Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-04
NEW ARIZONA
COPPER CAMPS
NUMEROUS FIELDS OPEN TO
INDUSTRY
PRODUCTION LIMITED ONLY BY
SMELLING CAPACITY
Report to Phoenix Board of Trade by
Fitz=Mac Reveals Vast Riches
of Queen Copper
State
BY FITZ-MAC

BY FTTZ-MAC
Arizona's capacity to produce is linn
tied only by her capacity to smelt. She
has the ore beyond all dreams of COM
petition. Not one of her older mines is
yet approaching exhaustion and in her
old districts she has new mines coming
in that fairly promise to rival the
greatest of her old ones. Several Of
these can be brought forward very
quickly if the price of copper continues
to offer a fair incentive.
But in addition to such individual
mines, Arizona has whole new districts
several of Homecoming forward
more slowly to not only maintain her
present output but to vastly increase it
Ito double it even-within a few years
If her present camps were unable to
increase their output by an additional
pound of metal.
There is no such copper-bearing area
known anywhere else on earth as Ari-
IONA possesses. With a width Of sixty
to seventy miueS it extends diagonally
across the territory from the south end
of the Sierra Nevada range in Califor-
MIA to the north end Of Sierra Madre
in Mexico and every year is increasing
the proofs of it's amazing mineraliza-
ton.
The Tucson Field
The country south and west Of Tue
son-Pima and Santa Cruz counties
appears from all accounts to be widely
mineralized with copper, and from the
inadequate knowledge of the geology of
the section picked up in a desultory
way [ would infer from the presence
of the mineral there at all that some
of the deposits are certain to prove
large and valuable. But as I have
never studied the field am not able to
speak automatically of it's merits.
The record now making by the COM
pany operating at Imperial near Red
Rock west of Tucson indicates a de-
posit of large value in the hands of
perfectly competent mining men able
to command all the capital required to
put the enterprise into large produc-
ton. In fact the production is already
as large (7,OO0,OOO pounds Year, as the
total output of the whole United States
was in the year 1S55-fifty- three years
ago-and the Imperial company, now
operating a single smelter there are
preparing to double their capacity the
coming year.
First Copper Mine
Speaking of the year 1855 recalls an
interesting bit of copper history. 1t re-
calls the fact that in precisely that year
the first attempt to operate a copper
mine anywhere west of the Mississippi
was made in the Ajo mountains, Pima
county, seventy-five miles directly west
of Imperial.
There was a great excitement about
it at the time in California and 1.-THE
Arizona Copper company" was organ
lied in Sacramento CD to operate it.
The enterprise f1zzled out for some re&-
son Gore ''too rich to smelt" perhaps)
but that was Arizona's baptism as
Queen of the Copper World
Like many another queen she has
had to wait for her crown.
The Helvetia mine south of Tucson is
now under active development with
every promise of becoming a large pro-
ducer of copper in the near future.
The Twin ButteS deposit is spoken of
as a property certain to burgeOn out as
a great producer when the company
gets down to business" 1t is COM
monty accepted as certain that when
they are ready to "burge" both of the
last mentioned will be able to make a,
large contribution to AriZona's yearly
output. Although I really know little
about the matter have the impression
that feeble financing, rather than lack
of ore, has kept all this region back
ward.
johnson District
This district is in northwestern Co.
chise county, not far from Benson. The
camp was discovered long ago. but
seems to have only lately struck it's
pace. From pretty reliable accounts
received it appears to be now in strong
and energetic hands with the intelli-
gence not to expect to get something
for nothing just because they have
gone into the mining business-the gen
eral curse of the trade everywhere.
The people operating at Johnson camp
now appear to understand at least the
first letter Of the alphabet of mining
that it takes money to make money.
VI Ii i
the first letter because they are ap-
parently not figuring Gin the usual ten
Gerfoot way) to cook their rabbit before
they catch it, but are chasing their ore
into the depths and finding it big and
rich from all accounts, and they are
hustling for a branch railroad to con-
meet their camp with the Southern
Pacific and make an outlet for their
product.
All that looks intelligent-and the
first thing needed everywhere in mining
is mining intelligence-after that cap
ital.
Johnson camp should begin very soon
to cut a good figure in Arizona's out
put.
Cochise county is a mineral empire
in itself and Johnson is only one of
the bright galaxy Of star copper camps
destined to figure in her red crown
when the camp ''gets right down to
business
Cortland Camp
At Cortland, in southern Cochise
county, and only thirty-five miles from
Bisbee and Douglas, a new copper
camp which appears to be one of the
first order has been opened up and fair
ly proved by the Copper Queen and
the Calumet of Arizona-our two
strongest companies. This, if the price
of copper furnishes sufficient incentive,
can be brought into important produce
ton in six to twelve months
In the Caluro range, in Pinal county,
twelve miles east of the San Pedro
river and the old gold camp of Mann
moth, in the Copper Creek district, a
very large and rich deposit of copper
has been opened by the Calumet and
Arizona company of Bisbee and the
Sibley company of Tucson.
This is at present remote from trans
portation and lies in a difficult country
to open, but its value is very well
proved, and it can be brought into i'm
portant production within twenty or
twenty-five months or less by building
about thirty miles Of railroad.
Along the north side Of the ella river
in the extreme lower point of ella
county and the eastern edge of Pinal