Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-05-10
TALKS ON TAOS.
President Briggs, of the Rio Hondo
Company, Speaks of the Great
Possibilities. n
The Quartz ana Placer Mines "A Rich
Field for Prospecting-The
New Town Site

MIR. Il. Il. Briggs, president OF the MO
Hondo Placer Mining company at
Amizet, Taos county, is in town from
Denver. Mr.. Briggs was formerly chief
engineer of the Mexican Central and also
of the D. d. R. G, railroad. He has had
many years experience in mining enter
prises in Colorado and Mexico, and his
organization of
A STRONG COMPANY
to develop property in the newly opened
Taos mountain mining district was last
fall tho signal for attracting such atten-
ton to the Taos mines that it has since
continued undated. Among the gentle
men who are interested in the Rio Hondo
PAGER Mining company are W. @. Miller,
president of the Denver Pressed Brick
company; DR.. B. @. Leavitt, of Denver,
one of the D. & R. G. surgeons and con-
nected with the Appletons; A.. j. King,
pany of Breckenridge, Colo, and con-
nected with the Denver Land & Invest
ment company; A. s. Gregg, also con-
nected with the D. & R. G. road.
The fact that men of this stamp have
secured a foot-hold in that section of
New Mexico means much for the general
prosperity of the Taos country, and with
this idea in mind New MEXICAN repre-
sentative yesterday approached President
Briggs and piled him with questions.
YES" he said, Everything points to
active development and steady growth of
the Taos mountain mining districts.
THE MINERAL rs THERE
in largo quantities, with all the acces-
SORES, such as water, timber, ETC., and
living is economical because of the splen-
did valleys that lay on either side OF
this range-the Taos valley on the west
and the Moreno and Red river valleys on
the east. At the new town of Amizet
considerable building is going on and q
good town will undoubtedly spring up
there. Senator Wolcott and Delegate
Joseph have both interested themselves
in our postal facilities and postoffice
will be established there this week. The
Rio Hondo Stage q Express company is
in daily operation between Tres Piedras,
on the D. & R.sG. road, and Amizet. VIM.
Peete, formerly of San Pedro, and G. A.
Moore, the livery barn man of Anton1to,
are the owners of the stage line. The
snow has entirely disappeared from the
townsite and is rapidly leaving the mount
aims, so that with the number of Colo
RADIO prospectors going in there reports
of rich strikes may soon be expected.
THE PLACER BEDS.
1--WE are getting ready to employ
large number Of men in the placer
ground" continued Mr.. Briggs. "a force
of men was put to work on Monday and
others will be added as required. We
don't know as yet how far it is down to
bedrock, but as far as we have pros
pected the gravel averages gold yield of
twenty cents to the cubic yard, and can
assure you that it is not of the scale or
flour character, as has betn reported by
some parties. 1t is shot gold and the
surface of the tiny nuggets is rough
enough to show that they have been
washed only short distance. Good
quartz leads abound just above this
placer ground and there is where this
gold originally came from, no doubt.
The Wheeler and geological survey re-
ports show that the Rio Grande valley
contains gold for $50 miles down from its
source, and we contend that much of this
wash gold comes out of the Taos noun
tains via the Rio Hondo. We are work
ing at the fountain head of supply.
"Amoug our first enterprises is the con-
struction of twenty mile canal to bring
water out of the Red river upon these
placers. We also have the Rio Hondo
waters to rely upon, and expect to estab
lish lucrative industry there. AS to the
quartz mines, there are gold, copper, sill
yer and carbonate ores found in that
region, and the carbonate indications are
particularly promising. In all my mining
experience never saw such splendid sur
face indications as abound here. Denver
and Aspen companies have number of
experienced prospecting parties now on
the ground.
THE RAILROAD OUTLOOK
is good, but everything depends upon
mineral development. The building of
railroad is a simple business proposition;
if the traffic is there we shall get the road