The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1873-07-24
IDAHO WORLD.


E
4he another bdes ofathe1 american
continent have few if any counterpartss
among the mines Of the Old World, and
stand entirely, alone in the matter OF
uffoductiveness andextent AT the date
Of tie discovery Of America the amount
Of precipps metals Known to exist in
Europe was about $l70, 900, 900, while
in 1900 it had quadrupled, and to-day
it is estimated that over S., 600, OOO, 900
Of coined bullion is aAoat in the markets
Of the world. More than one-half of this
has been mined from the great mother
veins of. America, which have, so far
been found only along the western
shore of the continent, in the great range
of mountains extending from Alaska to
Patagonia. The great mass of metal
produced by these veins directly, has
been ailverAth ongh indirectly, nearly
as much gold originated in them, as
will be seen in what follows:
The Veta Madre, Of Cuanajuato, Mex
leo, was first opened during the 10th
Century, and after yielding many mil
lions ofdollars in silver, was abandoned.
In 1850 it was re-opened, and in l76s
an immense body Of rich ore struck, at
a depth Of $40 feet, from which nearly
$1,000, 900 annually was taken, up to
lSlO.s A,shah 1890 &etdoep was then
sank, which developed the fact thatat
the depth of 81, 200 feet the rich surface
ores deteriorated in quality, and were
disseminated more evenly through the
body Of the vein. Id This same year
the mine was abandoned, and allowed
to FIJI with water Fifteen years later
it was again re.opened by the Anglo
American Company, but the enormous
expenses Of draining forbade any profit,
and it was once more closed. At pres
ent it is being worked by, the United
Mexican Company, who, by saving low
grade ores, are raising its annual pro-
duct to something like the figures of
the past Upon the Vesta Madre is the
celebrated Valenciana mine, with his
tory as romantic as can we'll be i'm
agined. According to Humboldt, a
Spaniard by the name of Obenger Sc
lected the location upon portion Of
the lode, before then unprospected.
After working for long time, with no
returns, an immense body of ore was
struck, from which, from January, 1881,
to June, 1871, nearly $4,000, 900 was
taken, making it's owner one of the.
richest men in the world, at that time.
The whole vein since it's discovery has
yielded in the neighborhood OF eight
hundred million dollars. 81 80
The Veta Granda, of Zacatecas, from
1913 to 1882, produced 1866, O0O, 600.
In places it IS over 50 feet wide upon
the surface, narrowing below to com.
parativsly small seam, though of great.
length: It's ores also became poor at
a great depth; it enlarged again and
its production now reaches a high fig
ure, on account Of the availability Of
low grades Of ore. s,x~.Es.rF
The Biscauya, another great mother
lode of Mexico. has been the theatre of
huge operations and disastrous failures.
In l749, Betamente, a Spaniard, COM
menced a tunnel for the lode, to effect
its drainaHA He died during the pros
ecution Of the work, and was succeeded
by Don Terrerors, who,r after running
9,0Di&et cut the -Yein 500 feet below
the surface, and found a great body of
ore from which, ID twelve years. he ex-
tracted a net profit of 100000. His
successor, continued the working M the
mine, bat in attempting to operate be-
low the level of the adit, was finally
dsNpowered at adepth ofc325 feet BY
the waters, and the mine was aban-
doneds I'M 1898 the English Real del
Monte Company re-opened It, and by
the sid M powerful steam machinery
worked It to the depth>o Of TO feet be-
low the tunnel, when the waters again.
overpowered them, and the mine was
Closed lndssoh for a mere nothng?I<
The great mines of the Potosi, in
Bolivia, which were rather seggrega-
tionM dlgpeat number, Of minor lodes
into one principal channel, have pro-
duoed to6mf3 LsdO,0 90, DO, and are
annually yielding now from eight to
Twelve millions, though not wotked with
anything like the energy and science
that has 1besn coacanfateds upon the
mineral deposits Of the United States.
TO tie great mother lodes Of the latter
W now turn, and find four to which