Bisbee daily review., 1904-09-01

Dwight E. Woodbridge says this week in Engineering and Mining Journal, of New York:
 Present conditions at the new cop per camps in the immediate vicinity of Bisbee. Arizona, are notably different from those of any time in the past two or three years. The boom in pos sible copper prospects, is most decided ly over To one who, like myself, visited Southern Arizona in March and again in August. the contrast is most striking.
 After the initial success of the Cal umet and Arizona company in mak- ing a mine south of the Copper Queen workings, numerous companies were formed in Michigan and elsewhere, for the purpose of duplicating that sue cess. The only group of men among all those who turned Bisbee-vard that seemed to consider geological con ditions and to study carefully the char acter of the country ana it's possible naturalization, was the same group that had taken Calumet & Arizona As fast as possible these men ac- cumlated all lands that seemed to them probably mineral bearing. iD what can properly be called the Bisbee belt They did not haggle at price, but wisely secured their territory with out delay. In all they took about 1,500 acres. Prospecting on this tract has proved what will doubtless be among the biggest copper mines of the United States.
 From 15 to 20 development and min ing companies were organized at that time to secure lands about Bisbee. All the country from the Copper Queen to the Mexican line and for width of two or three miles was taken up. much of it at high. indeed excessive. prices. Expensive explora- ton was commenced and carried for ward until the funds of many of the various companies had finally reached so low an ebb that continuation seems impossible without reorganization and new capital. As nothing of an encou-- aging nature has been shown by many of these companies. the possibility of successful reorganization and now capital is doubtful Some are abandon ing attempts to continue and will for felt their lands to former owners. Of course there are some exceptions to this statement It is unnecessary to go into details as to the manner of exploration by these companies; it is evident that most of them expected to encounter ore without any great ex- penditure, for their developments were on the most expensive scale. not justi- fed by any conditions other than the absolute knowledge that paying ore body lay at the bottom Of their shafts and this knowledge they did not have. The country about Bisbee is lime formation. Resting secure on the knowledge that the ore bodies of Cop per Queen and of Calumet & Arizona were an altered limestone, these com panies seemed to believe that so long as their shafts were in lime they were working along successfully. But. in many cases. the lime they cut was un altered and did not show the slightest naturalization.
 In several cases. notably those of the Higgins and the Houghton develop ment companies, the reports on which exploration and development were based from the most scientific the orists who have studied the district. In spite of this fact neither of these properties can now be regarded as a success. though Houghton has found some rich seams of silver ore and is now cutting copper ore. In case of the Higgins. surface indications might easily lead the hope of naturalization. But on the part of those who know of the work of the Copper Queen III ~f .I -nn hod been long enough in the district to thoroughly appreciate the conditions there was at no time the slightest hesi- tation as to the probabilities of the property It is probable that no local engineer would have recommended the expenditure of much money upon the Hoaghton
 However, this property, if successful in finding ore to make a mine will be on a formation distinct from that i'm mediately at Bisbee, and local engi neers were not anxious to get outside of the known mineTaliZed area as wit ness the conservatism of the Copper Queen company for the last twenty years. These instances simply em phasize a point applicable everywhere but not sufficiently appreciated, tha the theorist is not always the bes guide, and that a knowledge of loca geological conditions is of the utmos importance in the study of any min ing field.
 Several of the companies that hav' been exploring Bisbee have been lex perted' from the front porch of tn Copper Queen hotel, where there ar good chairs, excellent cigars and comfortable place to put ones feet Largely from the fact that these pror critics lay more or less near the provei zone they have been able to secur' large sums of money for costly explol ation, Their shafts have been sunk ol