Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-05-20
ON AN IMMENSE SCALE.
Several Large Enterprises Under
 Way at Yuma.
Magnificent Future Predicted for
 the Old Spanish Town.

Spanish town of Yuma, on the banks of
 the grand Colorado river has come to
 her final turn in life. She is donning &
 garb Adobe and stick house were good enough in their day, but their day
 Is past, or at least is surely passing
 away, and more solid and substantial
 structures seem destined to succeed
 them. The old and reliable firm of
 Gandolfo & Sanguinnette are setting
 the good example of constructing one of
 the best and most commanding store
 buildings in Arizona; dimensions 12jx62 feet and two stories high, stone cellar,
 upper portion O: brick, with iron front and elevator from cellar to roof It will
 be ready for occupancy in two or three
 months.
 DF. ?. G. Cotter has purchased of Mr. GaDdolfc lot fronting Second street, betGeen Main street and Madison ave- hue, upon which he is preparing to erect two story brick 40x6O feet for the accommodation of the post office and | other offices.
 Another modest, through leading | merchant, does not propose to be out I done by hIs fellow tradesmen and accord 1 ingly intends to construct an elegant store building on the corner of Main l and First streets, and only awaits the making of the brick. Messrs. Cooper Bros are preparing to burn 3O0,00O | brick l75,O00 of which are about sdy | for the fire.
 Capt. Heil Hale, ex assistant superin- tendent of the Territorial prison, and l MT. Rathbun have commenced on their half million proposition beyond the | freight depot. From best information | obtsinable 1t would be safe to predlct a l lively building season following the hot weather soon to usner in upon u-, dur ing which, of course, many will avail themselves of good excuse to take it as cool as they can.
 Since the flood of 1891 when the | principal part of the town washed away there has been steady and substantial | improvement. A better class of build ings have taken the place of those xist- ing before, more have been erected each year, and more interest is being t; ken m the artistic appearances of premises. | There Is more than one reason for the l | the promising outlook of our irrigation euterprlsej already in operation, and tie confidence felt in the adaptability of the country to the production of early ! fruits and vegetables has had, and is | having most irtinence on development The fact should be borne in mind that the mining interests tributary to Yuma are by no means a trifiing consideration. 1 Constantly, year in and year out, they l Lave contributed handsomely to the support of our population. even more than any other industry. Were it Eot l for the mines in operation a'Ong the | Colorado river no steamers could afford | to ply its waters, whereas two large | boats and several smaller craft find con- stant employment n carrying suppl as ! to the various camps and returning with ores. A full and graphic history of the l mines of thIs region, sL Iced alternately with adventure and anecdote incident to | mining life would prove fascinating as l fiction. But like almost everywhere else mining has had It's bOoms followed in- | evItably by its coliapses. Ascend the | Colorado and you will encounter al in- | tervals for several hundred miles ruins | of cnce prosperous towns and deserted | shafts and tunnels which tell their own sad story. Castle Dome landing, about ! 20 mics up the river, the shipping point 1 for tha mines of the district was at one
 time quite lively place as evidenced | by the numerous houses, merely the outlines of the adobs walls of winch are yet to be sesn. It is still 0 constant shipper. The principal operators of the | district ara Messrs. Vomocil, Avila and
 Hodge Bros, Major l.. c. Moreland, a prominent and practical inning man, i gives it as bis opinion that Castle D me ! dietrict Is the best silver camp in Ari- zona if pro; erly handled. It requires l large capital and that machinery of the right kind must be erected ou the | ground. It is silver ore and that it pays to operate the mines at all IS evidence of their good quality when it is con- | sidered how expensive IT, IS tn haul the ere 20 miles to the rIver, thence ship by
 boat to Yuma and then tranship by rail to reduction works. Go where you will | Tn other districts along the river and you will see the tumble down ruiUs of build InRs and mining machinery in dIsuse,
 but this does not say the mines are ex- | bausted or worthless; not by long way. | Fortunes have been made and lost in | nearly every camp on the rIver.
 One of the largest mining enter
 prises ever conducted Tn the country, | incorporated this year under the name of the California Picacho Gold Mines | C0mpaDy, headquarters Yuma, A. T., ! Major Mereland. manager. The distance from Yuma to the mines is 20 miles by
 land and 45 by the river. The company
 is composed of California and English capitalists. The value ot the plant now | haas ,1.nlr .1 h.o,
 and it will cost about S40,000 more to
 put it in operation. The company are
 we'll aware that others have failed to make this old camp pan out, but think
 they know the Cause to have been the
 lack of capital to carry on the business
 and proper machinery. The plant
 Major Moreland says is he largest ever shipped west from New York. It IS ex-
 pected t. have 1t ready to start up with in the next four months. The ore Is | perfectly free mi ling quartz and placer. | Four hundred acres are embraced in the cOmpany's clsims. Major More and has
 min on the coast for 20 years, not vii l pick and shovel all the time, for he has found time to do a little thiuking by
 which he ha5 contriveG several valuable inventions for the promotion of the
 mining industry. He IS the possessor of valuable mining property in bis own right near Gila CIfy. From what Is said o the mining industry it must be seen that Yuma is Lot the commercial center of the largest irrigation canal scheme in the United States alone but | in mining matters her fame is likely to spread beyond her borders. J.B. L.
 Yuma, A. T., May F.
 The South GiIa Canal.
 Chas. A. Fisk writes to the Belt at
 Globe from the construction camp of