The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-11

beautiful sylvan retreats; prehistoric
ruins and caves are now the home OF the
wild honey bee, by whose labor the entire
country is well supplied with a most pala-
table article OF native honey Within
sight are cloud crowned peaks where the
snow never melts; for weeks at time
the ranges of mountains which encircle
| Prescott are covered with snow while
the streets of the town are dry and dusty.
| Within half a days horseback ride in
! several directions, semi-tropical climatic
conditions can bo had at any season of
the year.
Prescott is the principal town on the
S. f., p. & p. railroad, which forms q
junction with the Atlantic and Pacific
Railroad in the northern portion OF the
county, and runs south through the
heart Of the grazing, agricultural and
the territorial capital, distance of 1856
miles. The road is marvel of engineer
ing skill and traverses one OF the most
wierdly grand and picturesque region of
America. A telegraph line parallels the
railroad. The railroad machine shops
and roundhouse are located at Prescott,
also the main business office and a hand
some freight and passenger depot build.
ing.
Considerable villages are sprlnging up
in the various mining districts, principal
of which is Jerome, as the United Cop
per Company's great mines, about thirty
miles east, where over one million dol
lars worth of machinery is in operation,
including three tifty-ton water jacket fur
naces and a copper-retning plant, the
only one in the southwest Three hum
dred men are steadily employed. From
two to five carloads of matter per day are
shipped over the L. V. and F., a branch
railroad which connects this camp with
Jerome Junction on the S. f. P. and F.,
and the output could be doubled it the
owners so desired. The lodges in this
mining group are from twenty to eighty
feet in width, and the ore is said to go 20
per cent copper, eight dollars silver and
branch of mercantile business is repre-
sented in Jerome, and the plant OF a
weekly paper is on the ground.
= The Congress mine supports camp of
several hundred pope, and forty
stamp mill runs steadily. 1t has always
been and is now great gold prt Queer.
Big Bug district, which includes the
gold belt. The Little Jessie mine has pro-
duced $3.50, 900 in gold, and its produc-
ton is steadily increasing, rs is that OF
many just as good mines surroun ling it.
These mines are within twenty III lies o I
Prescott. There are about iivs hundred
miners at work in this district.
There are about fifty stamp mills in this
county ranging from a capacity. OF five up
to forty stamps each. New discoveries
are constantly being made and new ORG
reduction works goin, up. There are
many rich placer districts and not less
than $50, 900 00o in placer gold has b,en
shipped out OF thi, county up to date.
The outflow continues and its production
is from the most primitive methods
known to hydraulic processes. assisted by
great Bucyrus steam shove.s. Five hun
dred thousand dollars in gold was taken
from one arch OF the Rich Hill district.
A solid 5000 gold nugget was picked up
and is now in possession OF the Bank of
Arizona. One hundred and twenty
thousand dollars in place gold has been
taken from Walnut Grove district.
I .e Hillside mine has produced $780,,
0o) in gold and $4,000 in silver. Ore
worth 500 0 to $50, 00o per ton has been
shipped out of Prescott. Hundred dollar
per ton gold rock is not commented on,
but the general average of ore handled
is about so per ton. Much OF the ore is
known as 'rebellious. 1t is estimated
that $500, 900 in native goll passes out of
Prescott each month.
: Our silve; . mines have nave, a g grand record,
Silver Belt has pre- daced 5000 in silver,
the Dos Oris $500, ODD, the Peek $1,000. 600.
In Big Bug district two large smelters
are running on copper ores. y 2O-inch
gauge railroad connects the two mines
with the smelt Ns. The Bradshaw noun
tains are full OF gold and the Crowned
King is one OF the greatest gold producers
in the territory. The Del Pasco, in this
district, has produced a quarter of a
million dollars in gold; $1,000 was taken
from clean up of one months run Of an
arrastre; the mine is still worked Stage
lines ply regularly between Prescott and
these camps and most of them have post
Of1icpS There a. a hla
creeks and rivers, one OF item being
Granite creek, which flows through Pres
colt. Much placer gold comes from it and
its tributaries. Water is found in abund-
ance from twenty to sixty feet from the
surface. There is in the Big Bug dis
trict 800 acre deposit of translucent sea
green onyx, solid and from ten to thirty
feet deep. Lime rock, which affords first
class lime for all purposes, is abundant.
On Sycamore creek are vast deposits of
photographic stone. pronounced equal
to the BIvarian article; there are also
quarries Of serviceable marble; any abund
ance of building granite and several colors
of building sandstone; great slate dykes
lie to the east; on the Verde river are
large salt deposits which carry very
high percentage of soda.
Nearly eighteen per cent of the species
of forest trees in America are found in
the county.
WHIc DlTUScye view VI buS county
seems to show an endless succession Of
verdure covered and timbered mountains,
there are hundreds OF small and large val
leys, broad mesas and rolling plains, con-
tanning not less than 2,OJ0,00J acres of
land, fertile as any in the world, upon
which yalW fruit or growth of the southern
temperate zone will thrive and from two
to four crops year be gathered. Most
of this land needs irrigation for success
full cultivation and water storage or ar
tesian wells must furnish the water for
irrigation. Prosperous farming commu-
mites flourish along the banks of the lily
ing streams, principal OF which is the
Verde river, which has a valley about
thirty miles long and seven miles wide,
where there are numerous tracts of land,
and this land will probably be first re-
claimed, as the Verde flows large and
everlasting stream. A Touring mill is now
needed in this valley.
Our fruit is noted and has taken many
premiums. Wild strawberries are round
in the mountains as we'll as several species
OF the Irish potato in it's native state.
The production of wheat is from 40 to 81
bushels per acre. .'..
Williamson and Chino valleys, the Aqua
Fria and Kirkland valleys are next in
agricultural rank, while the Santa Maria
is both agricultural1 and mining; the
plains of Date creek are destined to be q
great semitropic eden. Water storage for
irrigation will make the agricultural equal
to the mining interest. Cliff dwellings,
curious freaks of nature and. prehistoric
runs are found in various parts OF the
country. Game is abundant, including
several species of dear and bear, among