The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-01
CHIHUAHUA SILVER MINES
Wealth. AWAITING UNITED STATES
CAPITAL AND INDUSTRY.
1.odcs Of Fabulous Extent and Depth Richer
and Moro Promising than the Coms'och-
The Rich Treasures of Northern Mexico.

tne nlknesI POM OF Nuo Cchb" 'ONO W W. -
milo mountain, on which he had counted thir-
ty-seyen and TWENTY-FIVE veins outcroppng
upop the surface. All these veins run TO the
northwest, and after crossing an arrayo unite IN
one grand mother lode, known as the Minas
Nuevas, or New Mines. its failure TO be worked
may be ascribed to the fact OF Its greater nis-
lance from water, for except In the rainy season.
there Is no water nearer the vein than some Two
miles. All the ore taken FROM miuc Is carried TO
the hacienda OF reduction on the backs OF bur-
ros or asses. These patient, iong-sunering little
animals constitute in this part OF the country
almost the only means OF transporting freight.
The standard load for burro 10 carga 600 lbs),
and when the animal IL In good condition " is
not too much for It,. pack train usually num-
bers thirty, and . train OF this number Is load
ed and unload ed, driven and attended to Rener-
ally by one man and boy. They are never
either fed or stabbed, and when on Journey
ground, ready aud eager to PICK up any stray
rinds OF fruit OF chance blade Of grass That NAV
freight IL unloaded they are turned loose to lind
sustenance az best they can until wanted.
The Mexican careta or cart, lie the only vehicle
average American It strikes him rs the first, the
original ATTEMPT Of man to construct KIND OF
nor polish, spokesbaye nor plane, Is used In It's
fabrication. Give Mexican sufhciency Of
the materials and one OF his own clumsy and
I'll -contrived axes and AN auger. and be has all
tne tOOlS WneteWltn 10 luTIllhu nls cart Ouh w
the nrst cutting OF a cottonwood tree, he bews
an oblong block. through the centre ~ which, Is
next digs-you cannot say cuts-two pieces
from the same tree which he fashions into seq
ments OF circle and pins TO the sides Of tne
wooden pegs. The wheel rs now nnlsneu' ana
u II happens not TO be round, II is matter OF
little moment-it rs near enough that shape Tor
all Mexican purposes. From the same tree ne
next cuts the axle,ree. the tongue aud the BODY,
the last having no other fastening than rawhide.
When in motion the wheels wobble about IN
every direction, and as they reyolye upon the
axIetrees, the want OF friendly grease Is made
painfully manifest by an excruciatine screeoh-
Il would fairly drive into madness the sub
stantial American farmer TO see the cruel man
ner In which the Mexican oxen are attached to
Unlike oxen with us. they are not yoked and
allowed the full use and strength OF their
shoulders and chests, but a straight piece OF
timber. instead Of woke. is placed directly on
the head between the horns and tied to them
with rawbide. Another uiece Of rawhide. nade
fast around the centre OF this stick, Iashes II to
the tongue. and a rawhlde rope attached TO the
permits the attachment OF as many
deemed necessary TO draw the load. In this
way as many as nye or si1 yokes OF steers are
whose lond in the United states u single yoke
could Draw with ease.
veins OF this section finally merge, is nrst dis
tinctiy seen at a distance of about three miles
from Parral, outcropping at point on the west
side OF the Paimiilo or Dry Mountain. and about
half way up Its side The outcrop OF the lode
from ali other ore IN this district, and which
continues, though not 80 bright AS upon the
merous mines Of the vein. The width OF the
outcrop varies. and while unusually wide
widest silver lode ever saw. Its course use from
the Dry Mountain, where first seen, Is a little to
the west OF north and In that direction II ex-
tends for elk miles without break TO the San
Antonio. the last mine on the lode having n
tinuous but It appears every now ana then. at
short intervals. TO 4 distance OF about fifteen
merged into the pains,it is nualy lost Unlike he
Prieta, the ore Of the Ninas Nuevas vein Il re-
y res The pcns ,Ss
was there visible any trace Of either antimony
the concurrent testimony Of mine owners and
workers established the fact that the product
gamating or milling ore. ana one-siIth smelling
ore. A considerable quantity OF this milling
mines uI ssreaboass whe the pTopofion ' 81
milling and smeltins ore above given is the
eIags' Ses o. c 1ne a hss 'e are nv
not been infreauent. This was notably SO In
the san Domingo NINE, situated near the centre
OF the vein. This mine, now abandon and in
ruins, was worked as late as 1859, when ITS
owner-an energetic. public spirited Frenchman
died, and his mine. well as his large estate,
went TO wreck. The mine Is said to be 10 feet
deep, and It had nearly reached that depth
when he struck a large pocket out Of which
in short time he took l5,UOO cargas Of rich
smelling ore, which yielded slOO TO the carga, or
This bonanza enabled him, as It induced him,
60 build IN the city Of Parral two large hdcIends,
which together, cover many acres. One Is for
.benenciating oY the patio process, and the other
for smelling. and the two must have cost nearly
100000. 10 hun. death. and TO MS bonauzt 1,
exhaust ton. came about the same time ; ana nj.
children being Of tender Year,, his affairs were
committed To- an ad ministrator who ruined his
mine and wasted hls estate. Hut tho Immense
hdctcndds-one under lease for un Insignificant
sum, ana the other IDLE and gcing to decay-re.
main there as proof Of De Isles public spirit,
and incontestoe evidence Of what he contem-
plsted doing toward rsyivinr the mining re-
a & a
There many mines upon this vein OF vari-
Gus depths, but the deepest, Veta Grande Is
depta Al rs present depth the owners OF this
mine are taking out smelling ore Tn yield
to the cargo of 800 pounds, or from 2OO to ~
ounces Of refined silver 70 the ton Of s,u.
said to be forty yavas, or about lis feet.
The history Of all these mines Is virtually tbs
sane. 10 all respects. uniformity OF width and
difference. Mines Of less than 800 feet In depth
vein, except the Vet Grande, is for sale. Ins
highest p,ice asked for any Is for the HI Salto
me'fo Ss ono o".s nd smo !.
When Inspected this mine there were twelve
hands onlya work IN IL. They were at work
upon large body u smelling ore.whose dimen-
sions, because IL was not uncovered. | could not
guess at. purchased 300 pounds OF the aver
age ore, and III person superintended It's smelt-
ing. That quantity Welded ninety-two
ounces. VI about $66 10 the ton.
The distance between mines In Mexico Ia
never lcss than ~ wards along the vein. An in
dvidual Is entitled to that much, while a com
pany can denouhce NO Yards. THIS exceeds
greatly the average extent OF miues in the
United States.
rhe average yield CT the many mines on the
COmstock lode does not exceed thirty dollars
Tho highest % these for the year 1873 was Vir-
GINA Consolidated, which Yielded an average OF
only sixty-nye dollars. while others like the
GOuld ana Curry Welded much less This, too,
when the mines average some 1000 feet In
depth. The Virginia Consolidated until depth
81 LOO feet was reached. Welded ore worth only
from SO tG $40 ton. The ore 81 the hinus
NuevAs Yields the highest figure named from the
surface. II ste 'diiy increases IN ley TO It's
utmost depti Vet reached, while many mines on
me CONS. och lode have either given out entire "
or Welded ore which II was Improbable TO work
The whole Of the MInas Nuevds could now he
acquired for $4,000, and II onetenth Of the
money spent upon the COmstock was expended
In working IL the Isturn would be far greater
than tie total product OF the Comstock up 10
this time.
There II no reason why these mines should not
he owned by American CAPITALISTS and worked
by American skll, and with American machin-
cry. In the revolutions that are 80 often occur
ring IN that country. no American miner has
ever been either broken up OF In any manner
disturbed. The Virginia Consolidated mine
employs al average of $500 men. with l,0I
Americans II would not task even a mediocre
commander Ia take ana hold the State Of Chi
hlahua' not onlN against revoJutionists. but
against the Mexican Government itself thrown
H. Ihere ~ no OCCASION however, for force to
aNaDN