Arizona weekly citizen., 1892-10-01
SOLID SILVER.
Bou-ders of Silver Embedded in a Ledge of Clay Like Plums
 in Pudding.

Jesus Otero and F. Gonzalez brought
 to the city day before yesterday prob
 ably the highest grade ore ever brought
 into the valley ln large quantities. It
 was talk an from the Monte Cristo mine. l formerly known as the Fortuna, near the lower dam of the Hasslympa. The
 ore, if it may be called ore at all. re- sembles boulders of various sizes and is about 75 per cent pure virgin silver. No assay has yet been made of 1t but the owners believe it will run S1O,000 to the ton. A REPUBLICAN reporter showed a sample of 1t taken at random from a large pile, to assayers and they believed that the owners. estimate was not far out of the way.
 The mineral Is found in extensive lodges of clay like huge plums in pud- ding and are removed with little diff culty. The old Fortuna mine bore the same characteristic but it was supposed to be exhausted.
 Messrs. Otero and Gonzalez relocated the Fortuna, changed it's name and dis covered new treasures of unknown ex- tent but of unprecedented richness.
 The Fortuna has history. It was discoveredin April, 1889, by two broth CTS named Salido, Mexicsns from Sonora and non-residents of the United States. In order to locate it they took in 8 form CT countryman named Ruiz, who had legally become citizen, and gave him a one-tbird interest in the mine.
 About S30,000 was taken out in com paratively short time and the very rich ness of the ore which is precisely the same as that now in the possession of Messrs. Otero and Cor Lzalez, led to trouble. It was like taking out silver jo..r and the partners began remov Ing 1t independently eff one another and selling the pronuct. At last 1t became necessary to suspend operations and freezing out process WAS commenced.
 At last a sort of compromise was ef- fected between the brot hers, and Ruiz was given power of attorney to settle | some legal busiress connected with the mine. Taking advantage of his power | he sold out the brothers interest to a | man named Vssquez living Tn this city l
 After this, Ruz and Vasquez were | afraid to go to the mine for the Salidos | were known to be men who valued human life lightly.
 A compromise was later effected through the mediation of pr. w. W. [ Jones, of PhOeuIx, by which the Salidos recovered their interest ard they &C., | cordingly turned over one-third inter est to Dr. Jones. About this tune the | mine seemed to be exhausted and Dr. | Jones turned his interest over to A. J. | Porteris. In some way Oiero had ac- quired an interest in the mine which | was now practically abandoned by all | the others. Otero kept up lis work | retained his claim and last winter made | the discoveries which will make him rich. Last January the claims of all the others lapsed and Otero relocated the mine. though there is doubt as to the legality of hls procedure. It Is un- likely, however, that hIs claim will ever come into contest.
 That part of the. country has for years Oee1 supposed to contain a fabulousiy rich silver mine, but as one prospectOr remarked, fit used to be a mighty un- healthy country to discover anything In." It was the abode of cut throats and assassins in the early days of half a dozen years ago and It was as much as a mans life was worth to lay claim to anything which might be de- sired by anyone else.-Republican