Arizona republican., 1906-03-16

limited time and space assigned me for this article I can only write in con- densed form as to a few and of the various sections as a whole. I have had many years of experience knock ing about through all portions Of this section in particular. from the Verde river on the east to the Colorado on the west, and. of course. have noted many interesting things, interested as I am in the future of this vast and almost virgin mineral section. and al though l have often drank long and deep of the waters of the fountain of youth,' the Hassayampa, with head up stream, as all good YavaDai citizens drink, yet it has not Iessened one jot the honest conviction which has be come so thoroughly imbued in my mind that we have surrounding us here one of the richest and most eX- tensive mining sections of the world. NeitheE have the waters affected one whit my power to proclaim the fact,
 by voice or pen, that some day, per haps not till you and I have crossed to the other shore, here will live many millions of people and be found many millions of wealth.
 The United Verde Copper company is the owner of a group of mines in tho Black Hills range, the most extensive in Arizona, and richest in percentage of metal contents in the world TnIs district was for many years the largest producer of copper in Arizona. The ores of some of these mines carry gold and silver values in addition to that l of. cOppsgsyyhtch more than Fay for the cost of mining and smelJinSta
 The mine is opened on a single i'm mense lodges of sulphide ore in slate, being intruded by a quartzite dike seventy feet wide. The outcrop car ries oxide and carbonate ores to a depth of about 160 feet. The unaIte1 ed ores are mainly chalcopyrite. In min ing no assortment is made and no con centration attempted. everything from the mine opening going through the furnace, the average of the ore taken from the openings being between : and s per cent copper. The mine is devel- ! oped only above the 7OO-foot level but ! diamond drill boriugs show ore to a depth of 2,0O0 feet The. ledge is at least 1900 feet long with an extreme
 width of 600 feet
 l Some idea of the value of the mine may be gained from the statement that, since the year 1884. SS9,0OO,O 900 worth of ore has been removed from it, and it is estimated that there are i blocked out at the present time at least $50, 900, OO0-at any rate, between | S35. .OGO 900 and $50 OOO O0O-and the state lment is made that under the machin- ! cry in the Eureka stope SIP, GOO, GOO worth of ore has been blocked out, but mot taken down, because the machin- i cry plant would be undermined to ldo so.
 The ground consists. of sor1e 260 acres of land, and the property was purchased by the present owners in
 the late eighties for S26,SOO. Senator w A. Clark of Montana owns fully 90
 per cent of the total capital stock The United Verde is a very modern
 mine. Not many years ago Boston people rejected it at about $300,000. It
 is also said that the Calumet and
 Hecla people refused to buy it for a
 modest sum. In 1882 the expert of Messrs. Phelps, Dodge & Go. turned It
 down as a on-commerciaI proposition
 at the price of s250,O00
 The shelter is of 500 tons capacity, 1 having six water jacket blast furnaces
 of 16O tons capacity each and rever- beratory furnaces for smelting ores especially rich in gold and silver and
 for reducing the fine fiue dust. It is said that part of these 160-ton furnaces will be, and l am not sure but some of them have been, replaced by fur naces of 300 to 400 tons capacity each. The shelter has two fifty-ton electric
 travelling cranes for handling matte, slag and converter shells. There are
 six stands of converters with fifteen mammoth shells. Engines of a capac- | ity of 1000 horse power furnish cleo
 tric light and power. The plant is
 badly cramped for room. The United Verde gives employment to 1,50U men.
 The Equator mine and smelter, bet ter known as the Iron King, is three
 miles south of Jerome and is owned
 also by Senator Clark. Many people
 cOnversant with this property. and with
 the Copper Chief, it's neighbor, believe that there is just as big a mine in
 these properties as there is in the Unit
 ed Verde. There are other promising
 mines in the vicinity. The Cleopatra
 Decatur, Black Hills, Pittsburg- Jerome, Mingus Mountain and Brook shire group are considered promising I properties, as well as the Cliff group company. The Yeager Canyon Copper company
 has extensive copper mines at YeageI Canyon, on the west slope of the Black
 Hills range and is producing Iarg,
 quantities of ore. Some considera blt , quantity of bornite, a high grade quality of copper ore, carrying 50 pei si cent in copper contents, has bee, shipped from there.