The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1894-11-10

ne .urSI prospectus vi ArlZOnd
We're placer miners To them the
rich placer ground of the desert
country was unirviting enough, and
they sought the mountain streams;
and worked all the streams
of the Bradshaw Range, drifted
ives ward to the Santa Maria and
Aquarius Ranges and also found the
celebrated "Rich Hill" Tie
country being full Of Indians caused
he.inhabitants to found Prescott,
under the protection of Fort Whip
pie. In those days there was not
a foot ofrailroad in Arizona or New
Mexico, and the country was only
reached by teaming from Los An
geles ON the west aud Santa Fe on
the east, or from the boats which
managed to stem the current of
the Colorado to Yuma and Ehren-
berg.
The gold in the little streams of
the Bradshaw range beginning to
show exhaustion, the search for
veins began and many were found,
both of gold and silver, The rich
silver ores were the most attractive,
of few hundred dollars per ton in
silver were better than the much
lower price of good gold ores par
ticularly when working the latter
in arrastras soon led them down to
base ores which they could not
handle. The introduction of the
necessary machinery entailed an
enormous expense, and only the
best of mines could stand it. Yet
under these difficulties of getting
machinery, making wagon roads
over the mountainous country for
long distances, bringing in salt for
the silver mills, and heavy express
charges to get the bullion out of
the country, a number Of mines
were successfully worked for g
time, viz McCracken, Peck & Tiger
(silver mine) and the Vulture
(gold).
Remember that at this time Col
orado was as much a terra incognita
as Arizona. Then came the dis
coveries of Tombstone and Silver
King in Pinal County.
In 1881 the Southern Pacific
Railroad was finished across Ari-
zona Ga distance of $50 miles).
From that time the production in
creased for several years, and then
gradually decreased in silver until
the present time. Of course the
continued decrease in the value of
silver had much to do with this, but
is by no means a sufficient explana-
ton. There are sundry reasons
why mining has not progressed in
Arizona as il should, considering
its real mineral wealth.
First came the cost Of tran spor-
tation. AS stated, the. Southern
Paeifc Railroad was finished in
1881. Although it is 800 miles in
Arizona, yet am not aware that
it passes within sight of single
mine. The Atlantic & Pacific Rail
road reached the California line in
1885. having 400 miles of track in
Arizona. 1t passes within sight of
three or four silver mines in No
have County. Of course these
transcontinental lines were Of great
benefit to the Territory, but were
still too far away from the mines to
enable them to handle low-grade
ores, and were too heavy tax in
freight upon the high-grade base
ores, to allow them to be shipped
to the Colorado and other smelters,
The mines were too scattered to offer
inducements for building branch
roads to the main lines, except the
branch Of the Bisbee copper mines
and the one to the Clifton copper
mines. Building a road from the
Atlantic & Pacific southwark
through Prescott to Phoenix, now
in progress, will materially assist,
as,it will help some mines in trans
porting ores and still more in dis
tributing cheap supplies of provis-
ions from the Salt River Valley
agricultural districts.
IN time other branches will be
made as the inducements become
strong enough. A branch is now
being built to the United Verde
copper camp, and one has also been
started toward the Globe cupper