The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-02-13
M MEXICO.
our DURANGO CORRESPONDENCE.


miles wide by twenty miles long, running east and
This valley, locked In by lofty mountain chains /,
watsrsd by the southern branch Of the Rio del Mesqu
ta which flows through the northern part Of the State
Of Jasco and smpties into the Pacific Ocean about ont
hundred and fifty miles south OF Aazatlan. The i'm
level valley In which the city situated receives
all It's fertizing elements from the river which courses
through 1t The land well cultivated and rich annually
yields two crops OF the cereals and gives q prodi
gal growth TO whatever 10 planted The crop II
principally corn, which here is the food for the
poorer classes, and during the winter months
Is also used for horses and mues Formerly the city Of
Durango contained 1900 inhabitants; but wars the
sasuaon Of business and the lack Of protection in any
commercial enterprise have reduced the population "a
about 000 In 1860 the State estimated to contain
10 61s nhabants but in 1855 Indian depredntions and
wars had reduced II 70 1855 Ola loss In six years OF
mo city founded in 1858 by Aonzo Pacheco was the
principal contre OF government for the vceroyay Of
.Nueva viscaya" as Durango was then called It was
that time more used outpost against the Indian
tribes who wagcd constant warfare aga INST the Span
fsh conquisddorcs than AS productive settlement.
From the mineral districts the and northwest
the city trade began to centre here and gradually II be-
the most important business centre OF the State
The northern and northeastern districts OF the State
afterwards gave their rbuiioDs mineral riches
and Durango at the end OF the eighteenth began
TO assume very important position among the Mexican
cities.
Durango has always been considered one of the great
centres Of Catholic power here. Virtually was and Is
to day in its weakness the great stronghold Of
Mexican political ecclesiastical power II was among
the first Of Mexican cities, under the direct on Of the
clergy TO throw its energies into the hands of the impe
rial faction which has always counted largely upon the
support which the city and state might afford in the last
grand struggle of the Mexican Catholic Church to rule
the country The result has been that the people have
freely contributed millions TO the imperial cause and are
now almost impoverished The bshopric Of Durango
was founded October H. 1920 Paul " and has sincs
that time had twenty three bishops The first took pos
session on the 22d October 1921 the last governed from
1881 TO November, 1863 at which time he died Since
then Durango has been without bishop
Besides the immense mineral wealth hat enriched the
city, the centre of supplies for the cat
tie kdcicndds that made northern Durango famous for
its herds OF horses mules and horned cattle Scarcely
vestIge OF theae herds remains The land lies idle
and unproductive; the estates are wrecked the build
ings upon them, deserted in ruins, afford but a sad
shelter for few miserable beings who live in
dread OF the sayages The immense herds that darkcned
the plains have disappeared as II by magic before the
terrible blast OF annual Indian invasion The districts
Of Mapini indie, Ell Orc, Cnco Senores, San Juan del
Rio and Cuencane count their losses from the Co.
manche and Apache invasions by millions OF dollars,
while the valuable mining interests Of these dis
trcts (abou one-ha the STATED completely paralyze
The FL Orc district is rich in cold washings and large
Jumps have been found there. From California miners
who have visited learn that its riches equal
most famous dggings Of that state but they he
worked account of a few hundred Indians. A half
league north Of the city is the famous Mercado iron
mountain the elevation OF which Is seven thousand five
hundred feet above the and about hundred
above the plaza Of the city. rode around and
ined il thoroughly is about three miles crcumfer.
ence and composed in great part Of iron oxide,
informed BY those who are working the ores II IL q
bold, rugged looking mass, black and frownine The
whole mountain Is about nifty per cent Of metal and It's
analysis varies from forty TO sixtyeIgh cent have
specimens that will certainly give from seventy
i've to eighty per cent 10 rather In the
tho axis OF deposit is clearly 10 DO traced
and nearly east and wes on the northern side the
ssDs BE- Of ~ S %
huge boulders OF iron many Of them from twenty TO
thirty tons In weight These oosened BY time. have
tain and lie hero ready for the smelling furnace when
time and patience shove Mexico into the channels Of the
tain Is superior quality Of building stone, primitive
limestone highly crystalline, while upfted upon the
northern slope Of the iron deposit limestone ridge
the ridge the entrance 70 mine which has been
opened and worked for some time Gold and silver
3 sso stated that precious o. vsn.
have been taken from some caves near the summit
Upon the bank Of the rurral river, six miles distant
from the mountain, 70 an iron mandatory, the ma
chinsry Of which u worked by water power fall Of
about Twelve serving the purpose 10 this point
the ores Of the Mercado mountain carried and from
them about one hundred tons Of annually manu-
featured In 1855 they manufactured hundred and
TONS but the works are now somewhat run
down The proprietor OF the works and Of very fine
country seat adjacent Don Juan Flores . gentle
whose fsuda wealth two years since was one third
msnss hacendss and forty houses in The city All this
b connscaed for treason Of the owner. who has
made himself prominent g an imperialist The iron
works consist Of alarge English smelling furnace small
machine shop and foundry Of equal dimensions, num-
Der OF blacksmiths FORCES and primitive trip hammer
Is also small rolling mill 70 which two three pudding
Furnaces arc attached saw them roll few tons OF rom
but Il not sufficiently worked the rolls we're very
much strained for want Of better graduation Of sizes In
the rolling and iron when finished full OF faults and
very rough II is, however, OF exceeding good quality
for all purposes requiring very bard close grained mea
u being almost like steel This Is perhaps due In part
the use Of charcoal and wood there
oeing no stone coal available The wood 10 brought
the mountains on mule back, journey OF Two and half
DAYS The charcoal costs fifteen cents silver for twenty
I'VE pounds The iron sells in this market for from
twelve fifteen cents per pound Wholesale and Is pre-
ferred TO that Of foreign importation. splendid bust
ness might be done here with the iron mountain II there
were any protection TO industry; but as rs now,
would DO losing enterprise for capitalists
On the southwest side Of the city 10 . bold limestone
hill known ss the Cerro dc los Remcdioa This Ii
crowned BY small thick walled church around which
adssabis cost; bat with very inferior display OF
cheering talent The general plan Of the works has the
shape Of right angled triangle, rs hypothenuse facing
tensions 70 bastion while the remainder Of the work
is irregular the crest OF the mountain Tho base
and perpendicular about hundred feet each The
ditch around the work Is about six feet deep. and cut
would be serve place Of shelter for assaulng
rsvefmenn are Of stone the exterior OF adobe bricks
The parapes vary from SIX 10 ten feet in
DS and Il. ns . no. .s
rounded BY q parapct which would serve a. proiec-
ton for infantry The for would mount nineteen guns
and completely commands the city, the plaza Of which
IL mot more than mile distant In the Interior Of the
work several fpauies Of adobe and stone and two
traverses Of stone which appear TO be OF little value
The slope Of the paapet IL such that In no part OF the
works could the guns DO 90 depressed a. to sweep the
mountain side not even the infantry could command
the bill slope from the tonqxtx The bitches not
protected BY flank fire except partially the east
side while the south side the face Of the curtain
almost parallel with the face Of the bastion and the
whole south ditch made apparently 70 protect an
assaulting party which might easily enter II from
the southeast turning 1t the time small ouwork
20 the south Of the main work. Northwest Of the
tion il Q circular redoubt lower down the hillside The
whole fertilization weak Affair." and like all the other
imperial forncaions have seen appeared 70 have been
built simply 10 hold the population beneath ts guns In
constant terror.
Lead is very abundant in the State and copper in the
Mapimi district In Mapim, Cuencame, Guaoacevi,
ParrlA and In the Cordcra separating Durango from
6naloa there immense argentsrous deposits West
OF the capital In the suburbs there are TIN mines In tho
Osrro do los Remedies There are also valuable tin de-
posts thirty leagues northwest Of TINS CITY the lack o.
riches 10 lie dormant
In the central part OF the State raised wheat
and other cereals In the valleys, where the climate