Arizona daily citizen., 1901-04-05
THE FUTURE
OF ARIZONA.

The San Francisco Chronicle says
A Wickenburg, A. T., correspondent of
the Los Angeles Mining Review notes
the fact that about a mile from that
town 10000 tons of tailIngs from the
old Nulture mill are being cyanided for
the fourth time. The fourth reworking
of the tailings OF this mill illustrates
two things-the great wealth oil the ore
which the famous Nulture mine yielded
in former days and the crude and waste
full methods of reduction which were
then employed What is said OF the
Nulture workings is also true of nearly
all of the mines worked in Arizona in
the earlier days.
Although the territory was the last
section of the western part OF the Uni
ted States to be pacified through the
subjugation of its bloodthirstY native
inhabitants, it is now coming to the
front by leaps and bounds as a mineral
producer. A little more than a decade
since prospectors were unable to safely
explore its mountain ranges. An arid
climate and lack of facilities for COM
munication added to the difficulties of
the miner. But no part of the Pacific
coast today, Alaska perhaps excepted, is
30 promising as future mineral pro-
ducer. Until the last two or three
years all the mining done in the ter
ritory was specifically surface scratching.
The famous Vulture mine near Wicken-
burg whose tailings are now being
worked over for the fourth time and
which is about to be reopened after a
long period of idleness, has only been
mined to depth of about 80 feet. But
it is estimated to have yielded to its
former owners, not withstanding their
wasteful methods Of mining, from &c.
100000 o $2S, 900, 900 in gold, silver and
lead. In all probability a fabulous
amount of wealth will be extracted
from it with modern methods and ap-
pliances by the time it's lower levels
will have reached the depths attained
in California mines.
One popularity about nearly all of the
mineral deposits in Arizona is that the
mineral bearing material occurs in en-
ormous bodies. The ore in these mas
sive veins often reaches one hundred
feet in width, contains good values
throughout, and is in spots and streaks
immensely rich, running often into the
tens of thousands of dollars to the ton.
The recently discovered gold bearing
ledge few miles from Wickenburg is OF
this order. Mining operations are, there
fore, conducted necessarily on the most
gigantic scale. The number of men to
be employed is much larger than in the
average gold mine in California, and the
big smelters and reduction works at
tached to most of the larger properties
operated require an equally large num-
Der of skilled workers
The chief mineral products of the ter
ritory are gold, silver and copper, As a
producer of copper Arizona is fast ap-
preaching Montana. A few years hence
1t is likely to excel that state as red
metal producer, for while the latter's
deposits are confined chiefly to small
area, Arizona's copper lodes crop out in
almost every mountain range covering
hundreds of square miles. Yavapai
county alone has produced minerals
worth $170,000,0O0. Since 1883 the ter
ritory as whole has turned out about
1,OO, 100000 pounds of copper. 1t is
undoubtedly richer in silver than any
other section of the Pacific coast, and
along the banks of the Colorado river is
a gold-bearing quartz which is fabulous.
ly rich. Railroads are opening up the
country. Capital is being invested with
out stint. Water is being systematically
conserved. Mining operations of the
biggest kind are being started and ten
years hence Arizona will probably lead
the Pacific states in metal production.
Mr.. CARNEGIE says that he always