C H A P T E R XVI.

.MlITTB AND MINING-NEW MEXICO, ARIZOSA, AND TEXAS.

HISTORIC3 1 ~ ~ 8 -AXD
0 NEW
~ ~ PLACERS-YIELD-LATER DEVEWPJ~ESTS
-TTIE PUEBWSAS XIXERS-STOHIESOF LOSTMIXESIX ARIZOXA-
EFFECTOF THE CIVIL\TAR OX >IIBISC-THE TOXBSTOSE BOS.\SZAS--
COPPER DEPOSITS~ILVER-BEAXIJQQCARTZ-DIAMOTD FIELDS-GEO-
LOCICAT, CHARACTERISTICS-THE
G R E ~BELT--COAL
T A S D IROSBELTS
IS TEXACCOAL MEASURE~TRESD OF VEISS-AREA-COAL MIYISG-
PETROLEUM -IROS- COPPEB-SILVER-h.4~- GOLD-SALT-G Y P S U ~
AXD OT~IERMISEWLS. ,

THERE is little or-io evidence to show that t h r

Spaniards engaged extensively in mining in New
Mexico. Pino states in 1812 that old silver mines
were found closed up with the tools inside of them ;
but t,hese were probably mere prospect holes made
before 1680. T h Santa @ta mine, discovered by
f
Lieutenant-colon? Carrisco, appears to have been
worked from about 1804, and Pike in 1807 informs
us that a copper mine w-est of the Rio Grande, in lati-
tude 34", yielded 20,000 mule-loads of lnetal annually,
copper vessels being articles of export. Thus it
seems that the fern mining operations which mere
undertaken undcr Spanish rule occurred after the .
opening of the nineteenth century. During the
Mexican possession after I82 1 some little progress
was rnadc in this industry. Placers of gold were
worked in two districts about thirty miles southwest
of Santa FQ. What were known as the Old Placers
were discoverecl in 1838, and yielded during 1832-5
from $60,000 to $80,000 annually, but much lesiafter
t h a t period. I n 1839 the New Placers were found,
(3999)
7
400 hlIXES LUD JIINING-NEW MEXICO.

near which the town of Tuerto sprang up, containing

twenty-two stores in 1815. I n that gear the yield of
the t ~ r odistricts mas $250,000. The method of
extracting the gold, which was pure and fine, was
rerj- primitive, prejudice against foreigners prevent-
ing tllc introduction of improved apparatus. Near
Taos, also, and a t other points gold was found and
mines n-ere worked for a short time.
For many years after the occupation of the terri-
tory by Americans little more than prospecting was
acconlplished, the sn~alll~ess of their numbers, want
of capital, cost of transportation, and lastly the hos-
tilities of the Indians being the chief causes that
inl~ededprogress. Nevertheless, explorations revealed
thc ~ilineral wealth of New Mexico. During the
coafcdcratc invasion in 1861-2, operations urere for
the. inost part suspended, liut after 1864 a marked
progress is observable. It has been estimated that
down to 18'68 the annual xield of gold and silver was
fro111$195,000 to $250,000 ; during the period 1869-
71, $500,000 a gear, and $400,000 in 1875- 80. I n
Taos county, and the n-ester11districts of Colfax, were
discovered the chief developments during this period,'
gold placers being profitably worked whenever a sup-
p!y of water could be obtained. I n these districts
stamp rnills and hydraulic methods were introduced
after 1868. Rich deposits of silver and lead were
found in the Magda!ens mountains of Sororro countp,
and in the Mescalcro reservation gold placers, while
numerous quartz mines mere also cliscovercd. But
the lnost pronlincnt section consisted of the districts
of Pinos Altos, Silver city, Burro moulitains, Hills-
borough, and Lone mountain. where lnut h Inore sil-
ver was produced than in all the rcst of n'ew Biesico.
Sinre 1880 the derelopn~entshave been truly won- -
derful, the railroad bringing a rrowd of prospebtors
and numerous capitalists. Tl;hile the number of the
mines discovered was extra&dinary, their richness
was still more so, In Lake Valley'district, Sierra
 VARIOUS MINERALS. 401

county, a deposit was discovered in 1881, yielding

from $5,000 to $20,000 per ton, and Governor Saf-
ford in 1884 offered $50,000 for the ore which he
could extract unaided in ten hours from a part of the
mine called the Bridal chamber. The workings are
thus far confined for the most part to the old m~ning
regions, which, however, extend over s great part of
the country. .Every county is rich in mineral wealth,
and in most of them it has been extensively devel-
oped. Grant, Sierra, and Socorro counties, however,
have contributed -nine-tenths of the total product, ..
which, including base bullion, was estimated in 18,85
at $3,800,000, and in 1890 at $4,000,000.
Few mines have yet reached a depth of over 500
feet; but there is nothing to indicate that deep min-'
ing, as on the Cornstock and elsewhere, may not be
profitably conducted in the future, for as depth is
reached on the fissure-veins, their yield is not dimin- , . . .
ished either in quantity or quality. A t a -certaifi ,

depth, however, the ores become refractory, and '

require expensive machinery for their reduction.
A qreat number of metals and minerals are found
in Mew Mexico; iron ore is abundant, and copper
and lead exist in immense quantities. Near Santa
FB mica and turquoise are mined, and coal deposits
extend in all directions, being extensively worked at
Amargo and Raton in the north; while nea.r the capi-
tal of the territory beds of anthracite are found.
Though the present progress in mining may not cor-
respo~idwith the extravagant expectations raised by
the discoveries of 1880-2, and the fabulous wealth of
many of the mines, pet there is little reason to doubt
that; when certain retarding conditions are- removed,
such as .inefficient methods, want of transportation
facilities, and land-grant difficulties, New Mexico will
rank among the first states and territories in the
production of the precious metals, copper, iron,
lead, and coal.
 N o proof exists that the Pueblos of Arizona in pre-
historic ti~iiesengaged in mining opcrations, ant1 the
fact .that Coronado, in his famom expedition, found
none of the goltlen treasures reported to exist in tlie
seven cities of Cibola confir~nsthe supposition that
tile precious nlctals liad no attraction for thoseancic~~t
tribes. Nor is it likely that an agricultural pcol)le,
living in esclusivc coni~nunities,and ncver engaging
in co~ilmcrcc,~ sllould attach any special value to gold
or silver, surroundcd as they were also by other tribcs
equally intliffercnt. h fcw personal orna~neutsof
these metals may have been worn, but if such there
\\-crc, the nuggets were probably found in the bcds of
streams bj- accident, mitllout any sj-stelllatic explom-
tiou.
The first authentic information regarding minini
operations in Arizon:~is the discovery of the woncler-
ful Bolas cle Plata a t Arimnac in 1736, \\-liicll caused
a great escitenicnt for the nest five years. The site
was between Guemvi and Saric, and the silver drpos-
its were of unparallelctl richness, nuqgets being found
aeigliing fro111200 to 400 pounds. The Jesuits are
reported to have engaged extcnsively in mining, but
there is no certainty that any operations, esccl~t011 a
s111allscale near tlie presidio of Tubac, werc actually
carried on, though probably sonic discovcrics were
mado in prospecting tours. During Franciscall ti~nes
thc sanie state of things continued. Aftcr 1790,
during a period of fro111t\\-enty to thirty years \vlicn
the Apaches were a t peace, doubtless many u~ines
were opened fro~ntime to time with profit, but the
developments could not have been very extcr~siveor
rich. It is to this era tliat we ~ilusttrace tlic old
workings discovered in later years and the bascless .
stories of abandoned mines. Such as really esistcd
mere in the vicinity of hribac, about seven leagues
distant, others in the ralley of Babocomori; three
leagues beyond. I n Santa Rita mountain, also, and
its environs, there wera five silver mines.
 EARLY OPERATIONS. 403

During the Mexican war of independence the min-

ing industry declined, nor did it ever recover as long.
a s Arizona was under M~cxicanrule; and when the
territory passed into the possession of the United
States not a single mine was being worked. After
thc consummation of the Gadsden purchase, the Ajo
copper mines in the Sonoita region were opened in
1855, by a San Francisco couipany, and in 1856
Charles D. Poston and Herman Ehrenberg formed a
cotnpany ariil begin t o develop silver mines near
Tubac. Several other companies were formed during
this and the following years, and undertook similar
operations in the mountain ranges on both sides of
the S a n h Cruz valley. Conditions wcre unfavorable,
fuel and water being scarce, the cost of transportation
heavy, and tlic Indians troublesome; nevertheless
n ~ a n yof the r ~ ~ i n J-icldcd
es a large amount of bullion.
The dcvclopniccts gradually extcnded, and copper
and gold were d i s c o v e r e e s well a s silver. Prospect-
ing operations were extended to the upper and lower
Gila, and along the border of New hiIesico, and an
era of progress commenced, which, however, was tern-
porarily interrupted by the outbreak of the civil war,
causing the withdrawal of the troops. Thereupon
tlie Apaches becanie hostile; mining property was
destroyed; miners were killed, and work was for the
most part suspended. Ou. the lower Gila, however,
3
wold-phccrs wcre profitably worked from 1858 for
several yeais, and itt 1862 the field of operations was
transferred up the Colorado t o the region where L a
Paz, Olive City, and Ehrenbercg, in Yuma county,
soon sprang into existence. These placers attracted
a great number of California gold-seekers, who gath-
ered much coarse gold, and then pushed forwarrl in a
northeasterly direction under the pioneers Pauline
Weaver and Joseph Walker, whose names were given
in 1863 to two districts in the southwestern portion
of Yavapai county. Besides the placer fields rich
gold and silver bearing lodes were discovered.
 404 MNES AND MINING--ARIZONA.

I n 1865 the territory of Arizona mas organized,

ahd it was doubtless owing to the mining iilterests of
Yavapai county that Prescott became the capital.
The excitement continued for years, and many rich
veins were discovered. Presently, however, the
Apache war made prospecting extremely perilous and
prevented the introduction of capital. Nevertheless,
several of the richest mines continued to be worked,
and some near the Colorado made no small profit by
sending selected ores to San Francisco a t an enormous
cost. But the great mineral wealth of the country,
especially in the Apache region, was well known, and
the people were impatient for the subjugation of the
Indians in order that development might prpceed
without interruption. Enthusiasm prevailed through-
out the territory, and the government commissioners,
J. Ross Browne and R. .W. Raymond, gave special
prominence in their reports covering the period 1866-
75, to the mineral resources of Arizona.
A t length, in 1874, the Apache war came to an
end, and a revival of the mininu industry took place ;
mines which had been practicaHy abandoned in Pima
countytfor thirteen years being reopened. Many new
lodes were discovered in Gila and Pinal counties, and
progress was marked. Nevertheless capitalists were
slow in coming forward, and the cost of transportation
was enormous, so that the eager expectations of the
people were not so speedily realized as had been antic-
ipated. All eyes were turned to the projected rail-
road for relief, and in 1878 it reached the Colorado
border, while five years later two main lines extended
across the country. But this facility of transporta
' tion by no means put an end to the high rates, the
policy of the railroads being to charge all that the
traffic would bear. The discovery of the Tombstone
bonanzas in 1877, however, raised Arizona to a high
degree of prosperity during the succeeding years.
The district in which the Tombstone mines are sit-
 NOTABLE OPERATIONS. . ' 405

uated was a favorite haunt of the notorious Apache

chief, Cochise, who from the Dragoon mountains kept
a sharp lookout over the country for the arrival of
prospectors or of travellers. One. Shieffelin, a bold
and experienced prospector, decided to explore the
inviting country beyond the old presidio of San
Pedro; and though warned that he wsuld find there
his tombstone instead of a fortune, set forth from
Camp Huachuca a t the end of 1877. I n February
,1878 he discovered silver ,deposits of extraordinary .
richness, and on his return in safety with his speci-
mens, the report of his discovery spread like wildfire.
I n derision of the dismal forebodings of his friends, he
named the district Tombstone. An army of adven-
turers hastened thither, and claims were taken up
.by hundreds, there being now over 3,000 loca-
tions in the district. The first stamps began to run
in 1879, and since 4880 a large .quantity of bullion,
has been produced, the total output up to 1886 being
estimated at $30,000,000. The most famous mines
are the Contention, Grand Central, and Tombstone,
the ore of which is easily worked. A depth of over
7.50 feet has been reached, and little doubt is enter-
tained that the lodes a t greater depth will prove pro-
ductive. In Cobhise county are also situated the
Bisbee copper mines, which in 1481 produced over
$3,000,000.
Arizona, indeed. is famous for its coppeq mines,.
which probably produced 34,000,000 pounds:in 1890.
The principal groups are the Planet, Centennial, and
Copper King, in northern Yuma ; the United Verde
company's mines in the Black hills of Yavapai; the
Globe district lodes of Gila; and the old Ajo mines
in western Pima. But the copper deposits near
Clifton, Graham dounty, escel all others, the ore
being so rich that it is rather quarried than mined.
I n 1883 four prospectors, Alexander NcKay,
George Teitsworth, Albert Weldon, and James 'A.
 406 MINES AND MINING--ARlZONB.
Rourke were encamped a t the foot of the rugged
Quijotoa peak, in Piuia county, tllc first of whom
deterinined to make the ascent. Aftcr some hours
of cli~nbinghe reached the summit, which he found
to be a mass of silver-bearing quartz croppings.
Specimens of ore were assayed-at Tucson, and found
,
to be remarkably rich, and the claims which the pros-
pectors located passed into the hands of Flood,
Mackay, and other capitalists of San Francisco.
McKay's discovery was expected t o lead to the
development of the richest mines in Arizona, .and the
, companies-of which there are five, namely, the Peer,
Peerless, Crocker, Weldon, and Combination-com,
m6nced operations on an extensive scale. Consider- '

able exciterllent was created, and all round the base

of the mountain claims were taken up. Although
much money has been expended and work done in
dereloping these mines, hitherto little is known of the
results, and the iu~pressionprevails that Quijotos has
proved a Failure. There are some, however, \vho still
believe that vast treasures will be uncovered when
silver regains its former value.
A n extraordi~iaryfuror was created in 1873 by the
report of the discovery of diamond fields in Arizona
by two prospectors, Arnold and Slack. The cscite-
ment was not local, but extended througl~outthe
United States. These men had been employed by A.
Harpending and G. D. Roberts of San Francisco to
explore in the Rocky mountains ; and returning to
that city in November 1870 reported their discovery
to Roberts. Harpending being in London, the
matter was kept a profound secret, and the two pros-
pectors made a second journey, extending their
explorations, and making, a s they claimed, other dis-
coveries abput one hundred miles south of their first
one. Then W. &I. Lent and General Dodge were
adrnitted into the secret, Henry Janin was now sent
a.s an espert to .the fields, and reportcd them rich in
diamonds. Thereupon a company was formed, with
 THE GREAT DDIhMOXD SKIXTLE 407

a nominal capital of $10,000,000, the directors being

..Milton S. Latham, A. Gansi, Thomas H. Selbj-,
William F. Babcock, Louis Sloss, hlaurice Dore,
William hf. Lent, W. C. Ralston, and General Mc-
Clellan, D. D. Colton being inanagrr. A title, to ,
three thousand acres was obtained, and splendid dia-
monds and rubies from the mines were eshibitcd in
New York and San Francisco. Jbfeanwhile the papers
were full of the matter; large sums mere paid for,
interests in the scheme, and everything was ready tto
* place the stock on the market. Fortunat.ely, hom-
cver, Clarence King, United States geologist, visited
the spot in time to save the purses of the public. H e
discovered that the claim had been "salted" with
roi~gh cliamonds from different parts of the world,
principally Brazil and South Africa. The esciterncnt
in Arizona had not been so great as elsewhere ; nev-
ertheless, some dozen prospecting parties explored the
ground, which was said by Arnold to lie south of
the 31oqui towns, though it was generally agreed that
it was situa,ted in the region of Fort Defiance. Num-
bers of 'beautiful stones were found,,such as crystal-
lized quartz, and garnets, but of little value. I n fact,
care liad been taken to conceal the real locality of the
claim, as the diamonds had cost no little moiiey in
London; and the truth is that the reputed diamond
fields mere hundreds of miles away from the Arizona
boundary, their real iocation being in the southwest-
ern portion of Colorado. Who were the victims and
who the culprits in this nefarious scheme has never
been clearly ascertained, but the Arizona diamond
s\vintlle has been and is yet regarded as one of the
greatest frauds of the present age, and it is impossible
to estimate the number-of millions of which the public
would have been robbed if the exposure had not
occurred so opportunely.

Arizona presents peculiar characteristics as a mtn-

eral region, exhibiting strange geological combina-
UKI MINE5 AND MINING-ARIZONA.

tions, and an axtraordinary extent of area producing

the precious metals; of the total area of about 72,-
000,000 acres, nearly one half is mineral-bearing.
The deposits are of complex formation, and of great
richness, ores producing from $1,000 to $20,000 per
ton being not uncommon. A rnetalliferous belt
extends from the western border of blojave, below
the big bend of the Colorado, and trending south-
eastward t o Gila county, thence turning southward
t o the Mexican boundary. Off the main belt are the
Y u ~ n acounty mines of gold, silver, lead, and copper,
and in the extreme northeast, above Chiquito, are
extensive fields of bituminous coal- of good quality,
near which petroleum has been found.
The great belt may be divided into four groups of
mines, the first those of Mojave county, the number
of which in 1882 amounted to 2,700. The second
group includes the mines of southern Yavapai and
northern Maricopa, where in the several districts
7,300 mines had been located down to 1876. Farther
t o the southeast is the third group extending across
the Rio Verde into Gila and Pina counties, thc lead-
ing districts being Pioneer and Globe. The principal
lnlnes in this reglon are the Silver King, Mack Mor- .-
ris, and Stonewall Jackson, the first of which was
discovered by Stoneman's soldiers in 1871, and
through their description it was rediscovered in 1875.
I n Pima .and Cochise counties is t o be found the
fourth groilp, mainly lying in the ranges bordering on
the Santa Cruz and San Pedro rallep, including the
famous Tombstone mines already mentioned. \ The
total product of Arizona in gold, silver, and bkse bul- ,
lion is estimated a t about $90,000,000. F o r the
decade ending 1869, it is believed that the yearly
average was 1,000,000, which in 1832 had increased
to over $8,500,000, though in 1890, owing to various
causes. it had fallen to $6,000,000.

Among the greatest, tthough as yet allnost uuderel-

 TEXAS COAL FIELDS. 409

oped, resources of Texas are her coal and iron, of which

the two great mineral veins of Missouri extend in a
southwesterly direction through Indian territory into
various portions of the state. The so-called Missouri
coal-measures enter it by Montagzle and Clay coun-
ties, and, expanding, sweep southward through a wide
belt to the Rio Grande, strata appearing in Uvalde,
Zavalla, Maverick, Dirnmitt, and Webb counties, as
well as in Toln Green, Presidio, and El Paso. Thus
the coal fields of Texas extend over a vast area, esti-
il~atedat over thirty thousand square miles, and com-
prising portions of thirty or forty counties, Yet these
deposits, unsurpassed in extent and quantity by any
of the coal regions of the United States, have under-
gone but little esploitation, and.only in a few counties
are mines in operation
In Webb county, about twenty-four miles above
Laredo, are what are known as the school-land coal
inincs, and three miles farther north are the San
Tomas mines. The coal taken from these mincs is
what is known as "cannel," and is of fine quality,
igniting easily, and burning with a bright flame.
Convenient transportation is supplied by the Rio
Grande and Pecos railroad, the conlpany having com-
pleted a.branch from Laredo to the mines. A t Eagle
pass, in Maverick county, a large vein of bitunlinous
coal of excellent quality has been opened, and is being
extensively worked, while in Presidio and El Paso, in
the Eagle mountains, and elsewhere, coal of a superior
grade is mined. '
The Rockdale beds, in Milam, yield a very valuable
product of the bituminous cannel ~ariety,and are
owned by the Austin and Central Texas Coal com-
pany. Three veins were opened about 1882, the first
six feet thick at a depth of forty feet, the second one
foot thick thirty-one feet lower, and the third seam,
which is seven and a half feet thick, at a further depth
of six feet. The bed so far 'explored comprises an
area of 250 acres without a single break, justifying
 the opinisn that the, Rockdale mines will prove to be
practically inexhaustible. Tests made a t the Austin .
gas-works give the following results as to the gas-
producing qualities of this coal: the number of feet of
gas obtained from one pound of Pittsburg coal w-as
4 10; of that from McAl!istcr, Indian territory, 4.50;
and of Rockdale coal, 6.50. These mines arc most
conveniently situated, being immediately on the" line -
of the International and Great Northern rail\\-a~
To the noqth, in Palo Pinto county, bitunlinous
coal of good quality has been found, and two mines, ' '

yielding about ninety-two tons per day, have been

opened. Twenty miles ' west of p e a t h e r f o r d ? in
Parker county, another deposit is worked, ncar Rlill-
sap, on the Texas and Pacific railway, and in Young
county, ncar Fort Belknep, coal has been mined for
some years for the use of blacksn~ithsin the surround-
L i n g districts. I n Stephens county two con~panies
have engaged in coal-mining, and demonstrated that
the mineral exists in paying quantities; in Jack
county three rich veins havg4eeu found, and in Wise
county a bed has been opeddd a t Bridgeport, the coal
being used for household purposes and by Llacksnliths.
Although from thc above ,stateinents it appears
that a number of mines are worked in Tesas, never-
theless the importance of her coal-fields has not as
. yet received due attention, or thorough scientific
investisation. Future esploibtion will probably
re.$ult in the discovery of the mineral e1,sewllerc in
. quantities as great as in the counties named. Tlle
.' veins vary in thickness from about .seven feet to
eighteen inches.
I n a country in which such extensive carboniferous
strata exist, it is more than probable that petroleum
is deposited in great quantities in subterranean cavi-
'ties. 'Indeed, indications.secm tn point out that there "
is a stream of this mineral oil flowing fro111 the uplands
of central Texas to the gulf. I n Brown county there
 IRON AND COPPER. 411

are two wells 90 and 120 feet deep, yieldizg 80 per

per cent of pure oil; and in Burnett county petroleuni
is found a t Tar springs, where it co*ers the surface of
the water. To the southeast it appears again in Bell
countx, and proceeding in the sanie direction a t Har-
din, on the water of the wells a t Sour lake. Near
Beau~nontit reappears and at Sabine pass the surface
of the water is frequently coated with oil. Bclow that
point, a t Oil bay, the water is so thickly covered with
petroleum that the waves are stilled in rough weather,
and this has beconle a favorite retreat for coasting
vessels during a storm. It would thus appear that
there is a wide petroleum belt, estendiiig frvrn Brown,
Lampasas, and Burnett counties on the Colorado, to
the gulf shore near the 'mouth of the Sabine. .In
San Augustine there are two springs of crude petro-
leum, yielding a con~idc~able quantity of oil, while in
Mootague and Stephens counties there are strong
indications of its existence. Though all these traces
of the presence of petroleuni offer s t r ~ n ginducen~ents
to capitalists to engage in this industry, hitherto little
,or no boring has be211 done.
The iron belt enters the northeast corner of Texas in
Bowic county, and crops out in Cass, Marion, Harri-
son, Rusk, atid Cherokee, ,wlierct it disappears, tliough
again corning to the surface ill Milan county, and con-
tinuing through Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Bur-
nett, La~npasas,San SaLa, Llano, Mason, ~ ~ c C u l l o c h
and il~anyothers.
I
During the civil war numerous smelting-furnaceswere
erccted in Anderson county, and the illeta1 produced
\\-as found to be of excellent quality. But this indus-
try is still in its infancy, altlioug~the country
abounds in iron of the finest description, and in five
coutities a t least in close prosiniity to coal. A t Kelly-
villc in Mario11 county, w!icre tlie deposits are practi-
cally unlimited, extensive worlcs are established, large
quantities of pig-3on being shipped to St Louis. Ore '
412 MINES AND MIh-ING--TEXAS.

of a very superior quality is obtained close to Mar-

shall in Harrison county. At that town a foundry
has been erected, and there the machine shops of the
Texas and Pacific railway are located. There is also a
small foundry at Overton in Rusk county., With
these exceptions iron mining ia liealected.
Along the eastern borders of ealdwell extends a
range of hills called the Iron ~uountainsfrom their rich
deposits, and in Llano there is a deposit of solid iron
ore 30 feet high, 800 in length, and 500 in width,
jielding 70 per cent of pure metal. So rich, indeed,
are the veins that in northern and central Tesas
scraps taken from the croppings have been hammered
into bolts and nails without the application of heat,
and in early daj-s waggoners on the roads leacfing
into Jefferson beat horseshoes out of flat iron rocks
without the trouble of smelting. I n Mason county
there is a range of mountains composed of iron ore,
the vety sand on the roads yielding from 40 to 45
per cent of the metal.,Hematite and magnetic iron r
abound in Stephens county.
Of almost equal estent and coterminous with the
coal belt is the copper belt. Beginning a t Red river a
deposit of ore of unprecedented extent existsin Archer,
Wichita, Baylor, Haskell, stonewall, and neighbor-
ing counties. In the vicinity of Kiowa peak, Stone-
wall county, there is a copper-bearing clay, and on
the surface of the ground are hundreds of pounds of
the ore that has been washed out from the matrix,
yielding sixty per cent of the metal. On the lands
of the Tesas Copper Mining and Manufacturing com-
pany, on Little Wichita river, Archer county, fonr
persons have been known to dig out in ten hours
sis thousand pounds of ore, averaging 76 per cent of
copper, and in the whole of this region the supply
seetns inexhaustible.
Southward the ore crops out again in Hamilton,
and appears in Brown, Burnett, Llano, Alenard, and
 SILVER AND GOLD.

contiguous counties. Specimens from Owen's mine

at tlie head of Pecan creek, Llano county, assay $300
worth of metal to the ton of ore. This mine in 1882
was worked with improved machinery. Copper ore
is widely distributed in the Panhandle, while another
copper region edsts in Pecos and Presidio counties,
the metal being found in abundance in the Apache
and Chenati mountains. Indeed the cupriferous area
in Texas is apparently as large as her iron belt and
the metal as abundant.
It cannot be disputed that in olden times the Span-
iards and Mexicans mined extensively for silver in
Texas, and with fair success. Old shafts and tunnels
in the Chenati mountains, and along the Pecos river,
above Horsehead crossing, are sufficient proof that
mining operations were carried on for a considerable
period, while farther north on the San Saba, traces
of old furnaces and pieces df clay point to the same
conclusion. These material evidences are, moreover,
supported by traditions.
The silver-bearing veins.are principally argentiferous
galena, though quartz leads have also been found in
the Chenati mountains. From assays made from
croppings in this region, in 1879, ores mere f o ~ n d
yielding from sixteen to three hundred ounces to the
ton. Eagle Spring mountains are also rich in this
metal, and throughout Presidio, Pecos, and E l Paso
silver ore is widely distributed.
I n Llano, galena crops out plentifully, and is traced
into Burnett, San Saba, Mason, Gillespie, Menard,
and other counties. Carbonates taken from the sur-
face in Blanco county have assayed thirty-one ounces
of silver to the ton. I n the ext,reme north of the
state, in Montague and Jack counties, indications of
silver with traces of gold have also been found.
Lead exists in most of the counties where silver
ore appears, and generally in combination with that
metal in greeter or less proportion.
 414 MINES AND MINING-TEXAS.

It is not probable that, when her mining industries

shall have been more fully developed, Texas will be
a l a q e producer of gold, although this metal exists in
many parts of the country in copper and silver veins.
I n Llano county it has been found in the bed of Big
Sandy creek, but not in paying quantities, though it
is said that there is a d c i e n c y of it in the veins of
other metals to pay for the cost of mining. I t s
appearance in Presidio.county is more flatterin t h m
f
elsewhere, and the opinion prevails that valuab e gold
deposits exist in that region. Some cap.italists of
San Francisco, several years ago, caused surface crop
pings to be examined by experts, and obtained as a
result an average of $25 of silver and $10 of gold to
the ton of ore. These indications were considered so
favorable that in 1882 they began the work of devel-
oping two mines about 25 miles from Presidio del
Norte.
Inexhaustible supplies of salt exist throughout the
largest portion of the state. I n fact it is found
. almost in every part. From the Salt' fork of the
Brazos in the north, w'estward and southwestward to
the Pecos river, and in the Panhandle springs, streams ,

and lakes, strongly impregnated with this mineral, are

found in the greatest profusion ; while in the southern
section along the Rio Grande there are deposits of
such extent and purity, that"they could supply the
whole of the United States.
- '
The clear waters of the Salt fork are so intensely
briny that pure crystal salt forms like ice along its
borders, and in Salt creek the water contains as much
of the m i n e d as it can possibly dissolve. A few
, miles to the northwest of Double mountains the
. deposits in dried-up lakes are so abundant that the
salt is shoveled into wagons and-hauled away. The.
salt lakes of Presidio and El Paso have been famous
-from early $ p i & times.
 SALT, GYPSUM, ETO. 415

Equally so is the Sal del Rey in Hidalgo county, a

body of water nearly circular in shape, and about a
mile in diameter. The bottom of this lake is com-
posed of crystallized salt of the purest quality, in lay-
ers about twelve inches thick separated by thin
deposits of earth. To what depth these layers extend
has not been ascertained. The salt is dug out with
picks and crowbars, and the mineral is held in solu-
tion in such quantity that the excavations made are
filled again in a few days. Along the shore of south-
eastern Texas salt is deposited in large quantities in
the lagoons, which are filled with water from the gulf
during the prevalence of h!gh winds, and afterward
disconnected, the evaporation which follows precipi-
tating the salt.
I n eastern Texas the most n o t 4 spring is the
Grand Saline in Van Zandt county, where salt is
extensive1 manufactured. The- are also large
works in %oung county in northern Texas.
Gypsum is as widely disseminated as salt, and to
its abundance Texas is largely indebted for the fertil-
ity of her soil. I n .El Paso, Nolan, and Wilbarger
the supply is immense, while in the Panhandle hun-
dreds of square miles are covered with it, especially
about the strea.ms tributary to the Canadian river.
In this region it is found in all its grades, from the
conlmonest description to the finest alabaster and
purest selenite. As with other minerals, this source
of wealth is entirely neglected. No plaster of Paris
is n~anufactumdin the state, nor is any of the crude
material exported to the older states, to restore their
impoverished soil, though gypsum is a well-known
fertilizer.
There are few df the rninerals"uti1ized by man
which are not found in abuodance in some part or
other of Texas. Kaolin, or porcelain-clay, exists in
inexhaustible quantities in Robertsbh, Rusk, Gonza-
les, Limestone, San Augustine, and other counties.
Fire-cly is equally plentiful ; soapstone occurs in
 416 hfINES AND MINING-TEXAS.

Burnett, Llano, and elsewhere, and slate is abundant

in the same regions. Stone. suitable for making
hydraulic cement of a very superior quality is t6 be
had in W i m s o n , Bexrrr, Travis, and other counties,
the manufactured material being extensively produced .
in the place last named, and a t San Antonio. Lime-
stone is found everywhere. It is the almost universal
stone in the vast area of the cretaceous formation in
Texas, and appears to a smaller extent in every other
s,vstem. Quicklime of great strength is manufactured
-. ext~nsivelyin Travis county and Inany other parts of
the state.
Building-stone of many kinds exists throughout
Tesrw; granite, sandstone, and limestone predominat-
inc.. The granites are dark-gray and of a bright-red
coyor; are very fine grained, and take a bfilliant polish.
Burnett, Llano, and San Saba counties contain several
rare and rery beautiful varieties of marble, in color
pure white, jet black, pink, and clouded.
fl
Hitherto the development of mines in Texas has
been hindered'by the want of facilities for transporta-
tion, but in the future, when railroads,shall have been
extended into.al1 parts of the country, attention will
be given to this industry. Then the state, having
passed through the pastoral and agricultural eras,
mill afford, through the unfolding of her mineral
resources, still further means of employment to her
rapidly increasing population.