Bisbee daily review., 1914-10-18
ACCIDENTS BLAMED
 FOR DISCOVERY OF
 MANY GREAT MINES
Manager Of Big Ledge Proper ties In Northern Arizona Tells How Their Mine Was Found- Cat Claws Covered Ledge

Cat Claws Covered Ledge
 Most of the big mines that have been developed in this country wero discovered by pure accident" said Charles Batre, manager Of the Big Ledge Mining company. at his ho- tel. one evening this week. He is very familiar with the mining history . of the West and Southwest, and men, toned several instances of how well , known mines were discovered by a ! man whose occupation at different times was freighter and prospector.
 Yes" continued MT. Batre, "thera is romance and deeply human interest | stories connected with most Of the mines and big prospects everywhere that naining is a recognized industry. Take for example the discovery of the property now owned by the Big Ledge Mining company. on the Black Hills range of Arizona
 "A man named Joe Higgins, whom will wager is playing solo at this moment in Humboldt Arizona, whose occupation was prospector and freighter, and a good representative of that type of men in the Southwest was the man who discovered that val uable ground Higgins is nicknamed Pumpkin Joe but just ho whe hap pened to acquire that cognomen have never heard He is an easy going chap who can go as long without food or water on a prospapiing trip as any , man have ever met, and who knows ore when he sees it. Joe was freight , ing from Humboldt to the camp of tho , Yavapai Metals company when he dis covered the rich ledge which our com. pany now owns. He was passing along with his mule team over the wash be- low the ledge, when be picked up a small rock to throw at the lead mule. He did not throw the rock. The trained hand detected weight in the rock be- yond the usual. and instead of heay- ing it at the mule he examined it crit ically. Joe stopped the team and looked
 at the ledge above him, which was
 covered with dense growth of cat Q claw, and which was difficult to pene.
 trate on account of the sharp claw
 like needles which grow in profusior
 on the plants Satisfied that he had
 stumbled onto something good Jo'
 hastened to deliver his pack at th- '' mining camp. and then returned t'
 make an examination of the ledge
 Nothing in the world had ever pre-
 vented the discovery of this ledge be ot fore except the dense growth of cat
 claw. Men heretofore had given th
 place a wide berth. for contact wit as the cstelaw. which grows to a neigh ed of four to five feet is not plessan si experience The existence of tn re ledge was not suspected, and nobod ts had gone to the trouble of clearin .cl the vegetation off to examine the SUI
 face, until Joe Higgins became COT ial vineed of the presence of valuabl of deposit of ore.
 Well. to make a long story shor
 Joe staked a number of claims. Ths
 was in 1910, and for at least tw eg years he lived off the property. merel or taking his pack mules to the locatio of and loading them with ore, and se an, ing it at the smelter in Humbold f Joe took two tons out of tren' Or three feet deep, which he sorted car ,ck- fully, and which returned him S1O2.l
 per ton. Our people took steps
 acquire claims an around the Joe RI
 gins claims. and we then set to wo of to acquire him claims. It was no cal we. matter to get him to do business. tsi spent months on that job, bus s' for ceeded at last to get him to name O. fair prics. We paid hiW eerta B. amount in cash and tue balance is stock of our company. and if anybo
 desires to know what the origin