National Republican., 1883-03-28
snEpnEnp,s SILVER BRICKS.
Capt. TsyIor's Three Years Stay Among
silver Bearing Quartz OF chihuahua.
from me Louisriae Courier. journal.


Silver Bearing Quartz OF Chihuahus.
From ue LousriQe Courier.Journdl.
Capt. Il. II. Taylor, son of Gen. Thomas II.
Taylor, of this city, has returned from So
iourn of three years in Mexico, and is stop
ping over for few days on visit to his fa-
ther and friends. He has been connected in
a business capacity with Gov. A. II. Shepherd
the famous boss of the District of Colum.
bia--in the management of q number of silver
mines in the state OF Chihuahua. A COaiier-
Journal friend met the captain yesterday, and
in reply to running fire of questions ELECTED
q number of interesting facts bearing on the
business of the companies and some features
connected with life far beyond the Rio Gtande,
He said:
81 left Frankfort in April, 1850, and, in COM
pany with Gov Shepherd and family, arrived
in Batopias, village of about 800 inhabit-
ants, in the heart of the Sierra Madre noun
tains, after journey of forty-iour days. This
trip was in contrast TO my return, which was
made in four days, owing to the railroads that
have been built since L went out. came
back by the Mexican Central TO El Paso, and
thence by the Texas Pacific, Iron Mountain,
Nandalia, sc. Our entire journey out was
made on pack mules. Gov Shepherd has a
brave family. His wife and seven childreh
were with us. Tho youngest was boy only
4 years old, The two oldest were girls be-
tween 10 and IL years old. 1t made pic
turesque party, climbing the mountain sides
along the narrow Bride paths. Our village
was 305 miles from the state capital. In that
region of the state we were buried among
mountain ranges from 5000 to 5000 feet high.
Some peaks in the same range run up to 5000
feet"
"What kind of climate had you, Captain ~
asked the newspaper man.
"Thc most delightful you could imagine
During the three years there was not case o!
sickness among our employees. Snow falls
upon the highest peaks, but il only lasts two
or three days. The nights arc always cool
enough for pair of blankets. lfyou remain
quietly in tho shade you never suilcr from
heat in the summer season, but If you stii
about great deal in the sun you may wilt q
little"
"Were there many Americans in your sec.
tionY"
Gov. Shepherd had about thirty-fvo en-.
plOyed, and there were not over twenty out
side of these. The rest of tho people were
Mexican greasers and Indians. Nearly all OF
the inhabitants outside of the village were
Indians. They were agriculturists, tilling
little patches of corn on the mountain sides
where goat can scarcely hold on. They are
hard workers, and we get good service out Of
them, paying from 75 cents to 81 u day.
There Is no particular prejudice among
the Mexicans or Indians against foreigners
and there is no danger if you behave your
self and attend to your own affairs. They
have fights among themselves, which often
end in shooting scrapes. They gamble and
drink heavily, and most of their money goes
that way. Everybody goes armed, but the
style differs from that in Kentucky. There
the firearms are all carried in sight"
"Is Batopilas pretty well built?'
EYES, the houses are all built of adobe, un.
burnt brick, and some of them are large and
present an imposing front. There were sew
eral mercantile firms in the village carrying
large stocks of goods. The goods are brought
over from Mazatland and the Gulf of Califor.
MIA"
" How do luxuries' and 'necessaries sell 2'
"Some are cheap and others not so much
so. Beer sold at $1.25 bottle, and brown
cotton commanded 371 cents yard. Other
things were not 80 steep. These shoes which
you see are very neat ones; they cost me SS6
Every article of freight and all Of our mining
machinery is brought over the mountains ON
the backs of mules and burros-donkSys
This mode of transportation adds no little tc
the cost of many things. The enatives-except
those who have been out over the mountains,
and they are few-had never seen q wheeled
vehicle until Gov. Shepherd built an iron rail
track over which mules haul ore laden trucks
This railway, o mile long, cost him $4,000
There are some splendid sections Of masonry
on it," re
"The topography is all mountain, you sayP'
ayes, IL is up one side and down the other
The mountains are all this way" said Atlie
captain, as he put his hands together in
shape, with just room enough between them
for the water to run through. The nearest
railway to our village was at the city OF
chihuahua the capital of the state, 305 miles
That road, when completed, will come within
49, ,,,f11 A 1aut fall
projected limo within sixty miles of us.
We were 300 miles from the Gulf of Cali.
fornia."
"Tell me something of the silver mines
and how they are paying"
"Well, the silver mines of chihuahua are
perhaps the richest in tho world. Gov. Shep.
herd is the vice president and general mana
ger of about ten different stock companies
owned by American capitalists. 1t took inn
mensc sums of money to start and develop
these mines, but the returns are coming in
gorgeously now and the stockholders have as
good a thing now as they want. The pay is
big. The silver is often found in an almost
pure state and dcfes the crusher and battery.
Then we have no resort to the coldchisel and
sledge hammer. The silver is run into bricks
weighing from sixty to seventy pounds. We
balance two of these on mule and send out
n caravan. These mules bring back 250 to
800 pounds Of general freight. Three hun
dred pounds is the regulation mule load or
cargo in that country"
"How do the productions of the mines
runY"
"They vary widely. Sometimes fcr months
we run on q low grade or no yield at ALL and
then we strike it big hit pocket or a
bonanza. The February yield OF two of the
mines was $4,000. In the same month silver
was struck in three new mines"
"What has been the total yield of all the
mines under Shepherd in tho three years of
your stay" ...-.
81 don't feel at liberty to tell the full
round figures, but they arc fabulous. From
December, 1879, TO March l, 1858, 700 bricks,
averaging 81 900 in value each, were shipped
-$700,000, you sec, from one-third of the
mines" ..rt
"How do you go about getting possession of
mines?" Ty
Anybody has the right to denounce or
locate, as we would say, a claim, but the
government never surrenders its title to tho
soil. You go out, feel within, 'donounce
your claim, go to work and drive so many
three months and have it registered. You
can only locate certain distance for each
Claim-a parallelOgram about 200 by 500
yards Mexican measure. Mexican yard
or vera Is }3 inches You can commence
outside your first claim and locate as many as
you please within tho regulation distance and
by doing the required amount of work. This
gives you legal possession. If you cease work
for three months, unless for exceptionally
good reasons, the claim becomes tho property
of tho government and is subject TO new
claimant. The government has heretofore
exacted ~ per cont of the production To be
turned over with tho reports every two
hg hnt 1aNu hag han, ,l,n