Bisbee daily review., 1916-12-31
FINAL LIMESTONE REEF TO UNCOVER
 MORE PRODUCERS
William Gordon Declares the Country Between Superior and Christmas Is Alive with Possibilities.

RAY, Ariz., Dec. 30.-That a number Of big mines will be developed in the Superior Ray-Christmas mineral belt, and that this district, already one of the important ones of the state will : become one of the greatest in the Southwest is the conviction of William | F. Gordon, mining engineer.
 l Development of likely prospects in favored portions of the great lime stone reef that extends from Su- 1 perior on the west to Christmas on | the east will result in the making of several big mines, some of them in places where nobody has ever dreamed of indiugssore, in Gordon s i opinion. By favored portions he means ground lying in the sediment. aries, and especially along the faults that are so common throughout the entire mineral belt.
 ] Gordon. who was formerly engineer for the Sherwin-Williams interests at the Graphite mine in New Mexico. has been in and around the Superior Ray Christmas district since last March, when he was sent here to look over the Haley-Soufrrein property, now the Ray Lead Company He has been all over the district. almost from Christmas to the Magma, and has ex- amined a number of properties along ''the reef as he calls the big lime stone formation from Superior to Christmas.
 Lying in this mineralized belt in the sedimentary limestones are the Christmas. London-Arizona. Gila Can yon Consolidated. Seventy-Nine, Pinal Development, Ray Lead. Broken Hill, Magma. Magma Chief, Grand Pacific and Superior-Arizona properties, as well as several others" said Gordon this week: ''l have personally exam ined the Seventy-Nine. Ray Lead. Broken Hill, Magma Chief. Grand Pa cific and Superior-Arizona. and while of course I have my favorites. as ev- erybody has. I do not thing 1t can be said that any one mine is the best prospect. or that any one has the pre- ponderance of advantage. I believe that with development a number Of big mines will be found I do not know how many. or where. nor do believe that only those in which I have a personal interest will make mines. It is reasonable to expect that where the money is being put into ground located in the favored spots along this big limestone reef. development will be rewarded richly. and big mines made. And most of the properties To- cated in the favored spots in this vast mineralized belt have an equally good chance of making a mine"
 Gordon is esDecially interested in the Ray Lead and Ray Broken Hill properties. being in charge of opera lions at both these mines At the Ray Lead preparations to begin ship ping in the near future are now under way. and as soon as tramway has been installed 1t is eypected that the ore will heoin to move. The company has 500.00o tons of lead-eold-silver ore blocked out. running p5 per cent in lead and s1l ton in gold and silver. At the Broken Hill property which Gordon considers geologically the same formation as the Ray Lead. the ore also runs S11 a ton in gold and silver. hut the base metal is iron. With depth the lead content of the ore increases. and it is expected that it will nrove annrovimatelv the same as on the Halev-Souffrein group above.
 Develonment of several big mines in this district will mean the construc- tion of additional reduction plants. and prohablv big customs shelter to handle the ores in addition to those sent to the Favden smelter Stand ardization of the railroad to Superior. rumors of which are in the air. would become almost a necessity. while the creation of greater district by the develorment of a number of big mines here would almost certainly he follow ed by the connection of the two Ari- zona Eastern lines throprh the San Carlos box canvcr or hrildire of an other line down the San Pedro to Winkelman.