Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1904-06-01
SOME VALUABLE
CLAIMS OF MICA
They Are Located in
EStrella Mountains.
Formerly owned and Worked by
John GundalI, Of PresCOtt-0n
Indian Reservation.

Cant r. q. Andre, Of Tempe, is
heliercd 90 bave found a fortune in
mica minein the E-Telia mountains,
twenty two miles south of PheniX,
and about eight miles from the South
ern Pacific railroad. The country is
vaterless and the hills PERCEPTIONS
and rough The find was made by
Mr.. Andre. while hunting, though be
had known Of The fiudlug Of a ledge OF
mica in the Estrellgs IN 1884, by a
German named Gundel. Gundel kept
secret tie locality of his find, but
brought into Tempe slabs of the
mineral l4xiO inches IN size. Soon
after he died without giving more
tlan a general idea Of The place where
ne found the mica.
''Mr. Andre has located five mining
claims. covering all the mica crop
pings From the surface he has gotten
out cCnsi ierab.e quantity of mer-
chantable mica. the sheets running up
to 6x7 - inches, in size. The small
est understandable size is 2X2 inches,
for which $3.50 a pound is paid. The
mica is almost pure white and as clean
as glass. remarkably tough and capa-
BILE Of being split iuto sheets of less
than tissue paper thinness.
Samples sent to London have been
declared better than the Russian mica,
considered the best on the market.
Walter Graichen, a meteorological ex-
pert in the employ of the government
OF Saxony. has purchased a share in
The Andre claims and Will exploit
them abroad. From Germany through
Graicheu's report already has come a
| large offer for the claims
The above is taken from the PheniX
Republican of recent date and in
many particulars, though probably
not considered essential, is erroneous
| The original locator Of the mica mines
referred 10 was John Gundall a resi-
dent of Tombstone at the time. In
stead of diving and carrying the secret
/ of the location OF the claims to the
grave with him Mr.. Gundall is still
very much alive and is now and has
been for several years a resident OF
| Prescott.
| Mr.. Gundall held the claims for ten
! years and made no secret Of the mat
! ter At times be gave employment TO
/ a couple of men to work them. One
/ Of the great troubles he experienced
with the claims and one which Mr..
! Andre will bump into sooner or later
| is the fact that the claims are located
on the Indian reservation and the In
! dians compelled him TO abandon them.
MIR. Guudall informed the editor OF
/ the Jourual-Niner Of the location OF
these claims,and in the spring of 1897
he ACCOMPANIED the writer TO the Is
| trella mountains, showing the exact
/ location of the claims and If Captain
/ Andre should make a thorough eXami-
nation be viii find the notices Of To-
cation made by the writer of this.
/ Owing to Che uncertainty connected
with their being on the ludian reser-
walton. the required location work was
never performed and the notices were
/ not recorded.
As stated I'm he above article the
mica is of q superior quality and
seems to exist in large quantities bui
the fzrt thing for Captain Andre tC
do will be Go have the claims moved
outside Of iho Indian reservation OF
TO have the liucs OF the reservation
changed. No great success has evel
attended any mining operations with
in the limits OF au Indian reservation
Mr.. Gundlll bad some very prOmis
ing gold claims located in the SAINT
vicinity which De was also compelled
to abandon after working them several
years.