The copper era., 1909-09-30


 intimate terms, and, exchanging
 ideas, they together surmounted many
 of the difficulties and gradually evolved methods of treatment whict
 eventually made their treasuries mil
 lions of dollars, great part of whicf
 was later expended in developing the
 mines and eularging the reduction
 plants of the two great corporations 1t is due largely to the inventive genius of these two gentlemen and tc the splendid corps of assistants who stayed by them through the year; when the future of their companie: hung in the balance, that Arizona i: today the leading copper producer ir the world.
 'Not only were mining costs ex' cessive in southern Arizona at that time but it was also an expensive place in which 10 live. Before the Metcalfs made their sale to the Scotch company, Uncle Jim Metcalf was growing vegetables at Mangus Springs, in New Mexico, where he had little ranch. He used to make occasional trips to Clifton to dispose of his produce and, on one occasion, Ike Stevens, who was something of a wag, handed Uncle Jim S15 and an envelope and told him to leave some vegetables at his house as be drove by. Uncle Jim wanted to know what the envelope was for and Ike replied that it was to put the vegetables in of course.
 'This brings to mind the experience of Robert Metcalf, who drew down the larger portion of the princely fortune that came to the brothers from the sale of the Metcalf mines. He purchased large stock farm in the blue grass region of Kentucky, but, being of speculative turn, he bought a section of land near Kansas City from some real estate dealers for which he paid S1O0,O0O. The land was represented to him as adjoining the town, but on visiting the property a few years afterward, he found that he had been deceived as the land was much farther out than it had been to be. He accordingly commenced a suit against the real estate firm to recover s8O,00O, alleg- ing in his complaint that the land was worth only about $20,O0O. The case dragged along through several terms of court and in the meantime the town actually grew around the land and then the real estate men came into court and offered to return all the money and take the land back. The suit was then dismissed and few years later the land was sold for S500,- poo and is worth several times that amount now.
 "Mr. Colquhoun did not have smooth sailing by any means in opening rp the property of the Arizona Copper at Clifton. He was con hampered in his work by ex- perts who were sent out from Scot and to tell him what to do. The old Longfellow mine, which was the rich est of the early producers, was con 1emned several times by these in- lividuals and work ordered aban- 1oned. They claimed that the Long fellow was gash vein. When the experts took their departure, MT. Col 1uhoun always resumed work and the Longfellow is today one of the com pany's heaviest producers.
 "The same thing occurred at the Coronado which is now considered one ot the biggest and richest copper mines in the world. This particular piece of property was so unfortunate as to have been condemned by all the experts with the single exception of Bill Parish, who stated that it would be a bonanza at depth. Work was abandoned on the Coronado several times and the mine was closed down while the experts were in camp. On one of their trips the board of finding the mine again in operation, told MT. C0lquhoun that the expense of operating the prop erty since their last visit would be charged to his personal account. As it happened, on that very day, the shaft, which was then down $50 feet, dropped into one of the richest bodies of ore eyer struck in the district. Mir. Colquhoun, like the canny Scot that he is, said nothing about the strike to the directors, but before their departure a few weeks later, he took them to the mine and they were surprised to see the dump absolutely covered with copper glance and sulphide ores, averaging from 20 to 40 per cent.
 "Since that time, the Corondo has been extensively developed and the last account I had from tEere Was that it then showed S1O,O1O,OOO worth of ore in sight. Mir. Colquhoun was not taxed personally with the cost of the opening up of that property and from that time on he was not annoyed