Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-03-23
NEW MEXICO COPPER
This Territory Is Destined to Be the
Greatest Copper Producer
Ever Known.
VASTDEPOSITS EASILY MINED
Operations in the Santa Rita District
Capital Seeking Copper Properties
Because of Great Demand and
High Prices.

There is an enthusiastic believer in
the future of the Santa Rita copper
his name is W. A. Tenant, one of the
most experienced copper miners in the
country, and whose successful opera
lions, especially in the northern part of
this territory, have made him an expert
and an authority, whose dictum in cop
per mining matters always carries
weight.
Mr.. Tenant has been looking ove
Santa Rita camp, and is confident that
that is destined to be one of the great
est copper mining c%enters, if not the
greatest, in the southwest. The big
Hanover mine is there; also, the valua-
BILE properties of the Hearst estate, the
recently acquired iron properties of the
Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, the
noted Arson S. claim, and IA claims
lately purchased by Mr.. Tenant for
$3.50, 600.
The Santa Fe built the Hanover
branch up into the gulch from White
water, on the Silver City branch, but a
food washed out part of he road,
which, however, is now being rebuilt.
The line will be extended so as to con-
meet with the iron properties of the Col
orado Fuel & Iron properties. which are
turning out hematite ore assaying | to
3 per cent copper, and which are being
handled at the Pueblo and FL Paso
smelters, the bulk going to Pueblo. This
ore is a paying thing for the Fuel Il
Iron people, as the percentage of copper
in the ore pays for all the expenses of
mining, freighting, smelling and nan
featuring of the iron; the iron, hema-
tite. of the very best, not being exceed
ed in quality even by the famous Swe-
dish iron. The very best of steel is man
ufactured from this iron and rolled into
rails, and Pueblo steel rails are regard
ed everywhere as of the very best. The
Fuel & Iron company is building three
tramWays from their mines to the end
of the Santa Fe branch, which will en-
able the company to transfer their ore
to the railroad at a minimum expense.
At present the fuel company is ship
ping $50 to 200 tons per day by big ore
teams to the end of the branch; and it
is understood that the fuel people have
contracted with the railroad company
to furnish the latter 400 IONS a day for
ten years. AS the lay of the land is con-
venient to the valuable claims pur-
chased by Mr.. Tenant for reaching the
railroad, this increase in business is
bound to take great strides upward
when operations are in full blast
through this section. The Hearst estate
is improving its property by erecting a
large concentration to concentrate the
dumps accumulated in sorting the ores,
and the concentration of all this accu-
mutation will yield a large sum of
money.
h Hanover is at present said to be
full of water but it will not require
much effort to put the property in first
'Nthp Inn ~ lIo bICJ IL ttIy NdludDlt
producer, and at 1875 feet down has
yielded ore assaying so per cent copper,
which is practically the virgin article.
1T is said the great claim has put out
$1,000, 600 worth of copper ore. The con-
tact on which this claim is located ex-
tends south along the gulch to the An
son 5. claim and beyond, and it is be-
tween these two claims that Mr.. Ten
nant has bought eight valuable claims,
and beyond are six more that he has
purchased. At 20 feet down on his prop
critics the ore assays 8 to II per cent
copper, and there is no reason why, at
a depth of 125 feet, the ore should not
assay the same as in the Hanover. The
history of the district and especially
that of the claims grouped about this
gulch and the indications of the future
are such to the trained and practiced
eye and judgment of MI. Tenant as to
Enthusiastically the future of the
great camp. for the ore bodies promise
to be simply inexhaustible. The Won
increase in the demand for cop
per, n the mountainous prices to
the metal is climbing, have spe-
cially interested capital seeking invest
ment, and copper properties are conse-
quently on the boom. Hitherto, the
has been that Arizona took the
lead on copper, and has been puffed and
praised as the copper country, but the
~prospectors and investors push
their way the more is it being shown
New Mexico is the coming copper
country, and the established claims of
Mr.. Tenants mines in Mora county