Arizona republican., 1901-08-13

ana tne CoHlpdHv IS now negotiating
 with the owner of large water rights in the river, for the purchase of right tc
 divert sufficient water to supply tn, property in this manner for all time , to come.
 The group as a whole is not especial.
 ly rough, being rather unduating, but
 the surface over nearly the entire area
 is much broken by almost innumerablt
 rock croppings and prominences of al
 shapas and sizes. These cropplngs dc
 not appear to be in ledge formation
 but project In the form of great de-
 tached masses and boulders without
 any regularity whatever in the manner
 of their emplacement. Evsrwhere
 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
 grades. the carbonates predominating.
 In the depressions between these mass
 es of croppings. the surface Is earth
 which evidently has been formed to a
 considerable extent from the decompo-
 sltion of the rock croppings, Judging
 from its 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 a short distance before rock closely
 resembling the surface crcppings is en- oountered. Assays of this surface rock made after returning to Jerome, show
 that 1t will run on an average six per cent in copper, and MT. Mitchell is of
 the opinion that there is enough of 1t in sight to fully justify the installation at once of a 100-ton blast furnace on the property and the commencement of smelting operations on substantial 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 &! per day In Mexican money. or s1 in gold. Outside men re- ceive $1.75 per day, S7h csnts in gold. Hard wood for steam can be bought at $2.50 per cord in god.
 The work already done upon the is not extensive. A vertical shaft has been sunk to a depth Of oo feet. An examination of the walls Of this shaft shows an exceedingly irregu- lar formation and multiform characters of rock, varying from rich sulphides of copper near the surface, to blue slate impre gnated to some extent with quartz, streaksd with sulphides at the bottom. Assays of the ore taken from the upper part of the shaft run from 1 to 10 per cent copper It is the in- | ntion of the company to continue the shaft at depth of 100 feet, and then drift through the ore body. A large force of men 1t now at work.
 It is impossible for any person to look over this group. to walk over and among the masses of minsralized rock md note that characteristic greenish everywhere in evidence, without forming the positive conviction hat underneath his feet lies hidden m immense body of copper ore, greater perhaps, if the indications count Tor than has ever yet been nn- ,overed. He cannot be brought to the 1Clief that this copper ore came from my other source or direction than be- ow, nor that the visible copper in the ,re was deposited upon the crest Of the ill where the ore occurs, by the action If any surface stream. But though he will conclude his inspection of the Mon ana Verdi with the firm conviction hat d little development work will ! smonstrate what appears now so evil lent. 1t is not until the visitor reaches he san Jose group, the other property | f the company, and makes his exam nation, that h. feels warranted in say l ng that the company has mine the , haracter of which as such Is assured. l
 The San Jose group lies northwestern ! Y of the Montana Verdi, a distance of [ bout 55 miles, and is approximately | , mics from the Gulf of California. { is reached from santa Ana, on the | 'onora railway, by an excellent wagon oad. Distance S5 miles. There IS lso a good hard road from Tucson, | 9 miles. The regular cost of freight ng from Santa Ana to the mine Is S2O l n Mexican money, or $l0 in gold, per on. The elevation of the property | sas not ascertained exactly but must e from two to three hundred feet low r than the Montana Verdi. or from 700 to 1900 feet above sea level The roup comprises 76 pertenencias, or bout l90 acres. Like at the Montana e.di good tinber is within convenient istance. and water for operating a lant and for domestic purposes Is vai,abe. In fact water sufficient for melting purposes has been encounter d in working the property. The sur ace formation is entirely different rom that of the Montana Verdi, being by well defined lodges aving a general easterly and westerly rend Across three of the largest Of hese ledges lying parallel and appar- ntly constituting parts of a single it is probably 300 feet. 'early all Of the work upon the group as been done upon ledge or vein 'hich may be readily traced for over OOO feet on the property. and crops odly for distance of 1,400 feet. It's verage width at the surface Is eight eet, and it dips 60 or 70 degrees north, nd has every appearance both above nd below the surface, of true hssure ein. Upon this a shaft was sunk by he former owners of the property to
 depth of 161 feet. At the 50-foot level
 station was cut on the northerly side f the shaft back to the center of the ein which had inclined away from the haft until at this point only about ne-ha!f of it was in vein matter prop r. A winze was then sunk twenty our feet on this vein when water was truck in such quantities that 1t could