Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-03-23
sHErHERD's SILVER sBICKs.
A Kentuehian's Three Years
stay Among the siIver-beariDg
quarts of charlottesville
BOss' Big BOnanEas.
cOurler-Jsurual. Il.

and friends. de has been connected
in business capacity With Governor
a. h. Ekepherd-the famous Boss
of the District Of Columhia--in the
management Of q number OF silver
mines In the State of chihuahua. A
Courier Journal friend met the Cap
tain yesterday, and in reply to running
fee Of questions, elected 6 number OF
interesting facts bearing on the busi-
ness Of the companies, aud features
connected With lie far beyond the
Rio Grande. He said. II left Frank
tort in April, 1850, and in company
With Governor Shepherd and
family, arrived in Batopilas, a
village of about $500 inhabitants,
in the heart OF the Sierra
Madre mountains, after a journey of
forty-four days. This trip was in con.
trsst to my return, which yss made
in four days, owing to the railroads
that have been built since | went out.
I came back by the Mexican Central
to III PssO, and thence by the Texas
Pacific, Iron Mountain, andalia, etc.
Our entire journey out was made on
pack mules. General Shepherd has a
b.ave family. His wife aud seven
children were with us. The youngest
was a boy only four years OLD. The
two oldest were girls between fifteen
and seventeen years old. 1t made q
picturesque party, climbing the noun
tain sides along, the narrow bridal
paths. Our village was 3O5 miles from
the State capital. In that region OF
the State we we're buried ameDg noun
tain ranges from 5000 TO 5000 feet
high. Some peaks in the sane range
run up to 5000 feet"
what kind of a climate had you,
Captain?" asked the newspaper man
The most delightful you could i'm
agine. During the three years there
was not case Of sickness among our
employees. SnO6 falls upon the high
est peaks. but it only lasts two or
three days. The nights are always
cool enough for pair of blankets. If
you remain quietly in the shade you
nerer suffer from heat in the summer
seastn, but if you stir about a great
deal in the sun you may wilt a little. "
Were there many Americans in
your section?'
Gov. Shepherd had about thirty
Ave employed. and there we're not over
twenty outside of these. The rest Of
the people were Mexican greasers and
Indians. Nearly all OF the inhabitants
outside Of the village were Indians.
Ttey are sgriculturists, tilling little
patches Of corn on the mountain sides,
where a goat can scarcely hold on.
They are hard workers, and we got
good service out OF them paying them
from seTeaty-6ye cents to dollar a
day"
There is no particular prejudice
among the Mexicans or Indians
sgainst foreigners, and there is no
danger it you behave yourself aud at
tend to your own affairs. They have
fights among themselves, which often
end in shooting scrapes They.gaml lie
and drink heavily. Everybody goes
armed. but the style differs from that
in Kentucky. There the FIRE arms are
all carried in sight"
is Batopilas pretty we'll built?'
Yes, the houses are all built Of
adobe, unburnt brick, and some Of
them are large and present an impos
ing front. There were several mer.
camille firms in the village carrying
large stocks of goods. Tue goods are
brought over from Mazatland the
Gull of California"
"llOW do Injuries and 'necessaries
ssllP"
Some are cheap and others not SO
much so. Beer sold at $l.25 bottle,
and brown cotton commanded thirty.
seven aud half cents a yard. Other
things we're not so steep These shoes
which you see are very neat ones; they
cost me 81. Every article of freight
and all our mining machinery i.
brought over the mountsins on the
backs Of mules and burros-donkeys
This mode OF transportation adds nc
little to the cost oe many things. The
natiyes-except those who have been
out over tho mountains, and they are
few--had never seen o wheeled vehi
Gle until Gov. Shepherd built an iror
rail track over which mules haul ore
laden trucks. This railroad, a mil,
long, cost him $4,000 There are
some splendid sections of masonry Oh
it,"
THE topography is all mountain
you sayPp
YES, its up one side and down thu
other. The mountains are all thi
way" said the Captain, as be put BIZ
hands together in a V shape, with
just room enough between them fol
the water to run through. The near
est railroad to our village was at tn,
city Of chihuahua, the capital Of tn,
State, 800 miles. That road, wheI
completed, will come within 20I
miles of our mills. A survey las
fall projected line within sixty mile
of us. We were 300 miles from tn
Cult of California "
Tell me something Of the silve
mines and how they are paying"
We'll, the silver mines Of CbiEua
hua are perhaps the richest in th
world. Governor Shepherd is tn
Vice President and General Manage
Of about ten different stock companie
owned by American capitalists. /
took immense sums Of money TO star
and develop these mines, but the re
turns are coming 10 gorgeously now
and the stockholders have as good
thing now as they want. The pay
big. The silver is often found in a
almost pure state aud de6es the crush
er and battery. Then we have 20 r,
sort to the cold chisel and sledq
hammer. The silver is run into bricl
weighing from sixty TO seventy nound