The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-02-03
A NEW ELDORADO.
Discovery of Rich Gold Fields in the Repub-
lie of Honduras.

CHICAGO, Jan. Pa local paper publishes
a long article this morning, announcing the
discovery of rich gold fields in the Republic
of Honduras. 1t appears that some six
months ago James Rector Milligan, Colonel
Pat Donan, OF Dakota, and three others from
Indiana, made up pool and sent Rector ana
another man, an OLD California prospector,
to Honduras TO examine and report upon
new placer gold field, which was alleged to
have been found in the southeastern part OF
that little Republic.
The arrival of full particulars, both by
cable and mail, and also the receipt of a
little bag OF SD worth of dust Testify to the
Importance of the find. Already Mr.. Mill
gan, OF Fargo, OAK, has gone to Honduras.
Colonel Donan will follow in a few weeks,
and several other parties of Western men
are making ready to set out for the new FL
dorado Mr. Rector, who has been on the
ground since last summer, and who is
known as a prudent and cautious man, and
one possessed OF unusual hard sense, writes
20 his friends here that the discovery
is likely to prove as important one
as any OF the great placer districts of
California. The new field lies in the east
and about 80 miles from the Atlantic coast.
The places are in, and adjacent to, the head
waters of the Guayape River, which is one
of the tributaries of the Rio Patuca, region
long known for its mineral resources. Mr..
Rector and party have explored the stream
and its gravelly bottom for nearly fifty miles
and have found scores of places where the
gravel yields from ten to eighty cents to the
pan. They haze begun regular mining, how
ecer, in place where, after much toll, they
succeeded in turning the river from its ma
tive bed. Here they dig Down, and are
slricing out from s. to so cubic yard, n
yield fully equal to that of the best placer dig
gings in california. The led OF the river they
have reclaimed covers many acres in extent
and under the laws of the Republic they can
lay claim 10 it all. The facilities for placer
mining are unsurpassed. The gold which
has been sent up was exhibited to a few Sc
lect parties in this city yesterday. The
particles are OF all sizes from mustard seed
grains to nuggets as big as birds egg. One
nugget was found valued at Sl15. Rector
believes that the bed of the stream for
nearly its whole length, together with the
sand and gravel bars adjacent, are rich in
gold. The Government of Honduras, it is
said, is very liberal to miners let them come
from where they may. Ii requires no Cit
izenship to work mineral land, and there is a
very large margin allowed as to the extent of
holding. Gold and silver mining has long
been an established industry in the region of
the Rio Patuca, but the inertness of the peo-
pie, the apparent remoteness of the country,
and the lack OF adequate capital has pre-
vented anything like systematic work. 1t is
stated that mining men from the West, who
are at present in Chicago are watching with
keen interest the Honduras developments,
and that if the news which the Rector party
has sent shall be further confirmed there
viii be quite stampede for the new region.
The country is described as healthful, en-
tirely free from malaria, and the tempera-
ture ranging in the foot hills of the noun
tain ranges where the placers are to be found,
at from 45 to - degrees the year round.