The Arizona sentinel., 1895-07-13

wagon road, lies the Castle Dome mining district, one of the best I''poor, mans camps ever known in any mining country. For thirty years this district has been a steady producer of silver and lead, and the mines are still in their in- fancy as to development. The ore is an argentiferous galena, running from sixty to seventy per cent in lead and carrying from twenty-five to forty ounces in silver per ton. The ledge matter is black and f1uor spar. The ore is especially valu- able for Auxing purposes, and is shipped to San Francisco where it is used in the smelters in the re- duction of silver and copper ores and gold rock. It varies but little in per centage of lead and silver, and sells, like any other staple ar ticle, at its quoted market value. This fixed rate of valuation to- gether with the non-necessity for reduction at the min es, has made the Castle Dome properties rare finds for poor men. All that has been necessary has been a grub stake and a few tools, sufficient to get out a ton or two of metal, and the money has always been forth coming for shipment and further production. Any merchant in Yuma has been glad to advance the value of the ore in supplies and cash, when needed, and some of them have made a great deal of money byit. In the old days Cas- tie Dome miners, with the reckless ness and carelessness born of thelr calling would take out two or three thousand dollars worth of ore, pay their debts, quit work, and "biow themselves in" until the money was all gone and they were in debt again, went back to the mines for another spell of work. In this way they were constantly peoned to the merchant, who charged exorbitant prices for everything and added thereto various per centages, in the way of insurance, commissions, etc. After awhile the most valuable mines were acquired by corpora ton known as the Castle Dome Mining and Smelling Co.,, which owned and operated, large smell ter in Melrose, Cal. For twelve or fifteen years this company carried on operations on a large scale, en- pioying a great number of men, and the district contributed largely to the financial welfare of Yuma. At last, however, owing to business reverses of some of it's members, and the strong competition of the 'Selby smelter of San Francisco, the company was forced to the wall and went out of business. The mines, however, were as good as ever, and in fact upheld the Melrose smelter for long time after it had reached bedrock. Since then the mines have been, steadily worked at pro- fit, until recently when the contin- ued fall in the price of silver and lead led to their shutting down. The ore is still there, however in undiminished quantity, and when silver has taken the place it is en- titled to, the Castle Dome mines will be second to none in value and will be adding to the wealth of the world for many generations to come.
 The mines are situated. twenty
 miles east of the Colorado river, in Yuma county. Supplies are left at Castle Dome Landing by river steamers, and hauled in wagons to the mines, which wagons return Ioaded with ore for shipment by steamer to Yuma and thence by rail to San Francisco. The freight charge on ere from the landing to
 San Francisco is ten dollars per
 ton. The wagon road connecting
 river and mines is an exceptionally
 good enc, and the descent from the
 mines is gradual and easy.
 Water for domestic purposes is
 found in some of the deep shafts in