The Washington times., 1901-08-04
THE MINES OF old MEXICO.
PrOspectors Directing Their Atten-
tiOn to a Neglected Field. "
Properties Once Worked for the
Spanish Crown and the Church
Opened Up by Americans - Opera
tiOns ON n large Scale Going On.

PHOENIX, Ariz., Aug. s-Meagre de-
! spatches have reached the East during
the past three months of finds of mineral
wealth in Arizona and northern Mexico,
but the half has not yet been told of the
| ma gnituda of the mineral operations and
! the values of gold, copper. and silver ores
! now being uncovered in the extreme
Southwest. From Nogales west to the
| Gulf of California and south for 400 miles
prospectors and men of money are pour
/ ing into the new field; new yet old. mas
\ much as much of the riches of Spain, in
her days of splendor, came from mines
| in Sonora. In hundreds of places the old
| properties which provided this wealth, and
! have since been abandoned. are being re-
opened and operated under modern meth
| DDS.
| During the Spanish occupation of
| Mexico and Arizona, the mines were
worked for Church and Crown. Not
property in all the vast region but paid a
heavy royalty to one of the two great
estates in the policy of SPAIN and all the
power of the Crown was put forth to
protect the operation of the mines and
preserve peace in the vast region Strong
and frequent military posts, scattered
through the region. held the savages in
subjugation, and heavy guards of troops
conveyed the bullion trains to the City of
Mexico, crossing lofty mountains over
trails which still exist, worn into the solid
rock for a foot or more by the almost
cease.ess grind of countless hoofs of
trains of mules, bearing upon their backs
loads of bullion for the royal and papal
treasures.
The records of Magdalena, Sonora,
show that these mines were extensively
and profitably worked, in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries, by priests of the
Tumacacori mission, near Calabasas, on
the Santa Cruz River and there are still
tc be seen mute evidences of the busy life
that once existed. With the uprising of
the Apaches, early in the nineteenth CEN
tury, the priests Were maSSacred and all
work ceased for three-quarters of CEN
tury or more. The ruins of the old Span
ish '.arrastras' in the immediate vicinity,
and similar ruins of ''vasas'' (rude adobe
smelling furnaces), show the processes of
reduction of ores used for both free
amalgamaIion and smelling.
Early in the present decade the proper
ties were located by Americans. who were
unfortunately hampered by lack of cap
ital, so necessary for working on a large
and effective scale, and it was possible
for them to continue work only as they
extracted marketable ores from the
veins. In doing this work they assorted
and shipped all of the ore Of the value of
so to the ton and upward. leaving all ore
of less value with the waste in the mine
and dumps.
In the Altar district. about seventy
miles from Nogales. and seven miles from
the old Tubutama Church. which is re-
puted to be over 2G4 years old. is group
of mines which were worked by the early
Spanish priests and an immense fortune
in silver ore extracted. Old records state
that over S5NG OG0 in silver bullion was sent
to the old church of Spain by the priests.
Whether the King of Spain confiscated
the mines or the frequent raids of the
Apachcs .aused the abandonment of the
property is not known, but the work.
.ngs were caicfulIy concealed and the ex-
act location OF this old-time producer re-
mained a mystery until about twelve
years ago. At that time DR.. Sing. a
Chinaman, living at Tubutama, discover
of the properties. This group has just
been purchased by a local syndicate,
which has laid plans to reopen them on
4 large scale.
There are few localities in the world
where railroads could do so much toward
leo. The ore is there. and 1t is well known
by capitalists but the great problem is
hat OF trans sportation. The difficulties OF
getting . railroad across the mountains
from a Pacific Coast port to the mineral
re gion have. up to the present time. dis
every capitalist who has thought
If it Several railroads are being built
through the country west of the Sierra
Madre hut hardly rear enough to the
mineral district to be very valuable