Arizona republican., 1899-05-28
Another Camp Of Pima County
 Coming Into Prominence.
SILVER CHANGED TO COPPER
The Mistake Made by Early Owners Who Imagined That When Silver went Tumbiing Down Below a Working Value inc Bottom Had Fallen Out of gfhe Mining BIsi- ness in This Territory.

Martinique Camp. Pima County, May i 26.-CSpecial correspondence of The
 Republican )-Among prospectors and
 mining men the district which con-
 tains this new camp is known as the
 Twin Buttes, but since the copper
 claims here were purchased a few
 weeks ago by Mr. J. P. Martin of
 Xenia, Ohio, the name has been | changed to Martinique The fall of the Olive camp, six miles west of these
 mines, owing to the depreciation of silver in the commercial world started l prospectors into the copper districts
 and the Martinique group of claims
 was located by John Ellis, Mike Irish 1 and J. c. Baxter, and their develop
 ment was begun. A stimulus to cop per mining came a few years ago with the first substantial rise in copper and when the price of that metal rose to. the high price which now predomi
 mates these claims were eagerly sought
 after by investors. There is an illustra-
 ton of manifest justice in the down
 fall of Olive camp which is not only local incident but one which extends
 to all portions of Arizona. In the
 early days silver was the chief prod 'uct of Arizona. and miners were chlo-
 riding in every hill where there was found in every vein rich enough to re- turn profits. The copper resources of the territory were then practically un- known. A greater industry than silver mining could ever become in Arizona rwas profftless because of the low price Of copper When the price of Silver got down to 72 cents chloriding stopped and many mines whose prod uct was silver alone closed down. The prospectors turned their attention to copper, which was then showing signs of becoming profitable metal in com merciai uses. Rich veins were dis covered and where these veins carried gold and silver shipments were made to the smelters. The demand for cop per increased, the price of silver Went down, and prosplctors found compen- sation for the loss of their silver mines in the acquisition of copper prospects. I gave up when their silver mines be- came prCfitless, but the men who looked upon the situation philosophi- cally turned their attention to the metal which the world demanded and these men today are gathers. Arizona has been benefited because the work of her prospectcrs has revealed a wealth of oODnor which is 5octinad tA make this territory the greatest pro dueer of that metal of any region in the world. If the day comes when the price Of silver goes back to a point which will warrant the reopening of the silver mines Arizona stands ready to supply more than her share of the white metal. But today copper Is the metal, and in the loss of her silver mines the territory has found a richer field for mining in the great basins of copper deposition.
 MT. J. P Martin, Jr., is in charge ,f the Martinique camp. Preparations Ire now being made to place sixty men It work sinking upon several claims where shafts have already begun. When the mines are thoroughly devel- ,ped a sme.ter will be placed on the and the production of copper will begin. The Martinique camp is coated five miles from the Santa Cruz iver towards the west and eight miles ast from the San Xavier mine and he Oliva district. TucsCn is in ,0rfherIv direction ah0llt twentv-fiye niles. and the camp is accessible on Il sides by good mesa roads. There Ire three groups of claims owned by IT, Martin each containing seven .aims. These claims are in distinct mineral zones running from the east o the west. The Butte group is to- 7ard the north, and one-half mile outh is the Center group, and a mile arther south is the Senator Morgan rcup. The Butte group contains the o2per Hill, Dewey, Mckinley, Schley, ames G. Blaine, Senator Stewart and opper Prince. All cf these claims arry silver values together with cop er In the development of the Sena- )r Stewart the silver values are found ) predcminate and copper is a by roduct. Silver values as high as 7rty ounces to the ton have been real zed in the operation of this claim. here are two sixty-foot shafts and ne which is but thirty-five feet deep. he Copper Hill has several open cuts nd other openings on the vein to