Bisbee daily review., 1911-09-20
Onv Chas. A. Dlnsmore.l )

most noted of the early day mines of the southwest. It was discovered in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg when he and associates were out on the des-
 ert looking for Indians, and since that date the United States mint returns show that over Sl6,000, ,00O in gold has been taken out and sold. Wickenburg was told to go to the top of small knoll and look south over the desert for a band of rowing Indians who had been creating havoc through this sec
 ton. He did not see the hostiles, and
 sat down a minute to rest and roll a cigarette, and after this was lighted
 he just absent-mindedly began knock
 ing at a ri5-like protuberance of
 quartz, finally breaking of a piece. It
 was very rich, gold showing through
 cut. The man was excited and called
 one of his companions and they or
 ganized a co-partnership right there.
 Then the party all returned to the
 town of Wickenhurg, and the partner
 went to San Francisco overland,
 where he filed on the claims. Return
 ing, he and Wickenburg went out to
 the claims and then let others know
 what they had. The boom" was in-
 stant and exciting. Men rushed to the section in companies and by every
 means from finest blooded saddle
 horses to OK teams, or even afoot.
 Meanwhile the work on the Vulture stroeeeded ded-.here seemed to be a great deposit of ore that ran over $loe per ton, and with some running s2,0eo
 a ton. This was gotten out as fast as possible. An arGstra was first
 used, but was abandoned because Of lack of water, the closest point for
 this being the Hassayampa river at
 Wickenburg, 15 miles away. A mill
 was erected at Wickenburg, another
 at Vulture City, above; and another at Savers, some distance below. The ore was hauled from the mine to these mills and ran through, the bull lion going to the government mint at San Francisco. The mills are demol-
 ished now: but the taiIing dumps
 have been cysnided twice to profit Land there are tons of this material showing where the reduction works
 were located This ore, too. was the cause of a number of arastras on the river. and some of these did big business. 1 have a story from man who found one of the aTastras late in the eos. Tthere was about a ton
 of ore there, but TO person. This man made some Investigation and i found that the proprietors had been | driven of by the Indians; so he started the arastra up and in a day and a half had slG5 in bullion to help ! him cn his way. Of course, during
 I.E- 1 of successful prospecting, but none Of the others made big mines as did . the Vulture. The work at this mine
 went forward with undiminished ac- l tivity, the ore being taken out in the most approved manner at that time, | and really economically and well. The ! big pits from which the bulk Of it
 came are about 800 x 4OO feet and | 200 400 feet-there are but two of . these pits. When the rich ore was | extracted from these pits deeper work was forwarded, on the vein; and here the ingenuity and the capability of the management is shown today. | There were no timbeTs in the country, ] though there was wood in sufficient quantity for the boilers, and the manager carefully assayed all the
 ground as depth was attained, and
 whatever ran below S25 per ton was
 left as pillars to hold the overburden,
 which it successfully. does to this day.
 Tn 1882 an SO-stamp mill was installed
 the stamps weighing 800 pounds each, I this being one of the finest mills of
 the coUfitFy at that time-the finest
 m the southwest To successfully ouerate this necessitated a great deal
 of water. Prior to starting the
 stamps water had been hauled in wagons from the Hassayampa. But now
 a pipe line was established over the
 IS miles, of about G inches diameter,
 manufactured at the mine. It was ef
 fectiye, though nowadays one would
 hardly install that pipe over an ordi
 nary big cooking range. Prior to the starting Of the mill all the ore wns
 hauled to the plants On the river, sup
 plies and water being brought back
 by the freighters. These freighters
 were men of the wEds, as was nee. essaTy. Many a time has a team
 started from the mine, to be held uI
 by Indians just across the divide when a bloody fight would ensue, and
 many a driver left who made only his
 eternal home. They were happy-go
 lucky sort. though, and took it all as
 in the days work" Indeed, l have
 talked with a number of these old timers who actually Go wish that 'tht
 good old days" would come eaca
 again. They were good old days be cause there was every incentive tC
 push forward and rewards were some | times princely. Standing outside tho blacksmith shop at the Vulture is al , old Burleigh drill, one of the HoosaS 1 Tunnel fellows, an old-timer surf ! enough It looks odd today; but al r the same it surely tells the story ot energy and capacity of the men whC 2 operated the Vulture when all ma
 chinery was hauled from EhrenburG by freight teams. There is also aI
 old-style hand drill standing here
 which formerly did fine work. Th'
 engine to drive the so stamp mill wa , Of the old style walking beam type
 and probably if il should be neces , sary to start it up today 1t would run . as it did 90 years ago. The whoi'