The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-28
MINES in NORTH MEXICO
ONE OF THE RICHEST MINERAL SEC
TIONs IN MEXICAN REPUBLIC.
Lack Of transportation Facilities Has
Hindered Development-Na-
riety OF Orc.

DOUGLAS. A. T, Sept. 25-Chihuahua
and Sonora. the two northernmost states
of the Mexican republic. are among the
very richest mineral sections Of country
that is blessed among all others. excepting
only the United States. with mineral
wealth. chihuahua is an older and more
densely populated State and it's mines have
the advantage OF age, but this is being on
set quite rapidly by the greater amount or
new work undertaken i'm the sister State
to the west. A railroad from Ci-dad
Juarez, opposite FL Paso. traverses north
western Chihuahua and passes over into
the edge of eastern Sonora, but there are
immense districts i'm both States that are
without rail communication. and as the
topography is rugged. the country more
or less arid, and natural resources OF fuel
remain undeveloped. mining is done under
considerable disadvantages. In fact only
mines that are very rich can be made TO
pay, and that there are so many properties
netting handsome profits is ample evil
dence of the mineral wealth of northern
Mexico. and promise of what the future
holds for this wonderful section. when i'm
proved facilities of transportation and de-
veloped coal mines shall have given the
owners of the medium and low-grade mines
an opportunity TO operate their properties
TO advantage.
Among The newer properties of north
western Sonora none have attracted more
attention recently than the Lucky Tiger.
or FL Tigre mines. lying about sixty-fve
miles southeast of Douglas, near Turicach.,
on spur of the Sierra Madre mountains.
not far from the Chihuahua line. The prop
erfv fS al nv a
Bisbee and Kansas City men, and they
believe that they have another Palmillas
mine, such as has made Pedro Alvarado,
once poor poet, the richest man in Mexico
so rich that the story goes that he has
offered to pay off the national debt. About
sixty men are now employed and large
force of poems is working on a new wagon
road that will give decent outlet for the
ore and inlet for machinery and supplies.
The mine is near the Rio Bavabispe. some
times called the North Yaqui river. the
water OF which is unusually high this sea-
son. causing some trouble. The Tigre ore
carries both gold and silver, often I'm SEN
sational quantities, but the main reliance
is placed on the gold. The ore is divided
into three grades. The first grade. running
into values of thousands of dollars per ton.
and the second grade. running i'm the hum
dreds, are shipped by burros from the mine
at FL Paso The third-cass ore, i'm which
is included everything running less than
hundred dollars per ton. is stocked at
the mine. awaiting the building of a MILL
The great cost of operating mine in the
Sierra Madres is shown by the Withholding
of ore running nearly hundred dollars per
ton in gold and silver. because the cost OF
transportation and smelling would eat up
nearly all the profits. Some day all this
will be changed and mines that cannot be
worked now will be worth millions.
AS TO COPPER MINES
The Moctezuma Copper Company's mine
at Nacosari, south of Douglas. is strik-
ing example OF an entirely different class
of mine and is of deeper interest for the
reason that it is the first low-grade prop
erty in Sonora TO be developed upon the
scale necessary to return a profit. A gold
or silver mine, il rich enough, can be
worked at the most inaccessible and costly
point found in the habitable world, but
low-grade mine requires good transportation
facilities and the latest and best in ma
chinery, methods and management, all
of which requires much time and more
money. Only the strongest concerns can
afford to develop big low-grade mine, yet
it is shown by brief glance at the list
of the big dividend payers of the world
that a majority of the most profitable
mines are OF low grade. making their
enormous profits through the treatment OF
an immense tonnage-yielding small
profit on each ton. The famous Calumet
& Hecla mine. of Lake Superior, which
holds first place for dividends paid among
all the mines of the globe, secures an
average of but 21a per cent. copper from
it's rock-a percentage that practical miners
consider hopeless i'm Mexico or Arizona, yet
which has returned dividends of more than
$50, 100000 i'm Michigan. because of the
combination of favorable circumstances as
to transportation, labor, etc, combined
with one of the greatest bodies ever
opened. Messrs. Phelps Dodge Co. are
now developing the Nacosari copper mines
upon an enormous scale and the success OF
the experiment will be of untold value TO
Sonora, where there are many large ore
bodies of low grade.
The Nacosari mines of the Moctezuma
Copper Company are. without question.
among the very greatest ore bodies ever
opened. ranking with such properties as the
Rio Tinto OF Spain. which has known ore
reserves of 1200O0.00o tons. Just how ex-
tensive the ore bodies of the Nacosari may
eventually prove nobody knows. All that
can be said is that there Is ore everywhere.
with millions of tons i'm sight. The entire
mountain, which rises more than $500 feet
above the plain on which the town or
Nacosari is located, seems to have cop
per core
TUNNELED THROUGH COPPER.
tunnel. started about $500 feet below
the crest of the mountain. has penetrated
the hill from side to side. distance OF
about $500 feet. From the center OF this
main tunnel crosscut tunnels have oee,I
sent for a quarter mile in both directions.
| The tunnels are almost entirely in ore for
their entire distance. Seams and veins Of
this ore run quite high in copper. but the
average is only TO 3 per cent. The pres
| ent annual output of the mine is about TO-
| 10000 pounds of refined copper, and this
is secured from the richer veins. but even
| tually il is hoped to smelt practically every
| thing. This will be possible because OF
| the nature of the ore, which Is wei adapt
and giving a saving Of 80 per cent. In con-
centration. About 40 per cent. or the con-
centrates goes direct to the smelter, and
| 30 per cent. is briquetted. a mixture OF about
5 per cent. clay being added for binder in
briquetting.
| Company is large and modern, and is es-
| timated TO have cost about x5eo-oo0. inciud-
! ing concentrator, smelter and sundry mis-
ccllaneous improvements notable fea-
| ture of the operation OF this plant is the
| remarkably good results secured from the
/ use of gas, which Is used for power pro-
( duction The gas is made from wood. and
/ the efficiency attained rs the admiration OF
| mechanical engineers and mining men ac-
l cuainted with the difficulties in the way of
/ securing cheap and satisfactory motive
power in an arid and sparsely tiinbered
ton. and hundreds OF miles from developed
coal mines.
! AT Piares de Teras some thirty miles
/ from the Nacosari mines. Is the famous Gin
! co de Mayo mines. owned by the Negocia-
1 cIon Minera Pilares de Teras. OF which
| Col Francisco Garcia is the largest owner.
The mine Is In the zona libre. or free zone
4 OF Mexico, which parallels the American
boundary line for a width OF about twenty
| leagues The mines have been the sub