El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-16
RICH FIELD IS
CLOSE To
Ell PASO
Pass Separates Two Dis
tricts Which, While Close
Together, Are Different.
MINERAL WEALTH Is
IN GREAT ABUNDANCE
Early Miners Had to Fight
Indians and Many Were
Killed by Apaches.
CBy L. H. Davis.)

CBy L. H. Davis.)
Almost at FL Paso's doors is Stems,
New Mexico. the center of one Of the
richest mining districts in the entire
southwest. Stems is station on the
Southern Pacific 106 miles west or
five hours ride from FL PaSO. Its ele-
walton is 1881 feet above sea level and
its grade is SO steep that It takes
double header to pull the trains over
the divide.
For it is on the backbone Of the
great continental divide between the
Atlantic and the Pacific, pass IN the
great cOrdiIlerO or Rocky mountains.
1t is in the midst Of the mighty pla-
Teau whose hills and mountains nave
e. yielded the most wonderful mineral
riches in the world, such as from the
camps Of LeadTille, Butte, SllTerton,
Aspen, Telluride and Gunnison in the
north, and the MogOllons, SJeeple.
Rock, Twin Peaks, Apache Box i'm
mediately north, and the camps OF
Tigre, NacOZari, OcampO, LluVla de
orc and others innUmerable to the
south in Mexico. 1t is in the bosom
Of that mountain system in which
Baron Won Humboldt 100 years ago,
predicted would be found the greatest
treasure vaults of mineral in the
world prediction amply verified
ever since. It is also in the circle OF
the great camps of Bisbee, Pearce,
Dragons Johnson, Benson, Tomb
stone, Clifton Morenci, The BurrOs
and Santa Rita and LOrdsburg, being
on the dividing boundary line between
Arizona and New Mexico.
Stems is in the pass through the
long mountain called the PelonciIlOs,
which reach from north to south about
SO miles This pass separates the min
ing camps on the north from those on
the south The northern one Is called
the Kimbau district and the south
ern one is called the san Simon dis
trict. The two districts, although so
close to each other, are strangely diff
Iereut from each Otner geOlOglcaIlY
and Internationally. The Kimbau
district being made up Of GRANTEES,
pOrphyries and other intrusive rock
with fissure veins and lOdes carrying
only gold and silver; While the san
Simon district is largely made of sed-
imentary OF limestone rocks through
which are porphyry intrusiOns, and
the ore deposits consist principally OF
lead, copper, zinc and some silver as
a by-prOduct visited each and most
Of the principal mines and prospects.
KimbaII GfOId-SfIver Belt.
This district begins within mile
north Of Stems and extends north
about 10 miles. 1t is said TO have
been discovered about 1875. but serious
prospecting did not begin till about
1882. No camp in the west SUI
Tered so much from raids OF indians.
In Doubtful Canyon, five miles north
of the Beck mine in the northern end
of the district the ApacheS under Ger
onimO massacred 135 miners and their
bones bleached IN the dismal place.
Silver was the chief product in the
earlier days, but Of late gold ores Of
commercial value have been found.
The total production Of the Kimban
district IS said to be between $500 900
and S1.0OO,0OO. And this was accom-
plished under great obstacles, such as
indian raids, lack Of water, lack Of
capital to start with, crude methods Of
ore treatment and nigh freight rates
and smelter charges. Happily, most
Of these obstacles have been removed
now and there is nothing lacking to
make it one Of the greatest camps in
the west except capltal and develop
ment. The most serious obstacle Of
all has been settled by the boring Of
a well on the Beck mine by the Ma
tiOnal Gold and Silver Mining com
panys which has demonstrated the
presence Of abundance Of water at
200 feet below the surface, right in
the heart Of the district.
Geology Of KimbalI District.
In this district the principal rocks |
are a dark gray, fine grained diorite
pOrphyrys with a flow Of rhyolite, I
similar to those in the Steeple Rock, |
Apache Box and MOgOllon districts.
In the vicinity of the Beck mine prom
inent bikes Of monzonite pOrphyry cut
through the diOrite pOrphyry which /
is locally called andeSite, much altered
and chlOritized. The veins Of the dis
trict are marked by brecciated and
silicified zones Of considerable width /
The pay ores of gold and silver are 4
found generally in quartz, and the
brecclated and silicified zones. The I
rich ores at the surface are chIOrides
Of silver carrying gold, but down at 1
the depth of 100 feet and often near !
the surface, the ore is not OXidized and I
occurs In sUlphides, such as pyrites, |
galena and even zinc blende. The !
finer grained pyrites carry the richer 4
gold and silver values
Development and Naturalization.
How much these hills look like
those Of the Cripple Creek district" is /
the exclamation of the visitor for the
first time. The visitor is also amazed /
to find so much work has been done
and Improvements made in district
so little heard of by the outside world. 4
A dozen passenger trains with crowds J
Of people fly through the Pass daily I
without ever dreaming there is a rich |
mining camp almost within a mile be-
hind the hills Just north of Stems
Possibly the tourists will become
acquainted with this district when the
ten thousand automobiles run through /
this Pass on the BOrderland route
Ihls district has never had any pub
Lefty such as many other camps, but
1t certainly deserves it.
Accompanied by Charles r Mott
superintendent Of the National Gold
& Silver Mining company D. l. Cres-
well, the Stein merchant; n T. Ire
gear, manager Of the Ell orc mining
properties; j. c. COnklin, mining en- (
Slneer and one Of the owners Of the I
IL ORC Extension group, I arrived by /
conveyance over a good wagon road !
in an hour and a half drive at the D
first big mine in that camp, which is I
called locally the Beck. As CORE
spOndent Of The Herald I received a
most cordial welcome every where
went, and was invited to inspect the
several mines on the surface and down
under ground.
Mines Of National Gold & silver Co.
The first inspection made by me
Was Of the group of mines locally /
called the Beck mines, owned by the
National Gold & Silver Mining com
pany. wealthy Chicago cor
poration' whose officers are judge