Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-07

The Bafopilas Districs-G;Ov. Shepherds
Mines-A Washington COmpany-Un.
told Millions Coming to the Surface.
From the Boston Herald.

lines OF railway That VIII connect the most i'm
portan. states OF the Mexican republic with our
own railway system is attracting more and more
the attention of the American people to that
country, and the chances for profitable invest
ment in the development of it's varied and won
derful natural resources. One of the most won
derful of these resources Is comprised in
the rich mineral deposits of Mexico,
where mining has been pursued-even
under the greatest dsadvantages-with
perhaps greater profit to the operators of mines
than in any other section of the world. In the
production of silver Mexico has ALWAYS been
pre-eminent. and from the time of CorteZ to the
present day, the silver mines Of that country
have been considered the richest in the world.
They were worked by the Spaniards with grand
results, to the beginning of this century. when
the revolution of Mexico subverted Spanish rule
and created the Mexican nation. This revolu-
tOn and the internal commissions which sue
cecdeu 1t, caused complete prOstratiOn of
mining and all other industries in Mexico for
many years. Only recently has the great mine
IA! wealth ofthe country again been the object
of enterprise.
GOV. SHEPHERDS MINES.
Mr.. j. j. Durham, of Boston, has spent thlr-
teen months in the BatOpilas district He
brings very favorable reports of the progress
made IN the development of the mines under
the management of Gov. Shepherd Speaking
OF the property he went out to see and settle
certain affairs connected with the titles to it, Mr.
Durham. in the course of a free talk, said:
:" took from the Esperitorio mine, in the
course OF my workings to prove that it still
contained rich ore some very fine native silver
| worked the Old Shaft which was at one time a
bonanza and went down some 70 feet below
the Workcd-out chamber. when | struck some
native silver the vein in the shaft however.
carrying low-@rade ore for most of the distance;
that is the ore ranged in value from $40 to 5000
ton That might be called high-grade ore
elsewhere, but in district where the ore runs
up into the
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PER TON
it Is low grade. The property looks well and
promising. The district is altogether an eXcep-
tlCnal one. and no man who could see it as ] have
would fail to be satisfied that it would yield the
most handsome returns for proper development
and working. l have not the slightest doubts
as to its great prospective value. In the in
TERMS connected with the business which
brought me to BatOplas had ample time and
opportunity to study the whole district and
watch the developments going On there. and l
can assure you they are simply wonderful"
What is Gov. Shepherd doing2"
''He is prosecuting the work of. developing
the mines under his cOntrOl-there are some ten
or twelve of them-in the most thorough and
manner You are no doubt
familiar with the city of Washington and what
1t was before he took charge of its public works
and what it was when he completed his work
there. He was cursed and revilcd for his lavish
expenditure and the vast scale on which he
carried out the various needed improvements
He was even charged with corrupt practices,
from which he was. however finally eXonerated
The people who cursed him once have lived to
bless him, for they now realize the vast
benefits of his work. | may tell you
that he is doing his work at the mines
M Rnt iioa in Il
comprehensive scale. Heis pushing in on vari-
Gus properties series of tunnels, which are to
connect with the shafts, and thus secure
proper ventilation for his lower workings. In
running these tunnels he has aimed to intersect
or crOss-cut the veins on the various properties
and may tell you that he has succeeded in
opening up some veins OF the greatest promise
OF richness; but he has not faltered for a moment
III pushing forward the tunnels to the proper
distance to meet the shafts, When Gov. Shep-
herd took Charge, some three years ago, there
was only one of the properties which he now
controls which had a tunnel on it, and that was
the San Miguel, which includes the old Carmen
and San Antonio mines
S2OO,OOO STRIKE
Since that time he has not only extended that
tunnel but has run in on the various properties
some 10 to - tunnels, in two of which, viz, the
Martinez and ROncesvales Ga Washington city
company he has made connection with tie up
right shafts. On the Roncesvalles he had spent
less than $4,000 when he struck rich deposit
OF native and black silver and silver ore from
which he took out S2OO00O worth of bullion |
have no doubt that many fthe stock holders in the
mines under his charge think Gov. Shepherd is
moving very slowly, and is not producing the
results expected from the rich mines under his
superintendence; but he is doing a necessary
work. which, when completed, will not only
insure a large and continuous Weld,
a ind
that need only be limited by the number of
miners employed The tunnels will not ONLY
answer for the tracks over which the ore from
the various workings can be drawn out but are
SO constructed as to convey the water which
will no doubt be encountered in the lower work
ings OF the mines away from them when pumped
up into their sluiceways. AS matter of ex-
perience. however, there has been little water
encountered so far but 1t will be reached by
and by. When the tunnels of the various
mines are completed, and as they are SO COM
pleted. the work of driving on the veins which
have been cut across will be prosecuted Then
Will commence yield of ore which, In
my opinion, will be simply marvellous. After
running in to an indefinite distance on the veins
on both sides Of the tunnel, there will then be
the slopes above to work out. The cost of min
ing will also be comparatively small, from the
nature OF the gangue in the veins in which the
ores are held. This gangue is largely calc spar.
which Is soft and easily worked, while the dior
needed in the mines. Everything in fact. seems
to combine to favor the exploration of these
mines on vast scale at comparatively small
cost Gov. Shepherd has been doing large
amount of
DEVELOPMENT WORK.
as told yOu and when he gets his mines in the
rightconditiOn to produce, an extraordinary pro-
ductiOn may be looked for. To give an idea that
even development work ia not all outlay NAV
say that, from January 16 to February % of this
year-that il, to just before my departure
Roncesvalles mines produced some SIC, 600 in
silver. In one week Of that time there was pro-
duced some 1900 pounds of ore, which assayed
from 81 to S12 per pound. There were 667
pounds which yielded 70 per cent of their
weight In silver bullion. This have per-
sOnal knowledge of. There were two pieces
which In the vein were one piece-which
measured AZ inches in length, g inches in
width, and almost z inches in thickness It
weighed 315 pounds. and fully 70 per cent of its
weight was silver. That mine has any quantity
of low grade ore. carrying from $25 to 500 q
ton. bet was made between Superintendent
ClemO Of the San Miguel and Superintendent
Walter NJ. Brodie of the Roncesvalles as to which
of the two mines would produce the most in the
month Of January. The San Miguel was the
larger mine, and had all appliances for mining
and handling ore more complete than the other.