Bisbee daily review., 1906-08-31
LA DICHA MINES | ARE RICH IN ORE
The Rich Mitchell Property in Sonora Soon to Be Great
 Producer.

Development work of the La Dicha mines has covered a period of nearly four years and now amounts to about 5000 feet of tunnels, shafts, cross cuts and other underground work. It is estimated that the ore in sight, in ! cluding the low and high grade, is worth S3O, 900. It is all self-fuX a minimum cost. Some parts of the main vein as disclosed by cross-cuts | at the 300 and the 400-foot levels are l l3O feet in width. The ore ranges 1 from 1 per cent to 6 per cent in the main workings, and every vein has capping of black sulphides running 1 from 50 to 70 per cent in copper. The policy of the company has been to "sweeten" the low grade stuff with l the black sulphides and the higher i grade ore. This has resulted in an average per centage of copper con- ! tents per ton of rock of s per cent.
 Not only are operations cheap be- cause of the self-fiuXing character Of the ore, but it is possible to generate upwards of 35,000 horse power from a river which is not much reduced in volume even in the dry season, as it rises near the top of the snow-capped Sierra Madre Mountains. This horse power will be sufficient to operate all the machinery and if need be generate ! sufficient electric energy to operate the railroad now in course of con | struction. Another benefit of this running stream, which has on one bank the shelter and on the other shore the mine, is that the hot slag from the furnaces is run direct into the stream where it pulverizes and is washed away to the valleys below. By the use of the water power it is esti- mated that when the big plant is in | stalled there will be a saving of be tween s5O,000 and s6O,000 in Mexican currency monthly in the fuel account.
 Grading on the La Dicha & Pacific Railroad from Acapulco to the mines and the smelter is now in progress and has been completed upwards of p miles inland from the coast. New surveys have been made, which have reduced the mileage from S3 to about 63 miles. The route selected is not only shorter, but more easily built. ef- fecting a reduction from the line as originally of about s4,000 Mexican cur rency per mile. To build this road the La Dicha & Pacific Railroad com pany which is owned by the Mitchell Mining company with all of it's rights and franchises, will issue S1 100000 of 6 per cent bonds convertible into Mitchell Mining stock at par, plus a bonus of 50 per cent in Mitchell stock to be delivered at the same time and in the same manner as the bonds when converted. This conversion clause and the bonus calls for s1,500,000, or one-half of the s3,000,0O0 of increased capitalization of the Mitchell Mining company, which brings the- cssritsf from s5,000,000 to sS,000,00
 Of the s1,000, 900 of bonds, sufficient have already been subscribed for to in sure the completion of the railroad. Had the original route been adopted it would have been necessary to place the entire amount, but the reduction of the cost and of the length of the line brings the bond sale requirement to | something less than the amount all ready disposed of.
 There will remain in the treasury s1. 300, 900 of the new stock for treas ury purposes.
 Foundations have been laid and part Of the machinery is already on the ground for the additional furnaces of $50 tons capacity, which will bring the shelter up to $50 tons daily. The Un- ion Iron Works of San Francisco has installed a converter plant with a ca pacity of p tons daily of 99 per cent 1 metallic copper. One stand of this plant has been in operation since August 10 and now turning out 12 tons of pig copper daily. The other stand is almost ready to begin operation and may start any day; certainly be fore September.
 Since the first stand of the converter plant of the Mitchell Mining company commenced operation on August 10, the average daily production of 99 per cent fine metallic copper has been ! twelve tons. The second stand will begin to produce in a few days, and at present rate of output will closely ap- prOXimate the full capacity of 2 tons tons daily as guaranteed by the Union Iron Works, builders of the plant.
 Estimating the net value of this cop per at 15 cents per pound, which will allow 3 cents per pound for market ing it, the daily income of the compa- ny is now s3,600 and will be doubled before the end of the month. The ac- cumulated matte at the smelter is about 100000 pounds. The shelter is now turning out matte in sufficient daily amount to keep one stand busy, leaving the other to handle the ac- cumulated matte now on hand. Be fore this is converted the new fuI- naces in the smelter, which are of $50 1 tons capacity, will be ready to pro duce matte With both stS.ndS of the converter busy and the income sG,G00 Fer day, the revenue of the company would be $2,19O,000 per annum, which, cut in half would defray mining ard ott CT expenses, would show l: 1.2 per cent Oil capital stock O $S 00O 00G.
 
 | Tho Clohe Consolidated which uraS