The Coconino weekly sun. [volume] (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1891-1896, 1892-12-22
ARE TIE GOLD FIELDS RICH.
PARTIES Returning From the San Juan
PIacers. A Hard Road to Travel
and Claims are Hard to Get.


cited this section of the country so
much within the past month, are still
the attraction for many who are af-
ficted with the desire to "gather gold
by the handful But the return OF
several gentlemen this week from the
San Juan country and their story will
put stop for while to the rush from
this place as gold is about as hard to
get out of the placers rs it is to get by
the more familiar process of saving
wood. Messrs. Fletcher Fairchild,
Geo. p. Thornton aud Will Babbitt, all
reliable men, have returned from that
section, and they have furnished the
first reliable information about the
placers. Mr.. Fairchild aud party were
the first to go from this place and he
has been in the placers about four
weeks. He first struck the claims of
the Arizona & Utah Mining Company
and found that this concern and others
had located all the good ground. The
claims are about 25 miles from the
mouth of the river, and about 400
claims have been located here. The
A. & U. company located 147 of them.
The river boxes above and below,
and the Fairchild party went 20 miles
above and located twenty claims on
what seems to be as good ground as
the claims lower down, on one of these
claims a cut was made to the depth of
~ feet, at which depth so much quick
sand aud water was encountered that
no further work could be done. No
gold was taken out in, fact nothing
but colors could be found. Mr.. Fair
child is confident that the San Juan
placers are good and the fact that he
did not get any gold does not seem to
dampen his enthusiasm, for the reason
that bed rock has not been reached,
and no one knows just how far it is to
it.
The water in the river is like ice
and slush ice runs portion of the
time and owing to the cold weather it
is probable that but little mining will
be done until spring.
Mr.. George p. Thornton of Williams
was in the A. & U. camp, and he
together with C. Z. Boyce, the Will
liams merchant, Made number of
what they claim are good locations.
This is tho point to which the rush has
been the greatest and trouble is likely
to occur here over the numerous loca
tions made by so called companies and
claims are being jumped, Mr.. Thornton
reports seeing very small amount of
very fine gold, that had been taken
out in one of the claims, and he be-
lieves that the placers are rich but
that they can only be worked by the
expenditure of good deal of money
and he is confident that it will become
good camp.
Mr.. Will Rabbit who does not pre-
tend to know anything about mines of
any kind but who took good mining
man with him, and on whose Judgment
he relied, says it is good place for
a poor man to keep away frbm, and
that he saw no gold while in the camp.
The A. & U. company are doing lots
of work preparing to tunnel the hill
SO as to turn the channel of the river.
and they intend putting 100 men at
work ut once.
The SUN was the first paper to give
an account of the discoveries of the
San Juan and their reported richness.
1t will also be the first to advise all
poor men to keep away from there.
From what can be gathered from par
ties who have returned it Is evident
that as yet no gold has been taken out
although there are plenty Of "Colors"
in every pan of dirt, but colors are of
no value. In order to reach bed rock,
which is as yet at an unknown depth.
it will require capital with which to
buy lumber, aud pay labor as the
water of the river must first be con-
trolled before any work is done and
with at least IL feet of quick sand to
encounter the task is difficult one.
and at the present time there is no
evidence that it will pay at least
fraction of cent on the dollar invest
ed.
The conclusion reached is that there
is plenty Of "colors" in the San Juan
but no gold, aud thatall the time and
money spentin that section will be lost
as it will require large expenditure
of money to develop any as the claims
with a very doubtful chance of it ever
repaying the investors, whether it be
individuals or large corporations.
There are still "a few people going to
the placers but the excitement is about
over.
A Christmas entertainment will be
given at the M. Il. church on Christ.