The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-25
Boom In "copper"
HFizOaa Has Gene lUIId
On Minnie and PrOsneetin0.

New England capital has never been so
much in evidence in mining operations
in Arizona territory as 1t is this year.
Congressman Wilson Of Prescott esti-
mates that the banks of Phoenix. Pres
colt, Tucson, Globe. Flagstaff and Bis
bee are holding New England cash and
commercial paper to the amount OF al
most $2,O0OOOO, sent out here for invest
ment in copper-producing properties, and
every week fresh capital from New Eng
land is seeking investment in copper
mines and emeIers throughout the ter
Titory. Eleven copper companies, having
headquarters in Boston, Springfield.
Hartford and Providence were incorpor-
ated during April for developing ledges
Of copper ore in Arizona. Since last Oc-
tober twenty-three copper companies Of
Boston people have been incorporated in
Arizona. All the way from the Grand
Canon copper fields. in northern Arizona,
southwark to Bisbeen, close on the boun-
dairy line between the United States and
Mexico. 60 per cent Of all the copper
properties are owned and operated by
New York and New England people. The
has been incorporated In Arizona in sew
eral years is composed of Boston, New
Haven and Hartford shareholders. and
last week II began work on a 5000. 600
copper plant owned by a New London
Comm company, at newly found mines
in Mojave county, north of Kingman.
The Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe rail-
road company, which operates in the
heart of the richest copper regions in
Arizona. has never before hauled any
thing like its present tonnage Of copper
ore to the smeiters. and it is building
two branch roads that will reach into
new copper eds.
All Arizona has well nigh gone mad
over copper mining and prospecting. One
cannot go anywhere in the territory this
season without hearing of copper and
seeing copper specimens. 1t is almost a
certainty that every knot OF men seen
in the streets OF the Arizona towns, IN
public places, In saloons, and at roalroad
stations, Is discussing the latest news
from the copper mines or Is scrutinizing
a bit of copper ore. On the cars the
brakeman talks about copper between
stations. The hotel porter who takes
your satchel asks, whats the latest
copper striker" The waitress at the hotel
while she fills your glass and arranges
your napkin asks your opinion of the
maintenance of the present coppre prices
another year. The hOstler boy says he
longs to get out and prospect for a cop
per mine, and you see chunks of copper
ore in every hotel Office in every saloon
window, and on half the store counters
throughout the territory.
Every town in Arizona has its story Of
how Mike So-andSo or Jim What's-his-
Name had lived in poverty for years. and
had a copper claim he could not give
ANYWAY and how recently ne has sold it
to some fastener for $1,000 $4,000 or
even $4,000. Not a prospectOr who is
able to endure the fatigue and privations
of mountain prospecting remains idly in
town. A small army of prospectors are
searching day AMI night for copper de-
posits. A dozen men who had developed
copper mines worth $500 or $4,000 two
years age have sold out during tlle last
tV,e-ve months for s15O.f99 and s9cc.C00.
The Rossiyn topper mine in Yuma coufl-
" was offered for sale ut s13 900 for sew
eral years. It was bought br the Yankee
Copper company Of Boston last Februa-.'
for $4,000.
The boom in copper has caused un-
usual changes in every c1rper camn n
Arizona Severil camps that barely ex-
listed when copper was Town to and 10
cents a pound nave doubled and trebled
in population since the metal rose to IS
and 10 cents a pound. Jerome mas grown
from $40 to over 1900 people in one year.
and Kingman from 700 population last
November to 1900 to day, while Arizona
City has grown from 800 population last
summer 10 nearly 1,J00. and VIII no doubt
have more than $500 by Christmas The
demand for machinery Used in copper
mining. and particularly for apparatus for
copper smelling. has never been so large
on the Pacific coast. Five copper smell
ters are in process Of erection IN different
parts of Arizona, and so eager are the
owners to have the construction finished
that three Of the plants are worked upon
by day and night shifts Of workmen.
The production of copper III the United
States for the year ending December II.
1895. was 2s1.S7OO 900 pounds. or MS GUAM
tftv, Arizona produced l99, -s5 oo9 pounds.
Conservative estimates pu. he quantity
of copper obtained from the rlines of the
territory during 1929 at = n. ~ on pounds.
In 1Sq2 Ar;zona's total output Of copper
was 81. 49, 093 pounds. and wo years ago
Il was 81. 1922 pounds. The total value
Of the Arizona copper production was but
81 AZ. $50 II the present demand for COZ
per continues throughout 1889. the total
copper production in the territory this
wear will he at least s23.9d9.G ~. Governor
Murphy estimates that the value Of al
the engines. the machine-y. the smelling
apparatus and all appliances used in de-
veloping copper lodges. which have been
brought into the terrtS.y for use at the
mines during the last year. - upwards
OF S3.Grl0oO. One mine alone At Jerome
has been equipped recently wien nachin-
erv worth 100000.
Tie copper resources az Arizona Rave
beer but partly develo7ai. and the IRE
diction OF Mayor J. w. Powell n the
United States geological survey. ten
wears ago. that some day the territory
would supply half the copper produced n
the United States bids far 20 IN realized.
The chief cenjers 81 the production in
the territory now are BiS5cc, in Cochise
county. close 20 the boundary between
Arizona and Mexico; jerome. IN Nava-
PAL county. and near Prescott: Morenci
and Clifton. in Graham county; and
per mines in Arizona we're the LonSfel-