Arizona republican., 1901-08-11
THE ALTAR COPPER MINING
 COMPANY.

| Since the return of Messrs. Robert Mitchell and Arthur Cordiner- from | their visit to the properties of the Altar Mining Company in Altar dis ies have been directed to them concern | ing the results of their investigations | that they have decided to give out fo. | pub.ica ton d statement of what thry SAW and learned for the information of thosv who purchased the first issue of | stock. as wei as the public generally. | Accordingly they have authorized the | following, with the assurance that spe- cial care has been observed to avoid | eXagg6ration in every detail, and give | only the exact facts. This assurance coming from these we'll known gentle men is quite sufficient to satisfy those acquainted with their characters and ! high standing in this community. For | the benefit of others. however it may be added that they are both old resi- dents of Jerome, and men in whom their friends and acquaintaEces have found reason to place implicit conh- Cence. Mir. Mitchell, who Is a metal lurgist of many years experience, is ths present superintendent of the Unit ed Verde Copper company's smelter.
 MT. Cordinar is a member of the firm of Hoover X Cordiner, prcprietors of the Fashion saloon in Jerome, and has had much practical experience in min ing:
 The properties of the Altar Copper Mining company consists of two groups comprising lSS pertenencias, CT about 245 acris, all under patent from the Mexican government The Montana Verdi group which contains @ per,en
 encias. or about 155 acres. Is situated three miles from the Altar river. and about 10 miles northwestery from San la Ana. a town on the Sonora railway, 65 mics south of Nogales. H. is easily accessible from Santa Ana by splendid wagon road and the cost of freghting to and from that point is only Sl0 per | ton in Mexican money, or S5 in gold. | The town of Altar. the seat of the | district, is 23 miles distant in a south westerly direction from the group. by an equally good road. The altitude al | the Montana Verdi is about 2O0O feet above sea level. Along the Altar river. within a few mics of the prop orty. are a number of productive ranches and a couple of flour mills. The face of the country on and in the vicinity of the group may be said to be mountainous, though the mountains are not high or steep. and resemble more rolling hills. There is an abund- ance of timber suitable for both fuel and mine timbering within easy dis
 tance and accessible by wagon. The Altar river is a perennial stream, hay | ing a gooi flow of never failing water, more than sufficient to supply the ranches along it's banks. Its waters can very easily be made available for use upon the Montana Verdi by the construction of ditch to tap the stream a short distance above the mine, and the company is now negotiating 1 with the owner of large water rights in ! the river. for the purcha.ce of a right to ' divert sufficient water to supply the property in this manner for all time | to come.
 1 The group as a whole Is not especial | ly rough, being rather undulating, but the surface over n.ary the entire area is much broken by almost innumerab!e rock croppings and prominences of all shapes and sizes. These croppings do not appear to be in ledge formation. but project in the form of great de- tiched masses and boulders without any regularity whatever in the manner of their empacement. Everwhere they show a vivid green in color, and examination shows them to be largely carbonates of copper, oxides of copper and oxides of iron, of all kinds and 1 grades, the carbonates predominating. In the depressions between these mass os of croppings, the surface is earth which evidently has been formed to a , considerable extent from the decompo- siton of the rock croppings, judging from it's appearance, and is strewn ever with small pieces of float of the same general character as the rock. This earth or dirt, however, is very superficial, and 1t is only necessary to dig short distance before rock closely resembling the surface croppings is en- 1ountere Assays of this surface rock made after returning to Jerome, show 7 that it will run on an average six per : cent in copper, and MT. Mitchell is of i the opinion that there is enough of it in sight to fully justify the installation [ at once of a 100- ton blast furnace on f the property and the commencement of i smelting operations on substantial t scale. The cost of freighting to and | from Santa Ana would be more than overcome by the cheapness of both labor and fuel. The established wages of drill men is s2 per day in Mexican 1 money, or S1 in gold. Outside men re- ceive $1.75 per day. S7R cents in gold.
 Hard wood for steam can be bought at |, S2.50 per cord in gold.
 II The work already done upon the property is not extensive. A vertical shaft has been sunk to a depth of 65 feet. An examination of the walls of this shaft shows an exceedingly irregu- lar formation and multiform characters of rock, varying from rich suphides of
 copper near the surface, to a blue slate
 impre gnated to some extent with
 quartz. streaksd with sulphides at the bottom. Assays of the ore taken from tha upner mart of the shaft run from