regarding it
Y wealth as a copper producing regio
than Bisbee, Warren district, Cochis
county. Though but one company
i known as the Copper Queen Minin,
L Co., is working, or in fact ever has t.
b any large extent operated the mines O
e this district, the output of pig cope
last year was greater than thai of an
|, other district in the territory.
i But 1T is not concerning the details o
the Queen company's mining opera
D tions that I shall have much now tc
: speak of further than that everything
. is conducted on gigantic and most
systematic plan. The deepest shafts are
in the neighborhood of 400 ft. and there
are over twenty-three miles of tunnels.
About 600 men are in the employ of
tins company at Bisbee (wages $3.50 per
day producing an average of thirty-fiv
tons of bullion daily.
1t was to crafty my curiosity to view
The wonderful caves lately discovered in
the Queen Copper mine that 1 sought
and secured permission of Superintend-
ent Ben. Williams to descend the shaft
on the 30;h OF Juae. Geo. Douglass
kindly of1iciated as guide. At the en-
trance Cf the tunnel that leads to the
cave we found the door locked to pre-
vent vandalism, which had already been
rerpetrated within the lapse of the few
weeks since its discovery. Being pro-
vided with a key We entered without
difficulty and an advance Of 100 TT. over
alternate layers of lava and huge bould-
ers brought us to great open spaces,
surrounded by irregular walls of crys-
| talized limestone, and enclosed with
magnificent dOmes OF like formation.
lavlshly decorated with hanglngs of
every conceivable shape and shade, the
beauty Of which Is more easily imagin-
ed than described. Descending and
ascending over an uneven surface Of
crystalized rocks, turning now to the
right and th9n to the left for half an
hour, sonnet mes crawling upon our
hands and knees head foremost, at |
other times nth toes in the van, we at |
last reach another apartment of gorge /
Gus architecture, at one end of which |
is the most natural vessel resembling a |
white porcelain bath tub, and called |
"the BATH" To peer into it there does
not appear any escape except by the
entrance; but following the example of
my guide l lay myself on the bottom,
and to my surprise, l espied a small
crevice through which the guide had
disappeared, and which could be seen
only ia a reclining position on account
OF singular wall projecting downward
On the rear side. Through this small
aperture ] crawled with cardle IN
hand and was again confronted with
another large opeling similar to others
we had gone through. Passing Cape
Horn," and descending some flights,
which | should not recommend nervous
people to attempt. and we we're stand
ing on the edge of a beautiful pool,
$50 #. below the earths surface. called
Alabastro Lake-very properly so
named-as the marble-like bottom is
clearly discernible, the water being of
crystal purity, ard excellent to drink.
as [ am abundantly able from exper-
ience to testify. Proceeding through
another passage way with surprises at
every turn and ever increasing admira-
ton, we finally enter the most unique
and the grandest apartment had seen,
and which much ADLER pens than mine
must fail to properly depict. This part
is well amed THE Grotto," and from it
at least a ton of elegant specimens, it
5 said, has been brought to the surface
after having been carefully packed IN
boxes with cotton, and this without APP
parently diminishing the beauty and
crareur Of the scene. The services Of
an excellent artist have been secured,
and by the aid Of 80 lighted candles,
aud also by flash light, numerous views
lave beer taken, conveying but an ap-
proaeh to the original, which of truth
must be seen to be appreciated" After
a quarter of an hours optical feast, with |
reluctance we turned to retrace our !
steps. There are two routes of entrance, |
| was Informed, besides the Cne we had |
followed, the second the Rocky Road |
to Jordan" and the third by a hand /
over hand ascension of 100 ft. by two |
inch rope with occasional toe holds on /
the side. Having my hands and pockets |
filled with choice gems of the cave, |
which would be easily broken, | chose |
the less romantic path by which we
entered. Without hesitancy. or the
fear of being accused of exaggeration, |
pronounce it the scene OF lifetime, for
to behold such resplendent beauties in
| their primitive nakedness cannot fail to
| captivate the heart of every true wor-
shipper of the God of Nature, and make
| him feel as thou yh ten thousand cater
! pillars were crawling up and down the
ossified railway of his back.
THE MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENT, HOS
PITAL AND LIBRARY.
The Copper Queen Con. NJ, Co., of
which Phelps, Dodge & Co., of New
York, are the chief stock holders, is
'classed as a close corporation" and ac-
cordingly little or no information re-
garding it business is volunteeted for
publication. The visitor '7ill neverthe-
less find Ben Williams, the superintend
ent. and l.. Williams his assistant, ,affable
and courteous gentlemen, and, within Ger
tain restrictions, to be the most obliging.
I also found w. II. Brophy, manager of
the company's store, and Nj. j. Murphy,
assistant magager, pleasant to meet, and
fron a conversation with the former