Bisbee daily review., 1908-02-07
GOLD MINING
 IN THE CLIFTON
 MORENCI FIELD
Gold Belt Development and Re- duction Company Has Done Much -Work-Ten Stamp Mill To Be Provided.

The following was written to the Engineering and Mining Journal from Morenci by A w. Hixson.
 It is only within the last few years that development work in the Clifton Morenci district, Arizona, mas been carried on to any great extent and has brought results valuable enough to en- courage further investigations, and to justify the installation of machinery and development on an extended scale. Among the companies which have recently shown activity is the Gold Belt Development and Reduction company, cooperative company composed mainly of local men. The shares are so distributed that no one person may be said to hold a controil- ing amount of the stock. It has a cap itaIization Of S750,000, and holds 25 claims located about 315 miles north west of Morenei. Eight shafts have been sunk on these claims, but, as yet only two of them, the Bonanza and the Comstock No. f, are of consider able depth. Both of these shafts are 200 feet deep, the former bearing gold, the latter copper. In Comstock No. 1 600 feet of drifting has been done, but the work has been temporarily dis continued because of the interference of water. A pump is being installed to overcome this difficulty. In addi- tion to the shafts and drift there are 1900 feet of tunnels.
 The property is equipped with three gasoline hoists with gallows frames each capable of sinking 500 feet. There is sufficient showing in gold to war rant the erection Of a 10-stamp mill with a capacity of 50 tons daily, plans for which are now under considera- tion. The company has sufficient water to operate a mill without nav ing to pump it from the San Francis co river several miles distant. The company owns its cars and trackage. Located on the claims are several dwelling houses, an office building and boarding house, while the assay office is at Clifton, where the Shannon smelter handles the copper ore.
 The gold ore is being reserved for the new mill. The copper ore is di- rect. smelling, while the gold ore is Tree milling. The ores contain chief ly gold, silver and copper, but man. ganese and zinc are also found in small quantities. The gold occurs chiefly to quartzite while the copper is found in chrysocaila associated with pyrolusite, or as carbonate and glance. As the gold and silver are present in paying quantities the company does not have to depend on the copper alone. Formerly 50 men were em- ployed, but since the reduction in the price of copper only 20 men are at work On the gold claims new ore is being blocked out daily.
 Bordering on the gold belt are six claims known as the Carona group. Most of the work at present is being done on Carona No. f, where there is 40-teet shaft cutting a well defined Veln carrying copper and a trace of gold and silver. It is believed that these claims include a continuation o1 the ore body of the gold belt for the ground Is directly east and follows the same ridge.
 Among the companies interested in the development of the district the New York & Arizona Mining com. pany, stock company with a capi. talization of s900,000, owns 30 claims located four miles west of Morenci At present the two most important claims are the Louise and the BuZZard Shadow. On the Louise there is a 90 foot shaft, and drift on the 50 Foot level follows the vein which car ries gold, silver and copper in fair quantity. The Thompson shaft which is located on the Buzzard claim, has a depth of 100 feet. The company is sinking another shaft on this claim which at present is about 20 feet deep A rich streak of free gold was recent ly discovered on this claim, but hard ly enough work has been done to de termine the extent or the character of the deposit. In addition to the shafts mentioned taere is a 120O-foo tunnel known as the Lillian. At pres ent the company is drifting Un m; vein which runs well in gold anc ,ll yer. There are also several minor workings showing fair ore The com pany is comparatively new and is no yet well supplied with machinery. A present there is one gasoline hois and 20 men are employed. The com pany has been hauling it's ore to Me renci in wagons, the gold ore gbsin, reserved or the new mill which i planned. Before the price of coppe was reduced the company made som irregular shipments of copper ore, bu the chief dependence of the compan, is in it's gold ores.