Arizona republican., 1901-05-28
PECACHo BASIN MINES
A Description of Them by Colorado
 Gentleman.

The following article describing the Pecacho Basin gold mines. was written for the Denver Post by MT. Taylor, a Colorado gentleman, who is now in Phoenix. The mines are about twenty miles north of Yuma along the Colo rado river. Mir. Taylor says of them
 ''To one to whom mining has been lifetime study there are many feat ures of unusual interest connected with these mines. In many respects they differ from all other large deposits of freegold ore found in this country. Upon entering the great basin the sur rounding mountains are seen to be covered over with lava. and the first impression is that the basin has at one time been an active crater from which the lava had flown, On a closer eX- animation, ,-Aswever--it Is found that the source of the supply was many miles further up on the mountains and that the flow of lava was south to- ward the Gulf of California. The formation in which the mines are found is soft porphyry and decom- posed quartz; it is hard to distinguish
 
 tire formation in the basin carries gold.
 There are three ore channels run ming through the basin-north, east and southwest-varying in width from twenty to 100 feet. The distance from the point where these ore chuses begin to form to the point where they are covered up by the debris fallen from the main mountain in northwesterly direction is at least 2,000 feet. All evil dence tends to show that these ore chutes continue under the mountain which rises above the basin for 5000 or 4,000 feet. A cross vein comes into these main veins from the south. Sev- eral thousand tons of ore have been mined in these chutes and hauled to the Colorado river and there worked in a stamp mill. The ore paid at the least SIS a ton. The average ore in these mines is low grade.
 More than 100 openings, from ten to 200 feet deep. have been made in these mines; the lowest grade of ore found in any of the openings will mill s2 ton in free gold. In Inany places the ore will mill from s4 to $s a ton, and it Is safe to put the average at $4 ton.
 Commencing on the southeast end of these ore chutes the formation rises gradually toward the main mountain, thus permitting the ore to be mined by the cheap method of open cuts, the lodges being so wide that no timber will be required to keep the mines open. With a plant capable of hand ling 1000 tons of ore per day the first 4.000. 900 or 5e00,0 tons can be mined and milled at a cost not to exceed $l a ton.
 'The best proof of the richness and extent of the mines lies in the fact that since their discovery between s70O0 900 and ss,00O0O0 in placer gold has been taken from the gulches and ravines leading out from the basin, and taken by the crude method of dry washing. Miners who have worked in these placers for many years estimate that there is still remaining in these deposits twice as much gold as has been taken out. This gold has al, been worn away from the lodges by erosion.
 There Is no other source from which this gold could possibly have come, as the gulches which do not head in this basin show no color of gold nor are there any Hedges anywhere near this basin which carry gold in paying quan- titles.
 "I have been familiar with the Home stake and the Treadwell mines during the various stages of their develop ment. and at no time did they ever show. in reserve, half the quantity of ore shown by these mines. The ore is free milling and the gold can be saved by the most inexpensive process in use.
 If these mines are worked with a plant with a capacity in proportion to the great volume of ore in sight. to say nothing of the immense prospective volume in the greaterydepth, they can not fail to make. within the next fifty years, record equal to that of any gold mine ever worked in the country
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