The copper era., 1905-12-07
THE DUNCAN COUNTRY.
A Growing Town and Prosperous.
 Happy Community.

ms town IS Qu1eC, no one being
 killed, or even "half shot" in ovel
 two weeks, and that is more than car . be said for most towns in Arizona In fact there hasn't been but one mar killed here in eight years. A pretty good record for Arizona.
 All Duncan needs is people that will push her to the front, clean up the streets and fill up the frog ponds in town. Duncan could be made one of the prettiest places in the country. No better water can be had anywhere There is farming, mining and stock raising on all sides. The Steeple Rock mining company is sure to start up the great Carlisle mines soon. l The Ash Peak mines are almost sure winner, and with the vast amount 1 of rich ore on the surface there is sure to be a big camp opened in the MayAower district. We can't under stand why it is that mining men pass up hat camp. We noticed recently in the ERA that Tom Lawson had said that it took five million dollars and
 
 five years to make a~CG,poir;eeIiif, poireIf,n mine. Now Tom is-a wise old guy, but if he will furnish me with fifty thous- and dollars, I will premise to furnish him producer for that amount. Of course it will take lot of money to put in the necessary machinery to work it after it is made. Not as much | as it did several years back, there being railroads through the country now and one within ten miles of the Mayfower.
 Joe McAlister has opened a butcher shop on Main street, and is doing a good business.
 Business is good generally, and the farmers are busy getting in their corn and hay.
 Long High, Sing High, Sing Low ct al., are getting along nicely with their garden, having all kinds of winter vegetables now ready for the market.
 Frank Willis of Apache creek was in a few days ago buying supplies. He reports stock looking fine.
 Most stockmen are out branding up.
 H. c. Day sold more than S7OO worth of pears this year and will probably realize more than that amount from his apple crop. And yet you will hear some people say that there is to be made in raising fruit. MT. Day has only four acres in his orchard, which will average more than $500 per acre. They will also tell you that fruit won't hit but about every four years, but that is where they don't know what they are talking about. It can be made to hit every year, and without fail, if they will only go to little trouble and that is to put hay or old straw around the roots of the trees during all danger of frost is over. The straw should be five or six inches thick and three or four feet around the tree, and kept through the winter and spring, then after all danger of frost it should be raked away so as to let the ground thaw out, and in two weeks the trees will be in full bloom.
 Tyson S0 Martin have sold out their saloon business and gone into the stock business.
 R. s. Stewart is now sole proprie- tor of the brick front.
 Duncan has three saloons, three general merchandise stores, one drug store, one hotel, one blacksmith shop, and all seem to be doing fairly well.
 We have nice little school house, large enough for town twice the size, and now we want a wagon bridge across the river. That would put the touches to the whole busi- ness. All will admit that it would be the making of Duncan, but some claim that this river can't be bridged, but that is where they don't know. Money will do anything. A bridge f here would be worth thousands of dollars to the country. If the people of this district could be taxed say 15 cents on the S100 and the same could be done over the line in New Mexico, then issue twenty year bonds at four per cent, the rest would be easy.
 The trouble with the people here is that everyone is for hi mself, and the devil take the hindermost. They are too afraid of spending dollar. Why, bless your soul they would not miss that tax of 15 cents on the S1OO and all would be benefited thereby. They will spend three times that amount for booze and never miss it.
 KICKER.