Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-25
TWIN LOST MINE
IS FOUND AGAIN
NACOzARI PROSPECTOR FINDS
LEDGE
ANCIENT TOOLS LIE BURIED IN
ANTIQUE DUMP
Discovery of Old Workings Recalls the
Early History of Mexico and
Arizona When Miners
Were Murdered

DOUGLAS, Ariz., Feb. 24.-For years
and years the prospectors in Sonora,
Mexico, have been searching for the
second CT what has been recorded IN
history as the Irwin Lost Mines" In
certain old records of the early mis-
sons mention is made of two certain
lost mines. The names under when
they are recorded, like the names OF
most of the missions established under
the Spanish crown, do not correspond
with any known landmarks today, ana
hence only relative location can be used
as a basis for exploration.
When the San Pedro mine, located
south of Nacozari, was discovered some
years ago, with its old underground
workings, it Is firmly believed that one
of the two lost mines had been dis
covered. Now it seems probable that
the second also has been located, and
in the belt indicated in the ancient
documents. Even if the second of the
famous lost mines has not ben discoV-
cred, an antigua mine of great age has
been found, with proofs enough TO IN
dicate that it has not been worked for
many years.
The discovery was made by John
Guilfoyle, well known pioneer mining
prospector of Nacozari. When out west
of Nacozari about ten miles he came
across a piece of detached ore which ne
picked up and examined. He spent
many days looking over the neighbor-
ing lodges in the nope Of coming across
the mother lode. But his search was in
vain. Meantime he brought in the
specimen of ore, and was surprised 10
find that it ran 1870 ounces of silver TO
the ton, with good values in gold. rms
assay ran so high that he returned to
the district and continued his search.
!, ;la In a creek bottom
he found rock almost at the surface,
but continuing his soundings he sud
denly struck spot where the steel
sank several feet.
Knew Formation Continued
Guilfoyle knew that the rock forma-
tion could not have ended so abruptly,
and he began to eXcavate. He uncov-
cred a long cut in the solid rock of the
creek bed which held down stream, and
which could not have been cut there
when the water was flowing in the pres
ent creek bed. AS he progressed ne
found old stone implements, including
stone hammers, hatchets, and finally
he came across a great ancient metate,
or stone bowl in which the ancient
workers pulverized the native ores be-
fore smelling in their crude adobe fur-
naces Later he uncovered metates, all
made of a hard flint rock which must
nave DeGH brought " LiiC hlSNA ~ - OAAi
q considerable distance, as there is no
flint of this hardness near the mine.
After pursuing his work for several
days, the drift in the rock led into
the ore ledge, but the old workings
were found to be closed up solid with
silt.
Guilfoyle pursued his investigation
and found under the soil on the creek
upland the remains of an old Stag
dump AS is customary with the pros
pectors in Sonora, Guilfoyle at once mad
this Stag assayed. On account of the
primitive methods of smelling en-
ployed by the ancient workmen, the
Stag found on these old dumps is usu-
ally rich enough to be worked over
again in the modern smelters, which
leave nothing of value in the Stag, but
strange to note, in this case the Stag
was found to be absolutely worthless,
Indicating that at this mine the pulver-
izing of the ore had assisted in the ex-
traction of the metal values.
The antigua smelters also knew lot
about the use of certain chemicals in
the extraction of metal from the ore,
and at this mine probably one of those
processes was used in connection with
the furnace, only fragments of the
foundation of which we're found by ex-
caYation.
Denounces Property
Guilfoyle Immediately denounced the
ledge on which he had made his find,
and called the group of claims AguaJe,
and extensions of the claim have been
denounced by Frank Watts, probably
the best known mining man in Sonora.
The latter has promised the Douglas
chamber of commerce and mines to
strive to get the collection of ancient
tools and to send them to that institu-
tion, where they will be added to the
exhibit already well represented with
specimens from the rich districts in
Sonora, including the Nacozari, Mocte-
yuma, Ell Tigre, La Carload, Sauhuarl-
pa, Cananea, Arizpe and others.
Guilfoyle has already leased the
Aguaie mine, and inside of the next few
months the old workings will be opened
up, when it is probable that other dis
coveries will be made to throw more
light upon the methods adopted by the
ancient workers.
The finding of the stone tools has
caused considerable interest among
those of an archaeological turn of mind
here. The Spaniards were experts in
the manufacture of steel, so that the
tools were not used by them. The sup
position is that an Indian tribe worked
this mine, and that this tribe probably
operated following the invasion and oc-
cupation of the Spanish adventurers.
1t is we'll known that there is a long
gap between the sixteenth and eigh
teenth centuries, where the history OF
Old Mexico. and that district now in
Guiding Arizona and New Mexico is
missing, probably because the mission
aries, finding that the crown of Spain
robbed every mine reported, ceased to
make reports of them. In 1920 the In
dians killed all the mine workers in
Sonora and Arizona, and many mines
abandoned at that time have been lost;
of the world, in fact, now quest and
not a part of history. Sonora has many
mines which, on opening, are found to
be antiguas, and many of them are
very rich.