Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1898-01-05
MAYER AND BIG BUG.
ArizOna's Resources Drawn Upon to Elaborate Palaces in the
 Far East.
The Land of the Big Bug, Its Mining Activity and Railroad
 AnticipatiOns.

Our last letter referred 10 Chap arral and surroundings as We found them in the recent trip over the
 eastern part of the county.
 Leaving this thriving and pros porous mining camp, a drive of eight miles brought us to Mayors, 5 where We stopped over night, enjoy ing the hospitality of one of Yava-
 pal cOunty's prominent and success ful citizens, known far and wide as Joe Mayer. MT. Mayer located at . this point sixteen years ago, and as , he stated in a conversation with
 your reporter, "If a man settles
 down he can do we'll any where"
 the fact seemed to us proven true in
 the case Of our host, who, by his business sagacity and stick to- ative-
 ness that characterize men of
 positive character, has prospered
 and made a success of life.
 \ fine two story building is one of the latest additions to MT. Mayors
 enterprises, where he has stacked a
 splendid general supply of goods
 needed Tn that section, presided over
 by w. E. Wicks, Adjoining the
 merchandise department is the bar
 room, with J. E. Rswdin, an expert
 mlxologist, m charge.
 About the place IS ample accom-
 mOdstion for freighters, who come
 and go in great numbers on their
 way to and from the mines that lay
 In all directions from the common
 center.
 Within 100 yards of MT. Mayors
 residence Is the now famous onyx
 quarry, where tons of onyx have
 been taken out for shipment east,
 and where its presence adds to the
 beauty and magniicence of modern
 palaces. The onyx mine was located
 in 1889 by Messrs. Mayer, Murphy.
 McCann and Davis and covers POO
 acres. At present, there are hun dreds of tons piled up ready for
 transportation. Fully Sl00,OO0 worth l. of the precious stone Is going into a
 big structure for k. G. Dunn & Co.,, l. in New York City.
 The estimated value of this quail |. ty of ouyx is Sl00 a ton. 4 force of ! nineteen men has been employed . until within the last few days. The . company have taken out enough . stone to meet present demands. and . the men have been laid of for a short time. It Is the intension 10 . build a factory at once. and within . the next two months work will no doubt be in. progress.
 The construction of the new rail road from Prescott to Mayer, is one of the bright anticipations of the future in that section. Its advent would certainly boom the Big Bug country, which, to say the least, is one of the most promising mining sections in the country.
 From Mayer up the Big Bug to the Annie and Lottie mines, the railroad and a shelter are two topics of discussion, and many are sanguine enough to believe that Big Bug will get smelter before Pres colt does.
 There is perhaps no section of Yavapai that can compete with the Bradshaws, Richenbar, Big Bug, Chaparrsl and Agua Fria Tn the amount of smelling ore that could be brought to a smelter. In this case all roads lead to Mayors, down hill from the mines in all directions and that point would be central for l reduction works, as we'll as for the terminus of a paying branch rail road line, is the argument used by them.
 Thursday morning the stage pick ed us up, and We Tetraced our route from Mayors, stopping for a short time with T. w. Boggs, where the Big Bug postOffice Is located, and conducted by Mrs. Nj. E. Wheeler. Her assistant is Miss Davison, who carries the mail on horse back for distribution through |, the mining camps.
 MT. BOggs IS a pioneer citizen of the Big Bug country, having located in that section in 1863. There are few, if any, valuable miuing proper ties in that territory in which he has not been interested.
 The Boggs mine, two miles east of his place, is well known to the min ing fraternity as the property once operated by the Commercial Mining a Company, a shelter being run in } 
 A mile to the south is the Butter Nut mine. Mr Boggs Is the princi- \ pal owner of this property. and he I considers it one Of the best pros poets in the country. He IS now down so feet and has l5O tons of [ ore on the dump. :
 Within 300 yards of the Boggs ] residence. and up the steep declivitv, s lies the Henrietta mine and To- ' stamp mill, now silent through hti- l gatio1. The mill Is well built and { in good state of preservation, aud | the general belief IS that the stamps | will soon again be pounding out the J golden treasure.
 Leaving the p9stoffice, we wended F our way along the Big Bug up to the Annie mine and the town of Big . Bug proper. At every turn of the road We read in the extracts from \ old earth the prospector's latest dream of riches. ?
 Along the creek we met a con genial old miner rocking out golden 0 lakes from the bed of the stream. He called his location the Klondike, W md told us to wait few moments R md he would tell us how much his Ii wealth had increased. He piled the D ,ravel into the rocker a pan full at a F ime and with an Emprovised bucket dipped water from the newly $ made trench, poured it into the the oscillation of the crude machine shaking the finer particles town into a screen below. The ss eserve was then placed in pan, aken 10 the stream, and by the process at which old miners are ex- vert. the gravel was washed out of he pan, leaving on the bottom a leat saving of gold. Drying 1t in tr he sun the gold was taken from the tl ,an, placed in the hand, and eau fc iously transferred to his brass purse " n the shape of cartridge to keep in company with more of its kind.
 Raacbipu Rio RuO ya foun1 fha