Arizona republican., 1909-04-20

! opportunity 10 go ana make d real iH- ! spection of the country He did not 1 expect to do it in a day, or 10 do it | without some effort and some measure ! of personal discomfort. so he left pre- | pared to stay as long as he wanted to. | unencumbered with baggage or other | impedimenta. It was his plan to trav- 1 el as he found it convenient. sleep ! where he had to, eat when he could, ] and live with the prospectors and. after ! their fashion He had some interests
 acquired there, partly through his part | ner, Theodore Haffner. that he wanted
 10 look over. but, in the main, he just ! wanted to see the country and find out ! what Is being done, and what the noise | is all about.
 He left the train at Vicksburg. walk | cd up to Winchester. and for the next | ten days walked about ten miles day all over the country. in the triangle, at | the points of which are located the | Arizona Northern, Winchester and the holdings of the Yuma Copper company. l He says he believes that the entire | district will be proved to be an i'm portant one some day for both copper and gold Ia his opinion. speaking as an ordinary observer with some min ] ing experience. though not as a geolo- ! gist he thinks there are two quite dis tinct formations in the section referred to. That in which the Arizona North ern camp and Winchester are central points seem to predominate in the for nations generally prevalent in a gold country. while further west. toward the Yuma Copper company. there is more in evidence. the immense iron and lime and quartz and diorite lodges that more frequently harbor the copper values. Of course. there is no arbitrary bOun-
 diary between them, and both gold and copper are found all over the district,
 but his conclusions are mace from the
 general appearance of the country and
 strengthened by the results noted in
 an inspection of many prospects. His
 general comment on the whole situa-
 tion is that it is a wonderful mineral
 region that Phoenix should know more
 about and the development of which
 should more strongly appeal to Phoe-
 nix business men. He believes there
 will be both big gold and copper mines
 found in that section. and it is up to
 Phoenix to encourage prospecting and
 development. It seems to be the gen
 eral impression that the Yuma Copper
 company's holdings are in an extension
 of the same belt that runs down
 through the Bouse country. or vice
 versa. which amounts to the same
 thing.
 He ate. slept and travelled with many
 different prospectors, going on foot
 most of the time. and was highly com
 plimented when his general appear
 ance so impressed one man while he
 was hiking back to the railroad that he
 was offered job as a miner. He says
 he found a host of the old-time pros
 pectors in the hills men who have
 ived there for years, who wouldn't
 take a cent. who were not excited by
 stories of strikes, for fhey all have
 them, and who propose to go right
 along prospecting and mining. regard
 less of glory holes or anything else.
 They are the men who will eventually
 make the country. and the men whom
 Phoenix wants to encourage in their
 work Just now there are many of
 the transient class who have been
 drawn there by the gold stories and
 who. of course. drift out again with
 he advent of hot weather, unless they chance to strike something upusually good For instance. he saw two young men. former bell-hOps in a Los Angeles hotel. who were looking for a bonanza. and. in common with everybody. MT. Williams hopes they will find it: but such are usually those who prospect for adventure and experience. rather than for the business of finding mines. But the hills are full just now of all kinds of people. and while picture gold is seldom found. scores of lodges have been located where fine assays are se- cured. and some of them must certain ly make mines. if they are developed.
 The great drawback of the country is water. Just now there are but two places that are ependable-Winches- ter and the Yellow Bird mine There is water at the Yuma Copper camp. but it is of a poor quality. though the company is sinking a well and hopes to find a good supply at no great depth. The present supply comes from the mine and is a poor substitute for real water. though it can be used. if neces- sary. He is informed there are springs in the hills above that may be devel- oped and there are doubtless many places that water can be secured in wells. but the wells have not yet been dug. For the present. therefore, one of the greatest expenses and the great est hardships is in keeping the camps supplied with water brought in barrels for many miles. Mir. Winchester is do- ing notable thing for the country by pumping and furnishing free to all corners the water at his camp. but | even then it is expensive to carry it | five or ten miles and supply the camps 1 where location work is being done. A | year or two later. when a dozen or so | of the groups now attracting attention | have developed a good water supply, | things will be different. The wateS | scarcity. however. will make work dur | ing the coming summer very strenu- | ous in places remote from the camps | named.
 Notwithstanding these things. the | hundreds now out in the hills are en- | thusiastic and hopeful. and their num- bers are increasing. Mir Williams said | he could not a great difference in the | ten days he spent there. seeing many | tents and camps established during his short stay. He said he never met but | one knocker during his whole stay. and | that was a Phoenix man who was for wages, and who had not been to the scene of any of the big strikes