Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-09-02
MINERAL WEALTH OF HONDURAS.
Gold Fields Along the Guayape River.
In Central America


In Central America
4There are tons of gold in the noun
tains of Honduras" remarked Col. II.
s. Davys, who has recently returned to
the United States after half lifetime in
the tropics. "United States capital
knows that; but there is some doubt as
to whether it will pay to get the gold
out Just now.
jay Hubbell, of Michigan, is presi-
dent of a company which owns most OF
the mineral lands along the Alva and
Alanco rivers in the department Of
blanche, not far from the coast. Bonanza
Mackay, Ben Butler and such old mining
sharps as Senators Jones and Tabor, all
have experts now in Honduras explor-
ing and reporting upon the mineral re-
sources of the country. So far as !
have heard, the reports agree that the
republic is vast gold mine; but ut the
same time there are so few roads leading
into the interior, and so many precipit-
Gus falls in the courses of the many rivers,
which would otherwise be navigable,
that, as | said, there is question as to
whether supplies can be hauled to and
from the coast at rates that would make
the mining profitable just now.
ut was fifteen years ago, in the au-
tumn of 1871, that ran my first gold
washer in the valley of Guayape. / was
riding through the district on the look
out for mahogany, which, next to gold,
is Honduras most promising source OF
wealth, the republics own estimate Of
the value of its mahogany forests being
$500, 900, 900. For about a mile We had
been cutting our way with machetes, OF
knives, through dense sarsaparilla thick
cts, the vines of which plant had an UNI
holy habit Of swinging themselves from
one high tree TO another, making passage
impossible until they were cut away.
But upon approaching the river the
jungle suddenly gave way to open forests
of pine with an occasional lignumvite or
a dwarfted calabash tree. The land fell
away in gentle slopes to the river, and
there we saw group of four native
women with their calico dresses tied
about their waists wading mid-leg deep
in the water.
Each carried pan made Of raw-hide,
shaped much like tambourine, and the
whole party were washing sand taken
from bar in the river for the gold
which it contained. They worked in q
slow and perfunctory manner, taking in
clean water at one side of the pan, and
after swirl or two sending it out in q
muddy stream at the other side. After
about fifteen minutes of that sort OF
thing one Of the women seemed to think
that her pan was thoroughly washed,
and accordingly she splashed ashore
with it. / rode down TO the waters edge
and took look into the pan, and among
a handful of little black and white peb-
bles / saw number of flakes and pin.
heads of gold of a rich red color. The
woman carefully picked the gold from
among the pebbles and placed it in Q
quill, which she carried in the bosom Of
her dress. She willingly allowed me to
examine the quill, which contained about
half an ounce Of gold-all Of which had
been taken from the river sand in less
than half days washing.
"The other women had not done quite
so well, she said; but at this particular
spot it was not unusual to wash an ounce
of gold a day, and occasionally she
would find a chispa, or nugget, weight
ing two or three ounces.
"They rarely wash out more than Q
few ounces at a time. and then only
when they are in pressing need Of money
for some special purpose; but as soon as
one group leaves the washing grounds
another takes their place, so that ride
when you will along the Guayape you
will come across gold-washers at the
spots which have been famous placers
for a century back. They never do more
than merely scratch the surface ground,
the idea of diverting the streams course
or digging to any depths in the banks
never entering their heads. just after
a freshet, when the stream has washed
away the surface earth high up its banks
and cleared out ravines, specks of gold
may be seen with the naked eye glitter.
ing in the sun. Cincinnati Enquirer.