Arizona republican., 1906-03-16

] Phoenix railway was practically the 1 first railroad to be built under this act. It extends from Ash Fork, a sta | tion on the main line of the Santa Fe, 1 to Prescott and Phoenix, the capital of the territory, a distance of 197 miles. i Previous to the building of this rail- road there was no communication worth mentioning between the north 1 ern and southern portions of the terri | tory, excepting by way of the main 1 lines to Los Angeles. Now three trains a day each way are required between these points. From this main north and south line other roads have been built and others will continue to be built until every section of this vast mineral domain has facilities that will 1 cheaply move the products of the mines and the things necessary for the l development of this vast industry.
 A narrow gauge road. the United | Verde and Pacific. about twenty-five miles in length, was built from Jerome | Junction to the rich copper mines of ] Senator Clark at Jerome Here is the 1 second largest town in the county, | containing a population of about 5000 l souls and producing an immense ton mage of freight for the main line. This road is now paying it's full quota of taxes, after having been exempted for some ten years, and assisting so large ly as it has in the building up of the vast copper interests of the county and territory. What was once a small mining camp at Jerome is now a city with much taxable property and vast possibilities for the future situ- ated as it is at the very mouth of the shaft of the largest and richest copper
 mine in the world.
 4 second line was built from Pres colt to Mayer, under the name of the Prescott and Eastern, about thirty miles in length. This tapped a rich mineral section and later a branch was
 built up Big Bug creek to Poland, q
 distance of nine miles. Later still the Prescott and Eastern was extended to i Crown King, in the Bradshaws
 about thirty miles from Mayer
 under the name of the Bradshaw
 Mountain railroad, and now two trains 1 a day each way and a swing train
 are required to handle the business ot
 these lines. From this road other lines are proposed for the future.
 A short road extends from Congress Junction on the main Prescott and Phoenix line to the great gold camI |
 miles south, a road destined to be used
 as a portion of the main short overland
 route of the Santa Fe is building to the Colorado river, and from there will be extended to some point on the main
 line of the Santa Fe in California The road has now reached a point
 about sixty miles westerly from Wick
 enburg.
 The Phoenix and Eastern has beer
 built from Phoenix to Florence, lKeI- ! win and Winkleman, a distance o
 nearly 100 miles, and will be continued to an intersection with the Fl PasC
 and Southwestern at Benson and tho
 Santa Fe branch at Deming.
 All these roads are due to the gen
 erosity and tax exempting qualities o
 the legislation of 1891. which encour aged the building of the first few
 roads and which have transformed tn,
 country from a wilderness with no ia
 cilities for the doing of business to
 well provided section for the cheal , working of its many mines.
 With the building of these numerous railroads have come the many i'm
 provements that always accompan!
 the development of a country. chief O
 which is the building of the grea
 smelters at Humboldt. The Arizon;
 Smelting Company was formed slight ly over a year ago to take over tn | remaining interests, site and bushes of the Val Verde Smelting Company a small concern located upon a spur O
 the Prescott and Eastern railroad O.
 the Agua Fria river about sixteel f miles from Prescott, which had bee destroyed by fire in 1904, but whicl had successfully demonstrated the fac that there was sufficient ore to b ) had in this neighborhood of the kin and quality necessary to smelt. coul l l it be brought together by low treat
 ment charges, cheap transportatio rates and handled under competen , management.
 g The Arizona Smelling Company ha , erected at Humboldt. formerly calle Val Verde, a most complete and mod
 ern smelting plant of 500 tons capac 7 ity, a description of which will b 9 found in another column
 The Rigby Reduction company Ina $ erected d large plant at Mayer for tn , reduction of ores containing gold, sil . yer, copper and other metals by tn t Pohle- Croasdale process by voIatiliza r tiOn. It is something new in this sec B tion and as it is now nearing com I pletion is being watched with interes { by the mining fraternity.
 l To give a review of each of the nu . merous mines and properties of thi s county and of. the sections deveIope
 by the numerous branch railroad