The mountain Democrat., 1864-05-28
Tn. SILVER Irinos g CsfrSS SPsis:;S;;S;;..

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world, riValling those Of POtosi aaa 0aa4A
ajuato In the Immense am0ant 81 asol
which they have poured into The CON-
merce Of the world, are those Of 0ssEO
Pasco, in Peru. They are situated asn
degrees south Of the equator, one hundred
and twenty miles from the ocean, thirteen
thousand feet above the level Of the sea,
in . basin east of the main summit Of the
Andes. The climate is windy, misty,
tempestuous, and so cold, and the cir u
so thin, that brutes do not multiply; chill
dren born there do not live; and strangers
on first arriving are often affected With
dizziness and bleeding at the nose. All
round in the near vicinity are peaks GOV.
cred with everlasting snow, and in the
valley, where the snow lies only in win.
ter, there is no vegetation, but all is bar.
ren. Life is as cheerless as the climate
and the landscape. There are few wo.
mel, and little pleasant society. The
town of Cerro Pasco is built without any
beauty or regularity. Most Of the houses
are mere huts, and the miners are ignor.
ant Indians, who work portion Of the
time, that they may spend the remainder
in drunkenness and extravagance. There
is no economy, no hope Of advancment,NO
care for mental improvement. The rich
er men are reputed to have no thought
save that of making money, no generous
impulses, no high cultivation. There are
no libraries, no newspapers, and wonder
full to tell for Spanish America, even the
churches are neglected. The population
varies FROM 1000 to $4,000, according to
the richness Of the ores, for where rich
ore is abundant, a multitude Of miners go
hither from other place to work on shares.
The mines were discovered in f648 and
have now been worked two hundred aud
twenty years, during which time they
have yielded about $450, ,000, 900. o. .
little more than $4,000, 900 annually
There are two main lodes which are both
of wonderful size and richness. They
cross each other under the market place
of the town. The Colquirirca lode is four
hundred feet wide, and runs north and
south the Pariarirca lode is three hun.
dred feet wide, and runs East-south.eaEt
and West-north west. The former In
known to be rich, to length of half .
mile the latter q third of mile.
The pumping for drainage IL done by
steam, but all the other work is done in
the rudest, worst and most expensive
manner. The tools are of bad quality
The ores are carried to the suiace from
the lowest depths Of the mines upon the
backs of the miners, many Of whom re.
ceive as payment share Of the ORE
The shafts and galleries are not properly
protected by walling or timber, and nu-
| C,ka al
has caused the death Of so many miners
that it is called the Mata- gente-kill peo.
pie. The neglect to timber is not only
dangerous to the workmen, but most ex-
pensive to the mine owners. The ore is
carried on the backs Of mules, or llamaR,
to the hacienda or reducing works, usual
ly at distance Of FIVE or six miles. The
pulverization is effected in an arastra, and
the amalgamatiOn in patio, with tramp
ling by men or horses. The quicksilver
is driven off in n clay retort, which must
be broken to get the cake; and the cake
must be melted in government melting
house, which charges an extravagant
price. When we add to all these bar
barous and costly methods of working,
the freight by mule from Lima, and the
requirements on the part Of the Lima cap
italist who advances money for mining
enterprises, that besides his high interest,
he shall have the right Of purchasing the
silver bars at ten per cent. below their
real value-When we add oil these facts
together, we can understand that the ore
ought to be extremely abundant and rich
to pay. Not one step in the method of
working, except the pumping, would be
tolerated for u week in worst. st.managed
American mine. There is one mark Of
intelligent management in Cerro Pascos
besides the steam. cngines--G tunnel
which is mile and half long, cut ct .
cost Of 81, 100000. 1t strikes the lode
three hundred feet below the surface. .hnt
much Of the ore is deeper than that, I'd
for that reason pumping is necessary
There are three thousand pits or shafts
near and in Cerro PascO, but most of them
are shollow. Perhaps Ave hundred are
shafts over sixty feet deep. The whole
town is undermined by galleries, and fears
are expressed that place will disappear
by general caving in of the mines some
day. In many cases houses are built over
the shafts of valuable mines. 1t is Oh.
SeTVeu HeTe, aS III nuny OtucT ShNeT ut6-
trictS, that the ore becomes richer as the
miner leaves the surfaee.
The following is an estimate Of the cx-
penses OF getting out and working ton
OF ore at Cerro Pasco;
Getting out the ore ore..H,..t..!.,;.ss..E3 .E39 90
Transporting to hacienda. a..........s... IL so
NrlnuInR ''.'. .s'...ss commitment ~ w
Magistral (ron Pyrites) .............. 30
Salt, at &c. per pound. 6 Sc
Trampling by horses. es.................. 8 81
Loss of II % pounds of quicksilver. II co
Total expenses per ton. on..,.....,,.,..,.$95 81
The authority for the estimate may be
found in IIerndon'S "Valley Of the ANA.
zon," Part I, p. 10S. Large rs it will ap-
pear to Washoe miner, as compared
with the expenses which he is accustom,
ed to allow, they are not extravagant
when we consider the mode Of doing the
work. A lode, three hundred feet wide
at Virginia City, full of ore that would
average $50 to the ton, would be worth
800, 600 per hneal foot. and would soon
be made to yield more for every 100 feet
in month than all Cerro Pasco does in
q year. IL the Yankees should be fortun,
ate enough to discover in Nevada, Idaho,
or Arizona, two or three virgin Cerro
Pascos, they will make the dry bones of
Enrnnnan conservatism rattIa &C than