The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-31
CHINO MINE Is
CENTURY OLD
Spaniards Worked the High
Grade Values First of
Last Century.
INDIANS WERE AT
ONE TIME DESPERATE
Mexico Secured Much Copper
for Coinage From This
Property.

The following extract from an article
In the Mining World about the Santa
Rita mines of New Mexico, the home OF
the Chino Copper property. will prove
OF interest to local stockholders. espe-
clally the historical part. which Is little
known here:
The mines Of the Chino Copper COM
pany are located at Santa Rita, N, NJ,
n copper camp, pure and simple, and the
fact that the Chino company has blocked
out at this time practically 10000. 900
tons of ore averaging 2 5 per cent cop
per Is evidence that it will be a big
camp for some time TO come. n 1000
ton coDcentrator is now being erected
nine miles from the main camp. To bc
completed within twelve months. The
ore Is being concentrated In the small
mill now operating, about sixteen in one.
giving the concentrates a copper content
OF practically 80 per cent Nine Cyclone
drills are in constant operation, ana to
date there have been sunk 500 drill holes,
averaging about 800 feet Fully 90 per
cent OF these were in ore for from forty
to four hundred feet. and ono of the
drills went through a body of CONNER
cial orc OF over six hundred feet IN
thickness. The ore. as developed 10
date, occurs in the shape OF n horse
shoe. and the entire distance from heel
TO heel OF the shoe Is one and a quarter
miles. and the average thickness Of the
ore within this territory is about 800 feet.
with an average width OF 500 feet
The Santa Rita mines were discovered
by the Spanlards in 1900; work was be-
gun on considerable scale in 1905. The
district is in the very heart OF what was
Indian strongholds. where Geronimo and
other Apaches made their headquarters
and II was both difficult and hazardous
to attempt anything like large operations
However the Spanish grandeeS whose
aides had discovered the deposit Of cop
per tnatlVe copper was all that. was ex-
tracted or cared for in those days) Sc
cured grants and concessions from the
government; and, in fact. the
copper from the Santa Rita mines was
the base for most Of the commoncr coins
hauled by mule and OK team to the City
OF Chihuahua and thence in the same
manner TO the City OF Mexico, where II
was utilized in the mint. Later on, there
were several attempts TO smelt the ore
advantaGeously on the ground. but moth
Ing effective was really done Finally.
during tn. most bloodthrsty, and near
the end OF Geronimos career. the mine
was totally abandoned. because ii was
impossible 10 carry on operations in the
race OF such persistent persecution. The
Is yet standing. and one OF the. signal
towers is today used as a Jail by the
OF Santa Rita.
Fully one-half of the ore of this camp
is TO be won by the steam shovel pro-
cess, A rail line is now being con-
structed for the first steam shovel.
"NlCu Is " pcSlu DN SlrllpluE lne over
burden from the Chino mine proper
when the ore will he extracted with the
shovel and sent by steam railway 10 the
nine miles away. a pc
culiar feature Of the eastern portion OF
the camp is that where. In the Hearst
shaft, 300 feet was considered the limit
Of depth of the ore body. the drill holes
demonstrate that there is a larger and
better ore body extending TO the bottom
of the holes. 1000 feet In the Booth
shaft a heavy flow of water was en-
and. as this shaft Is not nee
essary to the proper development Of the
camp, work has ceased and the water Is
used to supply the 100 ton MILL as well
as the entire camp.
The ore body Of the company Is in the
shape OF n horseshoe. the distance from
one heel to the other being approximately
one and quarter miles. The ground
IN the Chino, Texas Flat Whim Hill and
Santa Rita sections has been quite thor
oughly prospected by churn drills. as well
rs by the underground work OF the com
pany and Of the leasers. 1t has been the
custom since the opening OF the camp to
ease some Of the ground, and this has
tended to open the ground thoroughly |
This leasing Is yet continued to lin
ted extent. but 1t is announced that all
such operations will soon cease