Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-05
the GOLD MINES OF VENEZUELA.
Many Nationalftes Engaged in Mining
=. Life and Activity. -"

Many NattOnalttes Engaged In Mining
Life and Activity.
J.. South American correspondence:
Passing several freight carts, whose
animals are resting after the tremend-
GUS pull up the steep banks, we ride
through the woods, the rain having
ceased, and into the wild mining town
tfcOlored and many-raced population.
Everything is life and activity. The
sound of many languages is on every
side, horsemen dash here and there
through the streets and above all is
heard the monotonOus booming of the
great mill OF the Callao company, near
the river. The laborers---gayly clad
West Indian negroes, natives and for
.eigners of all nations--"off shift" and
hanging around the stores, grog shops,
gambling and billiard saloons, look
recognition to those of our party they
had seen before, stare at the strangers
ming peon, who still brings up the rear.
Passing from Callao again into the for
est, catching here. and there glimpses
or the turbulent river through the
trees, we soon. reached Nacupal, the.
settlement originally formed around
the works of the Orinoco Exploring and
Mining company, and then ride on to
the town of Caratal, round about which
are scattered the mills and settlements
Of number of other companies some
several miles distant. - =
The houses of Caratal are built. as,
usual in the country, of one story, with
clay walls and floors and roofs of tiles;
,cuirata palm leaves or corrugated zinc.
The last has come into use largely now
as roof for the better class of build
ings. The windows of dwelling houses,
as in all Venezuela, are protected by
iron bars, and glass is somewhat I'M
usual. There is u large plaza, ON which
is small church, and the unpretending
buildings in which governmental affairs
are transacted.
The gold-bearing quartz seams, which
form perfect network over the oOun-
try ruin through the town. One shop
keeper talked of forming a company to
work the lode under his counters, and
quartz veins coming out in the streets.
In Caratal there are, as in the neighbor-
ing town of CallaO. many large stores
doing an. immense trade. In these
stores everything can be bought from a
miners pick to a lady's bonnet. Sad
dies, hammocks, guns. pistols, hosiery,
dress goods, shirts and readymade
clothing are jumbled up with bottles of
French preserves, American canned
goods, liquors, English bottled ale and
the three-feet in diameter cakes of cas-
sava bread and the white cheese of the
country.
The West Indian negroes, who form
the bulk of the miners, spend much OF
their earnings in these stores, decorat-
ing themselves in bright-cOlored shirts,
scarfs and kerchiefs. A negro miner in
his Sunday best is queer sight, COM
bination of many colors. Stores and
houses cluster about the plants of nearly
all the mining companies. Little TRUCK
farms are scattered between the settle
ments. Near Tupuquen, several miles
away, there are sugar estates, and in
other parts some horse and cattle
farms.
There are over a dozen gold mining
companies in all. First in products and
probably in Importance as TO dividends
Is the native company, known as the
| Compania rMinera del Callao. They
have fine mill and the richest ore. The
stock is principally owned in
Venezuela. The first president
was a Jamaica colored man,
who grew rich from this mine,
| hoving come TO the mines originally as
carpenter. The other companies are
English and Venezuelan chiefly. They
| have mining union for general affairs
and the transportation OF bullion, and
work quite harmoniously together, with
! the exception of the usual squabbling
on the labor question.
The officers of the various companies
are American, English, German French
and Venezuelan. Under this head
come the. superintendents and mining
engineers, bookkeepeGs, chief machin-
lists, amaigamators, mining captains
engineers, boss carpenters, etc. The
miners are, as before stated, chiefly me-
groes from the islands of Trinadad
Grenada, st. Vincent, Dominica and
Barbados, but there are also many
French, Belgian, Italian, Venezuelan
and German miners. Among the sur
face men are some Chinese and East In
dian coolies, who live in their own little
settlement. The shopkecping popuia'
tion is of all nations.
During the last three years the Pari,
Grand Opera house received 100000,
from sixty.toiI performances OF Messe
nets -'.Le7 Cid,,' 729,562 francs from
forty:four OF Paladilhe's ''Patrie," 5l5,
O53 from thfrty-threc OF "Rigoletto'
and 7i ;606 from ffty-three of Reyeri
"Ligurd 1.-the latter a Gallicized yer
sion of "Die Walkufe." p: