The Arizona copper camp., 1916-05-12
What Wilkins Has


Still nearer Ray, and on the east
side of Mineral creek, P. P. Wilkins
has a group Of sixteen claims COW
cring one of the strangest formations
found in the district. A blanket of
dacite, four or five feet thick and
sixty feet wide, extends down a hill
side the full length of three claims.
All of this dacite carries gold, silver
and copper, much of it running as
ugh as fifteen per cent in the red
metal. Specimens running thousands
of dollars to the ton in gold and
silver arc easily secured.
it is said that the formation is
much like that found at Goldfield
and Tonopah. 1t is believed that the
dacite came from a blowout and
simply flowed down hill. Wilkins is
now preparing to sink a shaft near
the upper end of the deposit, where
indications point to the existence of
Il great chimney of ore. Even if the
blowout is never found, if there Is
nothing except the blanket, Wilkins
mas a valuable property. Hundreds
of tons of ore can be sacked and
shipped at a profit.
Above the blanket of dacite is a
TO. ty-foot quartz porphyry dixie which
runs high in gold. The existence of
this dixie was unknown till it was
exposed by one of the storms last
winter.
TiIlman's Group
The Ray Consolidated company
does not own all the great Ray de-
posit of disseminated copper. The
deposit extends over seven claims,
which adjoin and intermingle with the
Ray Con property on the south. John
Tiilman mas been the owner for the
last. twenty years but an option on
his claims is now held by the Mckee
Investment company.
Ore can be found about anywhere
on Tillman's property and there seems
to be less overburden than there is
over most of the Ray Con. ground.
One big hill is solid ore. Two long
tunnels have been run at different
points and some of the ore taken
out was shipped.
Mineral creek, the Ray and Gila
Valley railroad and the Kelvin Ray
auto road cross Tillman's property.
fine spring is on one of the claims.
Lead and Zinc
development may soon be under
taken on a big scale at Elias Finks
group of seventeen lead and zinc
claims in the Walnut Grove section.
three miles west of Ray. J. J. Mil
Ter, of the Miller Bros. Mercantile
company, is interested with Mr.. Fink
and they are contemplating the in
stallation of machinery. Two men
have been employed there for some
time.
The pay streak, which shows for
considerable distance on the sur
faces ranges from practically nothing
TO five or six feet in width. A
tunnel has been driven in 200 feet
on the ore and a winze sunk thirty
feet Some magnificent specimens of
ore have been taken from this winze.
lead, three per cent zinc, and three
and a half ounces silver to the ton.
Another Lead Mine
Thomas Haley and William Souf-
rein, of Ray, own an equally prom
ising and better developed lead-zinc
mine three miles east of Ray. This
property has just been taken over
under bond by eastern parties, rep
resented by Captain McDernaott, of
Tucson, and first payment has been
made. Scott Osborn, formerly of
Phoenix, is superintendent Under
his direction a large line of develop
ment is to be prosecuted.
McSherry's Mine
After James McSherry had held his
property, half a mile west of Kelvin,
for 26 years. under conditions as dis
couraging as those which failed to
daunt Bob Renfro, Mexican leaser
took hold and opened up a showing
more promising than anything he was
able to find in that time.
Not that McSherry failed to find
anything at all. He found a great
deal. Ten strong ledges cut across
his group of fifteen claims, running
northeast and southwest. There is
a heavy iron Gaping and high grade
ore exposed in a number of places
right on the surface. Some 5000
feet of work, mostly tunneling, has
been done. and there, are five small
dumps of shipping ore. All the ore
from these dumps pans gold.
Recently C. w. Mckee and w. T..
Crawford, of Ray. took an option on
INC 4AONiOAAy PAOpOltJs "A @AOAANoA
obtained a lease on portion Of the
ground and began sinking on a
quartz-porphyry ledge ten feet wide.
This entire ledge averages four per
cent copper on the surface, but what
attracted the Mexican was an inch
streak of high grade.
The high grade widened steadily.
In a day or two the leaser knew that
he had something worth while. Now
he is down about fifteen feet and the
ore is foot wide. It runs 25 per
cent copper and native silver is
sprinkled through it, while free gold
can be seen with the aid of glass.
Three men are employed by the
leaser, digging and sacking the high
grade for shipment. The shaft is
never left unguarded for moment
The Mexican is losing no time in
getting out the ore for his lease has
less than thirty days to run and GER
tainly will not be renewed.
There is not property in the
country more advantageously situated
It. is right on the Phoenix & Eastern
railroad and the Gila river. A 1000
foot tunnel. started only few feet
from the railroad. would cut all ten
ledges at depth ranging up to 1900