The herald., 1897-02-15
ARIZONA'S COPPER MINES
4 Visit to the United Verde and The
Copper Queen
Congress and Fools 0uIch Times to Be De-
veioped-BIsbee and Jerome
Contrasted

|
Especial Correspondence to The Herald. }
BISBEE, Arz., Feb. III have Just
visited two of the greatest and richest
copper mines of the world at Jerome
and Bisbee. To get to one-that of Je-
rome-I had to ride over the crookedest
little narrowgauge railroad imagin-
able. a twenty-six mile road rejoicing
in the high-sounding title of "The
United Verde and Pacific" and so
full of sharp curves as it winds around
and among the northern slopes of the
Black Hills from the Santa Fe, Prescott
and Phoenix railroad that at times a
man standing on the rear platform of
the passenger coach attached at the end
of long string of freight cars can al
most light his cigar by the fire of the
engine. How the train ever manages to
get around these curves is a mystery
to everybody save Superintendent John
Burns and Conductor Russell, yet
every day sees more precious freight
go over this little mountain railroad
than perhaps any other steam line Of its
kind in the whole world.
1t is said of the United Verde mine
that its ore is Of such richness that no
person, unless in the actual employ of
the company. is ever permitted by Multi
millionaire w. A. Clark or his trusted
general manager, Mr.. Giroux, to ever
descend into the depths to get sight of
1T, and that in the past year as much as
81 800, 900 of gold was taken from this
| famous copper mine to say nothing of
the immense quantity Of silver. The
very lowest estimate of the copper out
put is 100000 pounds monthly, and 1t is
believed that the actual amount is twice
| that figure. Messrs. Clark and Giroux
| are not saying a word-they are just
Keeping their one thousand men at work
| in day and night shifts in the mine and
smelter getting out the good, hard
| stuff
| When I was at Jerome it was the mud
diest place in all creation. The town is
| spread all Dyer the side of a mountain.
and the buildings have the appearance
of climbing UP on stills and still climb
ing, as though an altitude of $500 feet
above sea level was not enough. The
only comfortable place in it was either
one of the two hotels, the Grand Central
or the Jerome house. In the particular
OF hotels, Jerome is away ahead of Bis
bee, but mud is an unknown article in
Bisbee. 1t is good thing, too, that
there Is no mud here, because lodgings
command premium. This is my sec
ond night without bed, but then the
10th was pay day, you know, and pay
day always brings an influx of visitors
deeply interested in the money the min
ers get for their sweat the month. Con-
sequently every bed and available blan-
ket is pre- empted.
l cannot help noticing the difference
between the two camps, Jerome and
Bisbee. The former had all the forceful
spirit of the bonanza monarch of Mon
tana and Arizona, but 1t is company
town from soda to hook" Bisbee, on
the other hand, enjoys much more lati-
tude, and the Copper Queen Consoli-
dated Mining company has the reputa-
ton among miners of being a nice COM
pany to work for. Perhaps one of the
best indications of the kindly spirit of
the Copper Queen is the companys Ii
brary here for the accommodation of it's
men. A good list of books, magazines,
periodicals and daily newspapers is a
benefaction that should not be over
looked.
Bisbee has the name Of being the best
camp in Arizona, but would not advise
men to come here looking for work. The
company is full-handed and there are
plenty of idle men who find living here
an expensive luxury. Jerome offers bet
ter prospects, for the United Verde is
making some extensive improvements
Mr.. Frank Wilson of Butte, Mont, is
putting in several new converters there,
and when he finishes his task the United
Verde will have six big converters in full
blast. An eighty-foot extension is be-
ing added to the smelter and the wooden
buildings are being replaced by iron
ones.
A still better chance for employment
may be found at the Equator mine in
Jerome. Moffett of Denver and Strait
ton of Cripple Creek. Colo, have secured
possession of the Equator, notwith-
standing Clark's adverse claims and
have announced their intention of
starting big force of men at work soon
The Equator is said to be fully as rich |
mine as the United Verde, and big |
smelter there may be one of the realiza-
tions of the not distant future.
In the gold line took in Congress and |
Fools Gulch on my tour of Yavapai |
county. Congress is steady camp and |
Fools Gulch has a promise, at last, of |
being likewise. While I was in the vi |
cinity of these camps Chicago capitalists i
were negotiating for the purchase of the |
Billiard mine, not far away. This is |
considered very good mine. The sale |
of the Stratton mine to some live eastern |
people was also on the tapis. If these |
sales go through all right they will do |
much toward making the town of Con- |
gress Juncti9n (now called Martinez) a |
place of considerable Importance as a |
supply point. This railroad village has |
grown quite rapidly from an insignif-
cant station.
The Pierce mines, not far from Bisbee, |
have bright outlook. According to in
formants of the Tucson Star the ore |
shipped from this camp averages s12O |
a ton. The commonwealth Mining |
company, which owns the mines, have |
two pulverizing mills in transit, each of |
a capacity of fifty tons. The develop
ment work is down to the 300-foot level,
and at the bottom of the shaft width of !
fifty feet is realized and in some places
seventy-five feet.
Bisbee is reached from Benson via
the Arizona and Southeastern railroad,
line owned and operated by the Copper
Queen.
A bright little weekly newspaper is
published here in Bisbee called The Orb.
Last week it was sold by Editor Howe
to Messrs. Hall and Collins. They will
keep the people well informed because
they are well "on to their Job"