Arizona republican., 1891-06-14

first visited Copperopolis it contained 5000 people. When last saw the place 100 would cover its entire population.
 But the copper fever ragged in the be- ginning Gold was temporarily thrown in the shade. Miners became speedily learned in surface copper indications. The talk far and wide was of copper "carbonates," oxides" ''sulphurets," "gosson." Great was the demand for scientific works on copper. From many a miners cabin was heard the clink of mortar and pestle poundir@ copper rock preparatory to testing it The pulver- ized rock placed in solution of diluted nitric acid, a knife blade plunged there in and coming out coated with precip- itation of copper was exhibited triumph antly as prognosticator of coming. fortune from the newly found lead. The fever flew from one remote camp to an other. A green verdigris stain on the rocks would set the neighborhood copper crazy. On the strength of that one "surface indication" claims would be staked out for miles, companies formed, shafts in finty rock sunk and cities planned. Nitric acid came in great de- mand. It was upset. It yellowed our fingers and burned holes in our clothes, but we loved it for what it might prove to us. A swarm of men learned in cop per soon came from San Francisco.
 They told all about it, where the leads should commence. in what direction they should run, how they should dip" what would be the character of the ore, and what it would yield. We, common miners, bowed to their superior knowl- edge. We worshiped them. We fol- lowed them. We watched their faces as they surveyed the ground wherein had been found a bit of sulphuret or a green stained ledge. to get at the secret of their superior right under ground. It took many months, even years, for the knowledge slowly to filter through our brains that of these men nine-tenths had no practical knowledge of copper or any other mining. The normal calling of one of the most learned of them all 1 found out afterward to be that of a music teacher.
 Old B., the local geologist of Sonora, who had that peculiar universal genius for tinkering at anything and everything from a broken wheelbarrow to clock, and whose shop was museum of stones, bones and minerals collected. from the vicinity, classified" and named, some correctly and some possibly otherwise, took immediately on himself the mantle of copper prophet, and saw the whole land resting on basis of rich copper ore. He advised in season and out of season, in his shop and in the street, that all men. and especially young men, betake themselves to copper mining. It was, he said, sure thing. It needed only pluck, patience and perseverance, Sink" he said, "sink for copper. Sink shafts wherever indications are found. Sink deep. Don't be discouraged if the vein does not appear at twenty, thirty sixty or a hundred feet"
 And they did sink. For several years they sunk shafts all over our county, and in many another county. In re- mote gulches and canyons they sunk and blasted and lived on pork and beans week in and week out, and remained all day underground till the dirkness bleached their faces. They sunk and sunk, and saw seldom the faces of others of their kind. and no womankino at all. They lived coarsely, dressed coarsely, and, no matter what they might have been, felt coarsely, and in accordance acted coarsely. They sunk time and money and years, and even health and strength, and in nineteen cases out of twenty found nothing but barren rock or rock bearing just enough min eral not to pay. ......s. :.
 took the copper fever with the rest. In few weeks became an ''expert' in copper. l found two veins on my former gold claim at Swetts Bar. l found veins everywhere. l really did lm- agine that knew a good deal about cop per mining, and being an honest enthu- siast was all the more dangerous. The banks of the Tuolumne became at last too limited as my field for copper expior- stion and discovery. left for the more thickly populated portion of the county. where there being more people there was liable to be more copper. and where the Halsey claim was located. The "Halsey" was having its day then as the king claim of the county. It bad really