Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-06-15
MIN rs AND MININ G..
MExIcO,s FABULOUS MINES.
Their Richness and how they are Worked---A
o3J Lack Of Enterprise, +s

liluc- vi IulG IlCli uISCON cIlCE III Liz dpItClOuS
metals ia our own Pacific States, Mexico
was the great siiver-producing country of
the world, and all descriptions Of it, even
these in ordinary school books, dwelt largely
upon her fabulous productions of mineral
treasure. There is also d charm to the mag
nation in the subject Of the discovery and
gaining possession Of the precious produc-o
tons of nature, which bindly governs the
mind, and leads men into courses of life and
business less governed by reason than any
other %avocation.
Tie mines of Mexico are scattered un-
evenly over the entire extent of its mountain
ranges, They are nearly all noted for their
vast extent and poor quality Of ores. Most
of the mines are found from five to seven
thousand feet above the sea, in a delightful
tetnpeiatare, and usually near productive
Valleys They are found in veins sometimes
loo feet In breadth and many miles in length.
Their depth IS unknown, and they were
formerly worked until, with their rude sys-
TEN of lifting up the ores or getting rid of
the water, they could be no longer madeprof-
liable. There are SOC reals, or places where
mines are numerous, in Mexico, and not less
than 5000 veins. But a small proportion of
these are worked now, or have been at any
one time. The names of the richest only
r known In our own country, such as the
Valcnciana, GIanaxanta, Real del Monte,
Pechuca, and a few others.
Some of these have yielded as much as
$4,000, 600 IA year for many consecutive years.
This does not seem to be a great amount
sincethe marvels Of Nevada have been made
known, but tends to indicate what the same
ingenuity and enterprise that have develop
ell nj own silver mines may some day do
here. The laws governing all mining inter-
ests of the country have been very complete,
and the entire territory divided into mining
districts, with their own distinct code, courts
and elective council. Although the sole
right in mines is granted to the corporate or
individual owners, beginning with the i'm
meiise tribute required by the Spanish kings,
certain lesser taxes are still exacted, the
present being about u per cent, for the
benefit of the National School of Mines.
Actual occupation Of mines is necessary for
ownership, and, being left unworked for a
short period, any n may "denounce''
them, and upon working them or a short
time, acquire title. s4
Knowing tho. great difficulty in the way of
introducing innovations among Spanish peo-
pie, however advantageous, one will readily
understand That the old systems of the six
teenth century are still continued i'll the
mines Of Mexico. The shafts are of an inn
mense size, being sometimes thirty feet in
height and. breadth, and walled with the
best of masonry. The ores are loosened
with powder, and hoisted sometimes OF the
backs of Indians, and sometimes In immense
leathern bags, with a rude machinery driven
by horses. The mines are cleared of water
by the same means. Not until recently,
and in a very few cases, has good machinery
been introduced, and probably not more
thar a dozen tirst-class pumps are in use in
the whole country. The want of this ma
chinery has caused the abandonment of
many mines that would otherwise be very
profitable. Scarcity of fuel is in many cases
assigned Us q sufficient reason for not using
better machinery. and also the difficulty of
transportation. The carriers in the mines
are often loaded with from $50 to 5 pounds,
and will for six hours, without stopping,
carry these burdens mp s~tairTays numbers
ing 1,s00 steps. They are excellently paid,
and since the middle of the eighteenth GEN.
fury this service has been entirely voluntary,
Notwithstanding the vast amount Of sympa-
thy the world has felt for what has been