The Alamogordo news. (Alamogordo, N.M.) 1899-1912, 1900-04-19
RICH JICARILLA PLACERS.
Their Recent Purchase BY Amer
lean Placer Company Is An
Assured Fact.
HAVE RICH UNDEVAOPD WEALTH.
The Perseverance of Colonel George "
Prichard and His Associates Is At
Last Crowned With Success
A Big Deal.

The sale Of 5000 acres OF pIacers in
the Jlcarllla mining district by the Jica-
rilla Placer company to the American
Placer company is the biggest mining
deal ever made in Lincoln county. The
property transferred runs up into the
millions of dollars, and the operations to
be carried on in that district by the new
company will mark new era in placer
mining in this county.
1t has been known for many years
that the Jicarilla placers ten miles north
of White Oaks are probably the richest
and most extensive placerS in the terri
tory. All kinds of tests have been made
of the pay dirt, and the verdict seems TO
be general that the gold there is practi-
cally without limit, and has "a quality of
tineness rare in placer diggilgs, giving
results as high as SO. 40 per ounce.
The principal gulches in these placer
diggings are AnchO Rico, Juana. Pine,
Spring, Hay, Soldier and White Oaks,
averaging each about four miles in
length. A popularity about these
placers is that the gold is not confined
to the gulches, but that the high
grounds, the mesas and the ridges lying
between and along the same are also
rich in gold. In fact, some of the very
richest dirt found there is at the top OF
these ridges and mesas.
The Jicarilla Placer company. com
posed of Col George w. Prichard, DIR.
M. g. Paden and Joseph Gumm, have
been for several years acquiring interests
and titles to the above named grounds,
with the view of operating them on q
large scale. This valuable property has
now been transferred for large consid
GRAFTON to the American Placer Com
pany, headed by Col. 5. |. Bean, of New
York. The last named company has
unlimited capital behind it, and is per
fectly able to operate the placers on a
large scale. Machinery is now being
transported to the ground, and Other
machinery will follow from time to timt
until the enterprise Is in full blast. The
machinery will be composed of we'll
drilling, hydraulic and dredging ma
chimes. The placers have been known
heretofore as dry placers, but enough
water has already been developed in
their vicinity to warrant placing there
several hydraulic and dredging machines
at cost of from $l50,000 to $500, 900
The machinery is quite ponderous, edcl
machine weighing from lSO to 200 tons
They have been carefully tested, and
have a capacity Of Is to 100 cubic yards
of dirt an hour The very lowest esti
mate that has been placed upon this
Jicarilla dirt does not go below 30 cent,
to the cubic yard. Two of these ma,
chimes are quite well calculated to turn
out over 81 900, 900 year in gold. AS
many machines, of course. eau be placed
there as the water that may be developed
will warrant. 1t is not unlikely thai
each Of the above named gulches will in
the near future have a machine operat.
ing in it, to say nothing of the treatment
of the dirt upon the ridges and mesas
before mentioned.
The consumation of this deal only
demonstrates what energy and perse-
verance may accomplish. Twenty years
ago Colonel Prichard acquired some in
terest in these placers. Several attempts
have been made to obtain water with
which to operate them, but until ecent.
! ly without success. Others acquired
interest there also at the same time, but,
becoming discouraged, have from time
to time either abandoned their interests
or sold the same to Others for trifiins
sums. Not so with Mr.. Prichard From
the time that he acquired interest in the
placerS twenty years ago to the present
time he never abandoned his confidence
that the time would come when fortunes
would be made out of them. When he
came to White Oaks some six years ago,
he set about the organization of new
company, with the direct purpose OF
making placer mining in the Jlcarilas a
success. Happily he united with him
in this effort Dr. M. G. Paden, man 0I
means, enterprise and pluck. Later on
Mr.. Joseph Gumm was taken into the
company. These three men have ex
pended large sums of money in theiI
efforts to bring water upon the placers
They finally demonstrated that thI,
could be done. Then 1t was that capi
tai, and abundance OF It. was found X
take hold OF the enterprise and carry OF
the work. IL may now be said that ther,
are no further problems about the Jica
rilla mining district. The American
Placer company of New York Is fact
and 1t remains TO be seen what the pro
fducts Of this rich district, under th
management OF Il % new company, will
hereafter be. No one here doubts thu
the company will be able to carry on
all 1t undertakes, and that 10 will realiz
large profits from It's investments. .-Ney
j Mexican.