The Florence tribune., 1901-10-26


 mine was. the most talked-of niue in the south west, with the possi pls exception of some of the Tombstone 1 mines, which had recently been dis ! covered Throughout the Western ! Hemisphere there has only been ans other mine in receut times which has yielded so great wealth of native sil- ver-that is the BAtopilas mioe, of Boss Shepherd. in Chihuahus, Mexico.
 At the time of which write the Sil yer King mine gave employment, di- rectly and indirectly, to thousands of people at the mine and mil, the latter, of twenty stamps, being located at Pinal City, formerly known as Picket Post. five miles distant from the mine Here town of over fifteen hundred population was built up in the early eighties. Big sixteen-male teams, with two immense wagons and a trailer, brought down the heavy loads of beautiful gray ore from the mine. In some of the chunks the bright na- tive silver could plainly be seen glisten- ing 1t was so rich that an assay of the dust at any point on the road be- tween the mine and the mill would have given handsome figures. Some of the teamsters got into the habit of tossing off pieces of rich rock for their friends to pick up after the wagon had passed, and quite trade was done by some of the interruptions among the miners iD secreting aud selling speei- meus. Aaron Mason, brother of one of the locators of the mine, who was at that time superintendent-b died few years ago in Los Angeles-would sometimes come down from the mine whith his big sombrero twisted all around with wire silver, and on one occasion the company gave away new silver dollars which had been manu- faetured direct from tAe silver, with out any refining. The mine was in many respects remarkable one, beiag the shape of u cone, only unfortunate ly the small point was at the bottom, 50 that at depth of about eight hundred feet the rich ore gave out Since then it has either be T aoau- donvd or worked in desultory manner, without auy great results The nill was pulled down several years ago and removed from Pinal City. winch has been for ten years one of the deserted camps of Arizona.
 The romatic discovery of the Silver Kiug mine has often been told, but it may De news to many readers of tie Mining Review. To tell 1t in fall would need more than page, so only make brief outline. h 1872, when Gen. Stoneman, who was later Cover
 nor of California, was eudeavoring tc check the murderous propensitles ol the bloodtnirsty A Jaches, he establish co o SaA r iu suS th~A A1hS St anu Ouil pack-trail which Is stil known as the
 Stoneman grade. One of tie soldiers
 named Sullivan, who was engaged
 in cutting the ,rail, sat down to rest or
 a rock near camp, and picked up som loose frag of rock, among whici |, were some small, heavy, black, metal lie looking Jumps, resembling lead II
 gathered few of these, which he pre-
 served without reaiizIng the lmportanc
 ot his ind or saying any enlng about
 to his comrades. Shortly afterwards
 his term of service expiring, he so e journed for time at the ranch (
 Charles C Mason, on Salt River, nea 1 the present location of Phoenix. Il
 showed MT Mason the nuggets, br
 did not tell nim where they came iron " One day SuliivAn disappeared and ws It pot heard of for many years after. F. d several years pros jug parties wer f made up at frequent intervals to scot IS the Psnal Mountains in search of u le .pure stuff" as the ranchers calls CT the black nuggets. They even made
 location only d mile and half from u