The Border Vidette

A MOUNTAIN OF ORE

Property of Sonora Copper Co.

Wonderful Bonanza.

Sixty-five Feet of Excellent Ore Already and the Wall Not Yet in Sight.

Predictions Made by Professor Walter Harvey Weed, F. F. Cranz, H. Gordon Glore and Other Well Known Mine Experts, Come True—N. J. Purcell Says Property Will Equal the Great Cananea Mines.

Mr. N. J. Purcell, the well known, successful Virginia mining man, operating splendid gold properties out fifteen miles from the Sonora railway, in the Pinito mountains, Sonora, Mexico, who recently returned from the extensive, valuable mining property of the Sonora Copper Company, situated about three and a half miles east of the Sonora railway (Branch of the Southern Pacific) and twelve miles southeast of Llano, a station on the railway, where he spent several days during the absence in the east of President A. M. Conard, reports wonderful progress in the exploration and development of the company's properties, and says they will, at no distant date, equal in extent and value the great Cananea copper mines.

President Conard, who is also general manager of the Sonora Copper Company, is one of the best practical miners in the southwest, having had many years' experience in a number of the big mining camps throughout the southwest and Mexico. He is an indefatigable worker, full of energy; understands the Spanish language and Spanish speaking people, and is thoroughly conversant with the mining laws of Mexico, where he has operated a number of years. Just the man to properly handle this gigantic mining proposition, which, within a very short time, has, under his able direction, been systematically and scientifically developed to such an extent that it is now one of the big mines in the state of Sonora, there being practically a mountain of ore, the immense outcrops of which can be seen fifteen miles.

The fine showing being made as development progresses, proves beyond a doubt the predictions made years ago, by a number of the most competent and reliable mining engineers in the country, that instead of four or more veins, there is only one vein which is at least 900 feet wide, extending for more than 1000 yards through the great property, which is situated only a few miles from and within plain view of the Sonora railway, from where a spur will be built in the near future.

Mr. Purcell, who is a practical, successful mining man, and knows a "good thing" when he sees it, was very enthusiastic over the Sonora Copper Company's property, which comprises seventy pertenencias, 175 American acres, and does not hesitate to make the assertion that the company not only has the making of a big copper mine, but has at the present time one of the biggest gold-silver mines in the state of Sonora.

The property is being developed by a cross-cut tunnel and two shafts. The cross-cut tunnel will be approximately 1000 feet in length, cutting the vein at the end 700 feet below the out-crop. This tunnel is now in ninety-seven feet and the vein shows sixty-five feet of ore and no wall in sight, with higher values in the face than at any other point, proving conclusively that richer ore bodies will be encountered as the tunnel is driven toward the high out-crop, which towers above the surface at least 200 feet. Samples of ore taken from the tunnel and assayed by the United States assayer in this city, gives an average of about $7.00 per ton.

Shaft No. 1, which will connect with the cross-cut tunnel 250 feet from the mouth is now down thirty-seven feet, the ore from this vein assaying $1.80 gold, 9-8/10 ounces silver and 15-8/10 per cent copper.

Shaft No. 2, which is 500 feet south of the cross-cut tunnel, is now down thirty-six feet and the vein at this point shows gold and silver values of about $9.00 per ton. High grade copper ore is expected to be encountered in this shaft when water level is reached. This shaft will be sunk to water level, probably 150 feet and then a drift run east across the ore body.

When the development work, as now outlined by Manager Conard, is completed, many million tons of ore will be placed in sight and ready for extraction, which on account of the splendid facilities, cheapness of labor, etc., can be done at a low cost, and great profit to the company.

The following extracts from reports made on the property by Professor Walter Harvey Weed, H. Gordon Glore, the metallurgist, and F. F. Cranz, the mining engineer, will be interesting reading to many of our readers who are financially interested in the company:

Regarding the property of the Sonora Copper Company, Professor Walter Harvey Weed, of the United States Geological Survey, in his report says:

"There are four well defined veins upon the property, all parallel, running about north and south with the ridges and dipping west at an angle of about 75 degrees.

Two of these veins are of extraordinary size and persistence, being traceable for a mile or more with continuous outcrop; the others are in part covered by debris from above. Their structure shows clearly that they are true fissure veins.

Two other veins lie between these veins, and in addition the intervening ground shows mineral and is probably traversed by less conspicuous, but possibly equally rich veins."

Up to the time Prof. Weed visited the property, very little, if any, work had been done, and the recent wonderful discoveries of large ore bodies, proves that he had his mind's eye on the future, when he said: "I hope that the property may turn out as good as its present indications promise."

Mr. F. F. Cranz, the well known mining engineer, who, by-the-way, is acknowledged one of the most competent and reliable authorities on mining in the country, in his report on the property, says:

"There is nothing which came to my notice upon which to found the slightest doubt of the permanence of these veins. They are all they should be in respect to size, quality and permanence.

I passed along the base of the lower of the two big veins for a distance of more than two miles, and I estimated it to be an average of thirty feet thick for this distance. The vein recalls, through its similarity, the 'Chivatera' vein in the Cananea. The surface was an almost exact duplicate, the adjoining country rock the same, and no more appearance of copper in the croppings than on the vein in question; and yet at a depth of 200 feet they had a matter of twelve feet of ore, and at 360 feet they had over forty feet of payable ore in a cross-cut. I fully believe this might be fully duplicated in the lower of the two big veins, and I also believe that the upper vein will make even wider ore bodies than the lower vein, with depth. My belief for this is on account of the dip of the vein. It dips westerly, and dips into a zone of ground between the two veins which is good mineral ground and shows in many places on the surface.

There is on this property, every indication that development will put large bodies of profitable ore in sight and available for extraction.

I have never seen a better opportunity to open up a property cheaper than is here presented.

The situation of the property is ideal.

Has wonderful promise for becoming one of the big properties of the country in ore production and in permanence."

In conclusion, Mr. Cranz said:

"I recommend the property as a superior mining venture. I feel fully satisfied that the work outlined will put this property in the rank of prominence, and if carried on under proper management, the mine will be ready for reduction works inside of a year."

H. Gordon Glore, the California metallurgist, who examined the Washington group of mines in October, 1905, says:

"A shaft sunk to a good depth in this mineralized zone, with the proper cross-cuts and levels, undoubtedly will make one of the best and richest copper-gold mines in the district. As a whole it is a very promising property. All points are accessible, being close to the railroad.

The mineralized zone has many of the characteristic features of the Eureka mine in the Cananea group, and the ore is very much the same. An analysis of the ore from the shafts twenty-five feet underground gave 22 per cent copper, 45 per cent iron, 7 per cent lime, $2.20 in gold and 12.8 oz. in silver.

The ores are self-fluxing, therefore the smelting of barren rock will be avoided. The result will be a bullion and not a matte, thus avoiding the enormous cost of erecting expensive converting machinery.

In conclusion, the property affords many advantages that no other mine has in Sonora. It can be worked cheaply on account of the many natural advantages; also on account of its nearness to transportation."