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Arizona's Bullion Product

Arizona's Bullion Product image
Parent Issue
Day
23
Month
March
Year
1883
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Theincreaso in the ilevelopment o Arizona's mineral riches, as shown b' tho production for the last year, . ap proaches the extraordinary. It is no so many years ago that Arizona wa looked upon as a land of deserts yawning canons and barren mountain rich chiefly in cacti and Apaches, who interfered with the working of the few mines that wero known. Humboldt' prophecy that the wealth of the world would be fonnd in Arizona and New Mexico seemed the dream of a visión ary, until the events of the last ten and ospeciallv the last five ycars, show ed the possibility of its ÍHlfillment Natyirally the most rapid growth of tho mining and other industries of Arizona dates from the completion of the southern Pacific Kailroad across theTerritory Without directly reaching anv mining camps, the railroad gave facllities foi travel and transportaron which were a vnst advanco upon tho old emigrant's wagon and mulo and ox-teams. Tho (uscovoncs at, lomüstone made tliat tho leading mining centre of the territory although, curiously enough, tlio towu is not yet touched by nny railroad. Every yearof tho last live has markcda significant growth. but tho year of 1882 is noteworty as bringing Atizona into a Jlattcring prorninenee. From tho statisticB of tho bulljon output collected by journals of tho Territory, it appcars likcly that Arizona will rank third amon tho States and Territoriesin the proctuotion of gold, silvor, coppcr and lead. The hills among which "Ed." Schieffelin was warned ho would find hls "toinbstone," have in 1885 risn to a position socond only to Leadville as a centre of sil ver production. The figures given for tho product of the Tombstono district in silvor and gold during tho yoar are $5,002,876. The yield of tho SUver King and other districts amounts to $2051,133, which with othor estimatod producís makes the value of tho silver and gold producod $8,757, 009. The valuo of the coppcr bullion tnrned out was $2,915,284. Tho total productiol of silver, gold and in Anzona during 1882, thurofore, araour.t.s to .f 11702,293. These ügarea are taken from estimates cvidently prcparoil with care, and there seems no renson to doubt their being approximatoly correct. This showing is a rornarkable one wben we consider the short timo sinec Arizona mines began to be oxtensively developed, and the numerous obstacles that havo been thrown in the way of such developments by hostile Apaches. It may bc expected that the bullion product of Arizona will increaso on account of the largo scctions of comparatively uncxplored mineral lands. Thus far tho territory appears to be a country of small mines. Jit Tombstone a peculiar seric3 of blanket deposits is found in the limo formation, and a mine relying upon deposits, even when they are dignified with the name of "mineralized zones," scldom yields for a very long time. Some of the Tombstone mines aro already practically exliaustod, as is the case with minos on Fryer Hill at Leadville, but new mines aro conlinually being opened up, and tbc total output of the district is likcly to show an increase rallier than a falling off. Arizona's mineral devolopment has fairly begun and in the future she will contond with Colorado and New Mexico for the leading place in the list of bullion producing states and territorios.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat