Year: 1875

As mentioned elsewhere, we with Mir Frank Murray visited Big Bug Creek, on Sunday last. and took look at some of the mines, the mill, ulcnes' etc, belonging to the Company repre- sented by Chas E. Hitchcock, and were some what astonishcd to find evidences of larger amount of work having been done there than we had supposed, in the then dangerous condition oi the country, 1t was possible to accomplish be- lore General Crook and hls brave command had quieted the Indians. The Big Bug mine, Euge- | mia, and some others located too near the top of the mountain to beguie us into climbing up to | see them were not visited, but the Isabella named for the youngest daughter of Mir. H., we found located conveniently to the buggy road and selected 1t for examination. This is not large lode nor extraordinarily rich, but is admi- rably situated for being worked cheapy, and is well opened on the surface for nearly hundred feet in all, besides having shaft down 9 feet in one place, at the bottom of which the vein is about three feet wide. A ditch has been brought snto the lode and several tons of pay ore ground sluiced out and piled up ready to be sent down on tramway to the Creek, where the battery from the Big Bug mill will be set up, and run by water from the ditch, to crush it. MT. Hitchcock informed us that in sluicing out the ore now on hand, they saved from SIP to SIS per day in free gold to the hand, which is sufficient evidence of the value of the vein matter, aside from what may be in the rock itself The Isabella runs parallel with the Eugenia and dips into the mountain towards the other, is of the same character of ore, and as the Eugenia is perpendicular ledge. it is believed that at depth of several hundred feet they come together and form one ledge, or i'm oil r1s hat ho ;s ,ba iad the Isabella a spur. They have crushed some seven or eight thousand tons from the Eugenia, with good results, but it is quite inaccessible on account of its great elevation, and If it can be reached through the Isabella it would greatly fa- citate its working and render it much more profitable.

 Returning to the Hitchcock residence near the mill, we were treated to m excellent lunch, and found as pleasant and intelligent family as one would meet in visiting one in ten thousand even in San Francisco or anywhere else. Mrs. H. is a lady of culture and refinement, fit to grace a pal ace. and her daughters, though they have been chiefly brought up in the wilds of Arizona and understand handling horses and cattle, and can estimate the value ofa sample of ore at sight equal to an old expert. nevertheless show evi. | dences of mothers careful training, and appear as well in the parlor city belles-Dnus pale | cheeks and delicate health, the usual accompani- | ments of too carefel exclusion from the life giv- ing sunshine and atmosphere Of heaven.

 High up in gorge of the mountain they are | cultivating kitchen garden, each has borse of her own and no thanks to anyone for putting | him in condition for gallop up the rugged | steeps 10 where they spend an hour or two each | day in digging up weeds, training vines and pre- pairing for supply of fresh healthy mountain | vegetables for their own table. But we have not | time nor space to do justice to the woodnimph | life of these two "mountain maids" than whom | no bird is frccr nor song sweeter than the echos l they awaken from crag to crag in these grand old | solitudcs. Our travelling companion being much younger man and consequently more i'm pressibe and susceptible to romantic surround | ings and influences than one'at time of life is supposed to be, became so infatuated with Big | Bug that our powers of persuasion were well | nigh exhausted in prevailing upon him 10 leave | in time 10 reach home before nightfall.

 Arizonans are proverbial for their hospitality, | but we venture nothing in saying that a more pleasant place to visit or more agreeable and | intelligent family does not exist within the bor- ders of the Territory than that of Chas E. Hitch | cock of Big Bug.