Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-07-03
CON O'KEEFE'S
 SILVER BONANZA.
A Mine Worked Centuries Ago ina Very Crude Way Which Yielded Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars.
Its Treasure Vault Simply Broken Into and as Yet UnexpIored-The Mexi- can Way of Doing Mining Business.

IHo JOuIHdl- hlucI, OH CdtuiOdy made brief mention of a rich silver property recently purchased by Con O'Keefe in Mexico. The following, from the Gazette, gives a more com prehensive description of the prop erty, as well as an insight into the way of doing business in Mexico.
 Con O'Keefe, a good fellow and well known in mining circles, came to town last night, and brings with him plenty of interesting news from So- nora. Mir. O'Keefe, in company with others, at one time owned the famous Cobre Grande property. It was pur- chased from W. c. Greene for Sl00.- 900. Then a long litigation tied things up. To settle the matter the owners sold back to Mir. Greene for S500,0O0. In speaking of his present holdings, Mir. O'Keefe said:
 After leaving the Cobre Grande property I devoted my time exclu sively to prospecting. looking over the mineral fields in Cinalo, Masa- clan, Lower California and Sonora. My object was to find another Cobre Grande. I failed in way but found some very rich silver mines. The property is located in Altar, Sonora, and for the past six months, twenty men have been steadily at work get ting things in shape.
 "The mines were at some time in the past worked by the Antegoes. From some yellow records in a near by church, I found that operations had been carried on on an extensive scale in 1898. Fully S30O,000 must have been taken out. Mexican titles have been obtained to the property, and under the laws of the country corporation formed.
 "Fifteen years agoa French company took out S90,000 worth of silver. They did not work the most scientifically, and shortly after they left the whole thing caved in. This has caused us a large amount of extra work. How ever, we have made good progress and now have nearly 25,000 tons of ore blocked out.
 ''The ancients were very much handicapped in their work as can be seen in our property. Itwas impossi- ble for them to treat any ore that came from below the water line. Un- less oxidized it was of no use to them. On this account they never took any pains in the working of a mine. It was just matter of get out all the ore on top and leave the rest for modern milling methods.
 There is a great deal of activity among mining men in Sonora at the present time. Tailings that were once considered useless are now be- ing worked on an extensive plan by the cyanide process. The state is full of ancient mines which provide a rich harvest for those using cyanide plants. Much of the ore thrown away by the ancients is now making fortunes for energetic mining men. The only thing you cannot find in Sonora is oil land. Why some one has not tried to start an oil excite ment I do not know.
 Prospecting is carried on some what different in Sonora than it is in Arizona. Those in search of mining property never think of going out into the mountains for it. The Mexicans know every foot of the country and by the way are very clever prospect DTS. They know just where good prospects are located and for $50 will show you what sometimes develops into big mines. The outsider goes to one of the natives and tells him what is wanted. The latter names his price, and the two go to the prospect and look it over. Many times the Mexican is simply duping his victim, but I know of many cases where rich properties were bought in this way for mere pittance."
 Mir. O'Keefe came here from Her mosillo and left last night for Pres colt. He will return shortly and be in town several days.