Bisbee daily review., 1918-06-09
MAYER COMPETES FOR
 MINES RECOGNITION
CBv P. R. Milnesl


 PRESCOTT. June S.-The history of Mayer district, which is setting up a loud cry for recognition in cOmpeti- tion with the Jerome district, is as interesting as any part of the vast mineral domain encompassed within the confines of Yavapai county. Not so many years ago it was real west ern COW town, and although there was some mining in a desultory way, the real money which supported the sa- looms and gaming places came from the owner of the festive bovine. Gold was taken in quantity from shallow workings and from the beds of streams within sight of Mayer. Through Mayer came OK teams from the south laden down with high grade ore, trundling on their way to the railway at Ash Fork, more than 100 miles northwestward. Here the ores were carried by rail to the Colorado river, and then transferred to crude boats and freighted down the river from where they were shipped to different parts of the world for smelting. It was only profitable to export high grade copper, gold and silver ore from the country in this way, as some Of the ores were freighted across seas as far as Wales for smelling. Many pounds of silver ores cost the ship pers as high as 50 cents for tTanspor- tation. The early mining history of the district proved the wonderful rich ness of the country. Efforts are now being centralized on the copper prop critics. and little is heard of the gold and silver mines, for copper is King. Today there is a different story to tell. The COW man has been relegated tn a back seat, the nomadic miner and typical prospector of other days is no more. and where once individual ef- fort counted for much, the magic of dollars, otherwise capital, is wrestling hidden treasure from the ground in a scientific way and on business basis And the treasure is there, and in abun- dance. This fact was demonstrated with the development of the Blue Bell and De Soto mines from uncertain prospects into properties which now supply the Consolidated Arizona Smelling company with ores for it's big shelter at Humboldt Had it not been for the faith of the Consolidated in these two mines the chances are that the Mayer district would have gone backward instead of forward min orally speaking, and today be practi- cally an unknown land. The Blue Bell and De Soto were the alpha of the dis trict. what mine will be its omega can not. of course. be forecast but that section is being worked as never be- fore. and any day may witness the bringing in of even better mines than the two mentioned. The splendid shcwiugs at the Binghampt0n and Copper Queen give promise of devel- oping in large ore bodies. The Pent- land and the POcahontas are showing up splendidly and besides there are many excellent prospects which have strong hopes of breaking into the pro ducing class before long.
 Several years ago the Great West ern sme.ter was built by the Treadwell people, about a half mile south of Mayer. About a year ago, men inter- ested in the Big Ledge took over the shelter, and for several months oper- ated.
 Eight months ago the smelter closed down as the result of a Big Ledge TOW. The optimistic insist that operations will be resumed when the Big Ledge people have blocked out enough ore in the Henrietta and Butternut mines to assure them an adequate daily sup ply of material. At any rate, the re- opening of the Great Western smelter is an event awaited in Mayer.
 The Mayer Ore Purchasing Compa- ny. however. located about mile south of Mayer. is now in operation. Part of the works is being operated as a custom plant. thus affording the small producers of the district a mar ket for their ores. The samphng de partment is equipped with machinery