The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-11-19
GOLD AND AlLyER IN wEsTERN
T.XAs

, TIA.
! Mr.. W. u. Cheney, practical miner.
ai"gist and assayer, has written n very IN.
"resti'ig letter to the Austin Crexas'
Sfdfesnan. IN reference to HE mineral re.
sources vi Western Texas. Over on,
year ago Mr.. Cheney. whom Ne know
personally. kit Tennessee for the bprLe,
counties TO prospect in the regions op.
Grated many !cars ago by gold hunters
from Mexico. lie visited san Saba,
Llano and surrounding counties. where.
In former times. considerable mining had
been carried on. as there are still visible
the remains of old mining shafts. and
rude furnaces where slmclting had been
done. He says: "Of the old mining
shafts or pits. there have been some fifty
reported, principally in the counties Of
Bell. San Saba, Menard. Mason. q .nble
aud Llano. | also think that fair silver
lead must have been obtained IN Burnct.
Williamson and Milan counties, tor the
remains of old furnaces still *.
LIT there, aud Ia two instances
considerable silver has been found
IN the slags left about them. The most
OF this mining must have been done while
Mexico was yet a province Of Spain. and
probably conducted Inexperienced Span.
ish and Mexican miners. y } lar as 1 have
examined any Enthusiastically old works,
they invariably give evidence Of thorough
practical knOwle igr They may have
known very little Of minrraiogy or geol-
ogy rs learned from the books. but what
was Of more value to them. they seem n
have well understood those outward, ex- |
ternal or surface indications which SO |
surely Indicate to the pracficed eve |
OF the miner the site Of mineral deposits"
Mr.. Cheney has. at variM,s times,
washed scale gold from several places in
LlanO. and conclusive evidence has been
given by people living in that county. #
The existence Of gold. In 1922. when
lturbide was emperor Of Mexico, he re
''ived letter from one OF his subjects
which said: about forty leagues,
more or less. from the city Of San Auto.
no de Brxar. there are rich gold and sil.
YER mtaes. which. owing tn the Occupa-
non at that region By hostile Indians,
have not been explored" The inyes.
legations tiWn made BY the
MEXICAN government were. owing TO In.
rrnal troubles IN the empire. abandoned;
mi since that time. until recently. the
mining region has attracted bur little ut. |
cntion. Ia Mr.. Ch-ency's letter he uses
he following language descriptive If
Western Texas and I.lanO county But
i all other countries Western Texas may
NJ said to be the home Of the honey bee
and may adj. the land of milk AMI
i" "v-f"r the COW rOams upon every
ill aud through very plain aud valley.
MI the honey bee Is everywhere the
follow trees and In the caves Of the
'~ks. Every resident may keep from
lily 10 two hundred stands of bees,
md they will do Well AMI make AN
abundance Of honey. In the springtime
he country Is odorous with numberless
lowering plants, shrubs and trees,
md through all the long summer and
all, and on many warm days In winter
he honey bee may be seen gathering IN
lis store Of honey. During the summer |
'nd early fall months u honey dew ,
rrq'rnily falls. at which time one NAV
&c" the bees gathering The honey from The
eaues ct trees and shrubs. instead of from
HE flowers. scarcely believed this I
until ! actually tasted the drops pendant
upon the leaves aud found them decidedly
sweet Last fail knew Mr.. Wilson. Nv.
'"g Oh Cole creek, 10 take thirty pounds
o' money from box on the top Of + hive.
ana IN three weeks he robbed 1t again,
hhd'ny II completely tillcd with u hue
Money ~ lever saw or tasted"