El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-08
MINING NEWS
Picturesquely Located, It
Has Shelters Right in
Town and 5000 Inhabitants
Rr G. A. NInrtin.A

Clifton, Ariz., Nov. 8.-Colorado has
wonderful scenery and people cross the
continent to look upon the Garden Of
the Gods and admire the rugged gran
deur of the canyons along the Denver
q no Grande road between Pueblo
ana Grand Junction, but none Of this
Is any prettier than the magnificent
ruggedness around Clifton.
Between Clifton and Metcalf seven
miles to the north, is one of the most
beautiful canyons on the American con-
IlnenL Towering hundreds Of feet
above the bed Of Chase creek, these
great canyon walls with their wealth
or color, varying shades and blend
lngs as the sun shifts its light, are the
equal Of anything in picturesque
America European travellers have said
that the picture is the equal of any
thing in the Alps. A little railroad,
the Coronado railway line, runs up the
bed Of Chase creek from Clifton to
Metcah and, gazing upward from the
observation car, the sight IS wonder
fully beautiful. The little mountain
stream ripples along beside the train
as the locomotive pulls first along one
side of the stream and then the other,
now through tunnel then over
trestle, now hanging 10 one wall OF the
rock cliff, now to another SIX tunnels
are penetrated in the run Of seven
miles, and all along the walls OF the
great canyon are seen mines and in
ore to the cars for transportation 10
the mills and shelters at Clifton
Avoiding the Floods.
Above the bed Of the river, sometimes
inside the walls of the canyon, some
times climbing to their top for safe
hold, runs another road, the shannon
railroad, q narrow gage line and most
expensive one to build. The shannon
line is built for hauling ore only. ana
no passengers are carried. The COrO-
nado road hauls both passengers and
ore; also the freight for Metcalr ana
the mining camps en- route, ana sum
further north in the pine-cOvered hills
The Shannon road is far above the dan
ger point from floods; the Coronado
line is not, and when it rains hard, the
floods roaring down the canyon OIIen
wash out the line However, IN late
years the entire rOadbed has been re-
built of Stag and stones and the damage
from flood is not so heavy these days as
of old. Almost all the way the road
bed is protected on the side next the
water by huge bOulderS or Slags cast
especially for this purpose, weighing
many tons each and impossible or De
ing washed away except by cloud
burst or such flood as has never Deen
known before. This road mas cost the
Arizona Copper company many thou
sands of dollars on account or IloOQ
damage. but the engineers believe that
they have now about solved the sltua-
I ton
The Arizona Copper company and the
Shannon Copper company have MADE
Clifton; these two concerns practically
keen the town on the map, for each en-
ulOvs a large force Of men in the town,
I while the mines Of the companies close
by contribute a large share to the
prosperity Of the place The Arizona
I cOmnanv operates SmelIer and con-
] centrator in Clifton and it has mines
I at MOrenci, Metcalf and Coronado us
railroad shops and terminals are also
I located in Clifton 1t employs oUU men
in Clifton alone, and over ZOOu IN the
district Here it operates two concen-
I traitors in addition TO its Morencl con-
contractor. All ores except the MOrencl
Z ores are concentrated here, and an tAe
{ concentrates are Smelted mere One OF
the Clifton cOncentratOrS is for sui
Dhide ores, and one is for OXIDE ores
I In the sulphide cOncentrator sou tons
are handled daily, while in the OJnef'
400 tons of oxide ores are hanQleu- IN
the NTOrencf concentration 1900 tons OF
ore are treated daily The smelter
| treats all these concentrates and also
much ore that is of a direct smelling
I character. Last year the total output
I in blister copper was 34,574,OOO tons.
The Town Of Clifton
The Shannon smelter treats most OF
/ its ores direct and handles about 1000
| tons daily brought down to the smell
ter from its mines at Metcalf. The
Shannon narrow gage railroad, 10 miles
[ IN length, completed only about year
does the hauling. This company oper-
[ ates a concentration for the treatment OF
I about 400 tons Of sulphide ores a day.
! The smeIter Of this company is located
at the extreme southern end OF CllIton,
a town in a canyon. starting down on
the San Francisco river and extending
up the river for a distance Of about ~
I miles, branching in the center, where
I Chase creek pOurs its waters into the
river and extending northwest along
Chase creek also. The old town OF CHI
I loo tod q lone
Z beside the ella at the junction or the
| two streams. but in late years, as the
I town has grown, it has spread up the
San Francisco river and also down the
/ river. Like Morenci and Clifton, the
/ town has also grown upwards where
| it can. and houses cover all the noun
tainsides that are not too steep me
! new concrete school building has been
/ erected in South Clifton. or HIS ad-
ditiOn, where there is very pretty
collection of new residences all OF a
substantial character with DeautlIul
yards and nice streets. In this section
/ the supervisors have also decided to
[ locate the new county courthouse Tor
/ Greenlee county. There has been con-
siderable Wrangling over this location
I because Of its distance from the center
| of population. It is across the river
from this locality that the shannon
smelter is located.
The A. c. Operations.
At the junction Of Chase creek and
the San Francisco river, the smelter
and shops of the Arizona Copper COM
pany are located, on the west bank
of the river This is about the center
of the town. On the east bank of the
! river at this point is located the busi-
ness section of modern Clifton. Up
Chase creek to the northwest extends
the older business section Of Clifton,
and at the extreme end Of this locality,
spreading out like fan upon the
mountains, have been built many COM
Portable residences and homes Back Of
the newer business district. also upon
the hills, are many more pretty resi-
dences.
clifton is a town Of over 5000 people
and a urOcrreCSfva f0yyrn with two