The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-06-29
e GREAT COPPER FIELD.
Thousands Of Acres Of Rich Deposits
The Property Of the Boston and
Texas Copper Company-lts
Romantic History and
Discovery


states, when almost every mar. in the state
Of Texas, between the ages OF fifteen and hfty
years. who was physically able to serve ms
country, was in the Confederate Army, and the
Comancee, kiowa and Apache indians made
frequent forays into what IL now the most pros
porous and populous section OF Texas, Col D. b.
Barry, In command OF n battalion OF Texas
rangers, pursued these predatory savages into
what is now Archer county; then q beautiful
picturesque terre incognita ofgentle tnduiating
hill and dale covered with wild flowers and
nutritious grasses, upon which were fattened
| thousands OF wild deer antelope and bunaio
making II n favorite hunting ground OF the
nomandc, primevnl red man.
| A severe battle was fought, after closing
In with the Indians, In which through Rreater
prowess and equipment the Texans were. as
| usual victorious. When about 10 break cAmo,
copper ore Of the richest quality was found
scattered oil over an area OF twenty nve TO
thirty square miles. on the surface OF tho GROUND
and Embedded in the surface clay, and extend.
ing several feet below, ranging III size
from pea to goose egg. Also in solid veins
| running from the sides OF the hills and where
the soft aluvial soil had been washed away by
rains the ore veins. por'ruding from tue MI; MI;
TO the foot OF the hill In chunks rom two 10
Ave hundred pounds In weight each. and some.
times ~ large as q mans body; until, az the
time OF the discovery, II was estimated .nss
OF copper. II was also found in the blue clay:
which beginning at or within q few inches OF
| the surface. would extend in depth from eight
inches TO eight feet This latter was apparently
almost e. exhaustlcss In quantity for Whatever ex.
cavaiions were made u few inches deep. TINS
| copper bearing clay was always found. wag
| on load Of the ore was hastily gathered, ana
hauled to Austin the capital OF the state. some
three hundred miles distant. and assayed by
Prof. DE Ryee, who wasthen and for many
wears after the State Geologist ana chemist o,
Texas. His assay OF the ore yielded from 43S
to 7s,s per cent. copper and ,he copper bear
ing clay an average of about Is per cent with
| an indefinite quantity OF silver. gold. nickel.
cobalt aZurite and malachite. A large peLcu-
sion gun cap factory was ut once erected a q:
Austin, and operated successfully by Prof DE
Ryee; and from that time to the close OF the
Civil War. In May 1868, nearly NIL the percussion
caps and Illuminating material used In the Con-
federate Army were supplied from these copper
deposits.
vestigate the source and volume of these cop
per deposits and he reported that proper de.
veopment would demonstrate the existence oi
of the Greatest deposits OF copper. the che"pest
minhd. the easiest smelted. and that would
pay the largest net profit OF any In the United
States. Al toe I. bell lead or mine, which had
been opened. he made o cross cut about ID iees,
and In ten hours work. with four men, raised
5000 pounds OF ore, averaging 81 per cent,
leaving more than than ms much again In small
broken chunks. and nodules, aggregatinR some
I or 4 tons. or about 1900 pounds TO the foot
lie also found extensive deposits OF similar
ores and clays at various other iplaces on the
property. notably At the Dougsa, ttall. and
Widn leads. showing the great diversity OF the
deposits. these four main leads being miles
apart.
Prof. VIM. F. Cummins who was. during four
consecutive administrations Of the states u Ov.
ernment, In charge OF the geological bureau OF
the state Of Texas. and who rubsequently ex'
amined the ps0perty, confirmed Prof. De
p1"ss.yp Tyss lyon O." the % surface. No great shafts to
sink at enormous casts. no flooding OF the
mines by water TO contend with the ore. In.
stead OF passing throuRh7 different metslurGic-
pensive ones. and Instead Of yielding only two
10 i've per cent, Of copper - In some icl she
great paying mines. q yie,ds from g N 20 per
cent. v bile the clay alone. running from eight
On average Of perhaps quite Is per .ceps:: and
instead Of requiring millions OF dollars Tor
plant to extract the metal, 10 will be lixiviated
and precipitated by chemical means asinsigni'
hcant expense"
AFTER the most careful and thorough exam.
ination OF this property at different times for
year, part. my conviction is firm that no ration.
sl.reason exists why q very great mine may not
be developed on the property. that would very
soon return most gratifying results 70 the
stockholders"
The Fedora, Government at Washington,
having learned Of the existence OF this copper
ore the Secretary Of the Interior sens On expior'
Ing commission under charge OF ProI: hossler,
n most COmDetenu eNDtTicUccu Oniecs' W.V
made a. complete an investig igstion ~ the hostile
Indians would then permit. His report was
exceedingly interesting and fully sustained the
positions taken by Profs. DE Ryee and Cum
mnis Ii can be found In extenso In the geo
logical reports OF the u. =. Governments
Major G. Nelson Smith. late pavmaster gen:
erai In the u. s. Army. and for . number OF
years u Senator from Philadelphia, In the Leg
islature OF Pennsylvania. visited the property
several times, hauled hundreds OF Sons OF COP
moi frn tha rfa Of the ground n Uts-
tance OF several hundred miles by wagon to
the then nearest railroad and then shipped u py
rail about 2 500 miles to the copper sineiters NJ
Baltimore and Phoenixville. where u was an,
nounced the finest copper In existence, ana
sold for from $3.50 to $500 per ton.
Prot. T. A. Genth, the consulting and analy.
ticsl chemist OF the University, Of Pennsyl.
vania and afterwards its president. assayed
about 81 90 pounds OF ore out OF d,nerens snip
pments made by Senator Smith. which he certi.
fed averaged about 81 per cent pure "copper"
Tho land Is also valuable for farming, and
stock raising. The soil consists OF o dark.
chocolate col ored loan, remarkably fertile and
producing vast crops OF corn. co uon. sorghum,
W heat oats and other Cereals, potatoes. fruits
OF evero variety, and grapes equal to the best In
California or Italy. The climate Is almost per |
fection, being q happy medium between the
long, bleak winters OF the north. and .ne a.
The elevation above the sea is about .9OO feet,
assuring peifect comfort and health the year |
round.such thing rs sunstroke or prostratlon
never having been heard OF.
The property was profitably worked for sew:
ersl years for the discovery Of copper, and
large amounts OF the metal marketed In Balti-
more and Philadelphia, at a time when the ore
had to be hauled by wagons from l5O to 3Oo
miles TO o railroad. and only discontinued when
the surface ore had been marketed mining and
plant to work the orc on the ground beyond,
becsme necessary. As In the early days OF Cal.
ifornia gold mining, the time came that expense
was necessary and II was not all profit work
stopped. These same California mines, taken
up subsequently by men OF capital and enter.
prise, are now the most profitable Of sll and pay
millions Of dollars per year In dividends.
This great property for the control Of which
million OF dollars was once refused, has been
held by the owners for favorable market and
awaiting the development OF q proper method
for treating the mineral contents economically
on large scale. The Boston and Texas Copper
Company has secured the properly and o sys-
tenn for treating the ores and clays successfully
employed at Mansfield, Germany, for hundreds
Of years on similar deposits, and will operate IL