Arizona republican., 1917-06-17

Dr. James Douglas. who stuck to the
Copper Queen until it got there, tells
the story of the various ups and downs
of the undertaking. The story of the
Copper Queen is essentially the story
of the Warren district, Cochise county.
Here it isl
Il first saw the Copper Queen in
January. 1881 1t had been bonded in
the spring of 1880 by Mr.. Edward
Riley He was a lawyer by profession,
a pupil of Jerry Black, and an able but
erratic man, who had gone west many
years preViOusly-had operated first in
Utah, and was introduced to me at the
Philadelphia exposition by Prof. w. z.
Blake. He came TO own small mine at
Elko, Nevada, but, hearing of the fame
of the Ajo mine in Southern Arizona
sold his Nevada mine and gravitated
south. After more than one failure, he
bonded the Queen for $4,000 In San
Francisco, he succeeded in selling it to
Messers. Martin and Ballard, through
the mining firm of Bisbee, Williams &
Co, for the $4,000, taking his remu-
neration in a half interest. Bisbee
w
omend the purchase, as Mr.. Lewis
Williams had already seen the property
Martin and Ballard We're railroad en-
gineers who had heretofore resisted
every mining temptation. A payment
was made on the property, a thirty
inch jacket and some auxiliary machin-
cry ordered and Lewis Williams tool
charge of the work. under Mr.. Martins
personal supervision; for during all the
preliminary operations Mr. Martin
stayed at the mine. Mr.. Ben Williams
soon succeeded his brother in charge
of the mine, as superintendent, Mr.
Lewis Williams confirming himself IL
the smelter.
Half Cent Under Lake
Owing to my acquaintance with Mr.
Riley, the first two carloads of copper
bars were sent to me at the Chemica
Copper works, Phoenixville, Pa, fol
refining. The copper was found so eX-
cellent that it sold for a half cent un-
der Lake.
In January. 1881, on returning from
an examination of claim which aft
erward passed into possession of the
United Verde Copper company, | Wis
tied the Copper Queen at the reques
of Prof. Stillman, who had a shor
bond on it at s1,000,000 Mr. Martin:
controlling idea was from the first t.
SELL At that time the mine consisted o
an open cut on an almost circular bod.
of ore of about 60 feet in diameter
which dipped into the hill. 1t was en-
oil in nd CT cd n
copper carbonates with oxide of man
ganese and iron, and a notable guam
tity of calcite, but so rich that tn
furnace yield was twenty-three pc
cent
From Open Cut
There was no host, as the ore wa
still extracted from the open cut. I
small breaker was perched on the hill
side below the cut and the broken or
was shot down the furnace shed below
where it was smelted in the smal
jacket The ore was so basic tina
quartz boulders gathered in the canyo
had occasionally to be added to tn
charge as flux The water to supply tn
engines and furnace was drawn froT
the spring on the Mulvina claim, blu
the flow was so scanty that the furnae
had occasionally to be shut down fo
lack of it. Mr.. Martin was planning
pump line from the San Pedro befor
water was struck on the 300-foot levs
of the mine.
The posts and beams of the furnac
shed were made of the undresse
trunks of trees, and Mr.. Martin an
the Messrs. Williams lived and di
their clerical and assay work in one
roomed house, which stood to the mort
of the road leading down the canyol
The site is covered by the preser
store. The Main street, with its fe
houses, constituted the whole town, bt
few scattered houses lined the stag
road which descended the canyon
Hereford on the San Pedro, whence
followed the valley of the San Pedr
via Charleston, then a populous tow
into Benson
Coke and bullion took this dire
route, but passengers were general
taken via Tombstone where stages we
changed. One pretentious brick hou.
was built in the Bisbee canyon. 1t W;
then, and is still, known as The CAST
1t was built for Col. Herring, wi
was the superintendent of the Neptul
company, and he and his family occl
pied it. | called on the colonel to secu1
if possible. the Neptune Copper for n
refinery at Phoenixville. | was treat
with the utmost courtesy and Ger
mony, but got no copper, for the cor
pany produced little or none
Pioneer of District
The colonel's brother was one of t
pioneers of the Warren district He |
Gated the Neptune group of claims b
fore Bisbee was called Bisbee, and di
and was buried on the hillside nor
of Main street. The colonel took Il
west to collect his property, and We
wisely placed so high value on t
claims that he returned east and su