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OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT The Cataract Canyon Claims Cataract Canyon, as far as we know, was first prospected for minerals about 1885. It was then in a region 55 miles from the nearest railroad. The intervening country is itself difficult enough, and there were no trails, springs, waterholes or streams. All of these difficulties were overcome, and they were such that they can hardly be appreciated even by a present day visitor, and not at all by those who have not seen this region of vertical cliffs, deep canyons, and towering rock masses of forbidding table lands. |
| It is said the first prospectors let themselves down the Canyon with ropes. This can well be believed and it is a certain fact that when the Canyon floor below
Bridal Veil Falls was reached, pack animals had to be lowered over the cliffs of Mooney Falls by means of ropes and a derrick. Mooney Falls gains Its name from the fact that Mooney, who was an ex-sailor, attempted the first descent of the cliff by means of a rope lowered from the top. He paid for the attempt with his life, the spinning rope causing him to lose his hold when but a few feet over the cliff and fall to the rocks below. Of how his companions finally reached and buried Mooney's body, need not be told. Eventually the cliff was conquered by Inclined tunnels under the travertine deposits, supplemented by steps cut in the rock and pieces of steel set alongside such steps for hand holds. These steps and hand irons are still used. Indeed hours could be spent in reciting the great obstacles the early prospectors had to overcome in their efforts to uncover the mineral deposits of the region. From 1885 to approximately 1901, mining was principally for the Pb-Ag ores, and about 100 tons of high grade ore was shipped to smelters during that period, but the inaccessibility of the region and the long packing and hauling costs made this mining a failure. |
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| About 1902, an eastern company was formed for the purpose of prospecting the
lower part of Cataract Canyon. It was known as the Grand Canyon Gold & Platinum Co. Platinum was supposed to
have been found near the River. This company tried to build a road
down into the Canyon from Hilltop - part of it is now used as a trail by the Supais.
This company spent about $75,000 in attempting to build this road. About 1906, a man named W. I. Johnson came into the district and staked a number of claims and located various water rights on Havasupai Creek. He erected a small concentrator plant and ran several hundred tons of lead ore through It. Some of these concentrates still on the ground are estimated to contain 60% Pb with perhaps 20 oz. Ag per ton. Johnson was not aware that these lead ores also contained vanadium and so made no attempt to recover this valuable metal. Johnson was unable to make a commercial success of the proposition, but continued to hold the claims by assessment work. In 1919, he interested a mining engineer of Prescott named Heberlein in his claims, and in 1921, Heberlein took an option on the Johnson claims. Since that time approximately $15,000 has been expended in actual development work. The occurrence of the ores in Cataract Canyon has never been thoroughly studied. They occur in solution cavities in the limestone and the first thing formed was great crystals of calcite--these later caved in and formed a breccia, then solutions carrying lead and silver permeated the breccia and replaced the limestone with galena. Vanadlum-bearing solutions came later. No igneous rocks appear to be connected with the deposit though thorough search has never been made. |
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Ladders below Mooney Falls leading to the
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Photo by Maude & Bartoo |
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NORTHERN ARIZONA
Before going into any description of property we will explain our plan and give our reason for stating the investment is safe. Although there is a law suit for $8,011.00 filed against the company it is our opinion the amount of claim against the company will be reduced several thousand dollars by the offsets the company claims to have. AMOUNT To raise $3,000.00 to install 1800 feet of aerial tram that will cost about $1,200.00. We are offered a small used stamp mill (610 lbs. stamps) for $150.00, a crusher $150.00, concentrator $50.00, water wheel $35.00, 250 feet water pipe and freight $225.00 - totaling $1,960.00 for mill and tram. ONLY TRAM NEEDED We have about 100 tons of Lead-Silver ore sorted ready to ship, some of it now sacked. At the present price of Lead-Silver this ore will sell to the smelter for $56.00 per ton after the smelter's reductions. - When the tram is installed it will cost $23.00 per ton to deliver this ore to El Paso and pay for the smelting on the 100 tons mining has been paid for. This will leave a profit of $3,300.00 on the ore now mined, and it is our estimate that several hundred tons of the same grade of ore can be sorted from the 3,000 tons now practically blocked out where this ore was mined and sorted. OUR OFFER We will allow the investors to appoint a reliable person to receive all money paid in also all money for ore shipped and to pay the same out under the terms in this circular. All net proceeds to be paid to the parties furnishing money to install tram and machinery, until they have been returned $2.00 for each dollar advanced to the company. Under the offer to raise $3,000.00, in addition, W. I. Johnson will give 400 shares of stock for each $100.00 furnished the company, the stock will be from individual stock owned by W. I. Johnson. RIGHT TO SHIP ORE We will have nine months or longer to ship ore before the execution could be had and be fore that time we can pay you the amount agreed upon, and sufficient money earned to pay the amount the company owes the Plaintiff in the law suit. STOCK IN ESCROW W. I. Johnson has placed in the Guarantee Title & Trust Co., of Prescott, Arizona, 500,000 shares of his individual stock as a guarantee to do all that he has agreed to do. He agrees that the corporation will pay you at least 12.5 cents on each share given to you for your assistance for a period of five years. You are not limited to the 12.5 cents per share - you will be paid all the company earns above that amount, - nor are you limited to a period of five years to receive your prorate of the earnings of the company. After the five years guarantee has expired the guarantee is to insure that you will be paid at least the amount agreed to be returned to you and 12.5 cents for a period of five years. This reservation is made, that if the company sells the property before all payments are made, you will be limited a return of $2.00 for each $1.00 paid in and any dividend that has been paid at the time of the sale. While it is not the intention to sell - this reservation protects you as well as the company. TERMS OF PAYMENT Ten per cent cash - the balance in six monthly payments. If the payments are not made as agreed upon, you are to forfeit all except the actual amount you have paid into the company. MILL AND TRAM A reasonable estimate with the small mill and the set of rolls we now have on the property, we can work 15 tons of the Lead-Silver ore. This ore will concentrate three into one, with the extra cost of mining, the cost will be on each ton of concentrates $33,00., mined, shipped and smelted, as the concentrates are reasonably worth $56.00, this will leave a profit, of $23.00 on each ton of concentrates, making a profit of $115.00 on the five tons shipped each day. This is equal to $7.00 per ton on the 3,000 tons now practically blocked out in one place in the Bridal Veil Mine. It is not intended to convey the idea that 3,000 tons mentioned is all the ore in the mines. In fact, we have more than 25,000 tons opened up by tunnels, cross cuts and winzes, that we believe will net more than $7.00 per ton when we are able to work the ores for both the Lead-Silver and Vanadium ores. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY The group of claims was located prior to the extension of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Over the area the group consists of 5 mining claims and mill site, the minimum flow of Cataract creek that runs through the property is 72 second-feet. Bridal Veil Falls is 120 ft., Mooney Falls is 196 feet. Over the bluff at Mooney's Falls is the location of the power plant, on Cataract Mining Claim. AMOUNT OF WORK There is more than 1,500 feet work done upon the group, this work opened up many thousand tons of Lead-Silver and Vanadium ore, on account of the high price of Vanadium and the immense amount of Vanadium oxide that assays from one to six per cent V205. We consider the Vanadium one of our most valuable assets. We have a report by a mining engineer that there developed in the Seligman mined 600 tons of 6.11 % of V205, and it is reasonable to expect this ore to continue for an indefinite distance as the dimensions are very large. Neither the foot wall or hanging wall has been cut. We expect by mixing the one per cent ore with higher grade to make an average of ore that will work 2 per cent. On 2 per cent ore when concentrated and leached as was done by government experts on the same character of ore at Good Springs, Nevada, we estimate from that report, making all allowance for the extra cost of acids and other expense, that 2 per cent ore will net $18.00 per ton. In that test the acids for four tons of concentrates cost $188.00. Instead of estimating 80 per cent V205 at $2.00 per pound we estimated the price of $1.25 per pound. TRANSPORTATION This has been one of the disadvantages of the property but with the installation of the 1,800-foot tram this will eliminate the greater part of the cost of transportation. We will have one and one-fourth miles to pack the ore instead of ten miles over a steep trail as was formerly done. Later we will extend the tram to the mill site. WATER POWER There is 72 second-feet of water at the minimum floor of Cataract Creek. The location of the water rights was made before the Grand Canyon or National Park was created. When the park was extended over this area, the government denied the right to cross the park with a flume, but admitted we have the right to all water needed for the mines to be used on the recognized claims. We had the water rights under option - F. G. Baum of San Francisco for $100,000.00. My understanding is Mr. Baum represented the Pacific Gas & Electric Company, also the Arizona Power has examined the power rights and stated they would be willing to pay $100,000.00 if a permit could be had from the government. WHY PRICE OF $50,000.00 After the failure of the Prescott State Bank, we gave a mortgage to get money to work the property and most of the money was spent in equipment. Then the depression came and the price of Lead-Silver was so low we could not afford to pack the ore over the ten mile trail. We gave the government an option to buy the mines at $50,000.00. The government sent the engineers who were eleven days making the examination and from the report the secretary of the interior said the $50,000.00 was very reasonable. Mr. Douglas, then director of the budget opposed the bill until the budget was balanced, and for that reason the offer to sell was withdrawn. Now the price of Lead and Silver is favorable. We do not wish to sell at that price. VANADIUM ORE In the Bridal Veil mine some of our highest grade Vanadium is found. There are streaks of almost pure Vanadinite, but in the Seligman Mines, we find the largest body of high grade ore, the report by an engineer shows 600 tons of 6.110 percent V205 developed and a large amount of lower grade ore opened up by tunnels and cross cuts. There is 365 feet of tunnels and cross cuts in this mine. The Bridal Veil has about 675 feet of development work. FORMATION The ore bodies are metasomotic replacements in limestone and ore of large size, irregular area horizontal dimensions. Many of these ore bodies of metasomatic replacements show along the sides where Cataract Canyon has cut the formation vertically. The deposits are in many respects similar to Bisbee, Leadville, and the Lead Mines in Missouri. TERMS The payments on the loan you are asked to make are very liberal. Ten per cent cash - the balance in six monthly payments. Four hundred shares of stock will be given with each $100.00 loaned to the corporation and the amount advanced with 1000 percent profit from ore shipment and 12.5 cents per share each year for five years guarantee. REASON FOR SAYING "NO RISK" There are a number of reasons for saying no risk. You are asked to carefully consider the reasons given. You will find them based upon facts that can be proven. In writing this circular I have been very careful not to make any statements that are not based upon facts and reasonable estimates. First: there is Lead-Silver ore opened up. An engineer reporting says that it will net $60,000.00. He also reports large quantities of Vanadium ore assaying from 1 per cent to 6.11 of V205 and there are logical reasons to expect the Lead-Silver and Vanadium to continue to produce many thousands of tons in addition to what is already opened up. Second: The 3000 tons of ore in a block of ground in the Bridal Veil Mine, where the 100 tons of 70% lead and 25% to 30 ounces of silver was mined can be worked, when we have the 1800 feet of tram installed. Without going to the expense of putting in a mill we can sort some of the ore as it is mined - the balance can be worked with hand jigs. Third: The Secretary of the Interior said the price of $50,000.00 was very reasonable. His statement was from a report by engineers the government sent to report on the property. Mr. Douglas, the Director of the Budget did not claim the price excessive or the bill unjust, only opposed it until the budget was balanced and for that reason the option to sell to the government was withdrawn. Fourth: W. I. Johnson, the owner of 85 percent of all outstanding stock has placed in escrow with the Guarantee Title and Trust Company of Prescott, Arizona, 500,000 shares of his stock. This stock will remain with the Trust Company until the mining company has complied with every agreement to investors. If the corporation did not pay more than two cents a share each year you would be sure of the 12.5 cents per share the company agrees to pay, for the reason the 500,000 shares in escrow would be entitled to $10,000.00. From this any deficiency on your stock would be paid. MINING Mining can be done the entire year, only 2 inches of snowfall at the mines. They are 2500 feet below the rim of the Canyon and hauling ore is only delayed for a few days at any time. The road via Pine Springs and down Auberry Valley is good at all times. There is about 4 miles that will need some work in the winter. When ore was being hauled with 16 mule teams this would get soft, but with auto trucks this may be overcome.
When we have our financial affairs in proper shape we expect to work on a large scale, but any stock sold or agreements made will be subject to the terms given in this circular. You are to have the prior right to all income of the company until this agreement is fully complied with. W. I. Johnson the owner of 85 percent of stock now issued will give those putting up money to get started the right to elect the Secretary and Treasurer and also Directors. Asking your cooperation which will be to our mutual benefit. Respectfully submitted, W.I.JOHNSON, President NORTHERN ARIZONA |
Read about the 1899 Near Death Trip into Beaver Canyon - Click Here
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