Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-06-09
vENEZUELA's GOLD MINES.
Auriferous Fields on the Banks of the
 huruari River-Soenes in Camp.

heiAnt or tue rainy season the mortality IS great among tho negroes, who often sleep In the open air and take little Care or themselves. ChIlls and fever IS a com mon complaint. Position Tn life has a great deal Co do with the Inability to sick- ness. as upon the quality of :he living accommodations much depends. The lever seems to thoroughly weaken the blood of the sisk, and for months after a sI k man has left his bed he appears like living corpse. Much of the dlseases contracted ct the mines is no doubt due 10 e1cesses q various kinds, which See un to Do lnseparHble from llts in a mining country. When the greatest ca.e IS needed, ID reference to every detail of eatlng, drinking, clothing and living. little is taken by the majority, and ,he result IS that the various foreign em- plOyeF, or officers as they are called AmericRn, English and Gernan-irom the chIef mining engineer down to 1hs Iflsh blacksmilhe, are continually sick or recovering from sickness.
 l have seen over half the "offioers" of one company sick, thus necessitgting double work from the others, conducting to similar sickness. Doctors are plentl- tul, but they, !oO, are often laid up. At night a dense mIst from the river covers the whole valley like pail. No wonder there are levers.
 The ore from the mines, after being crushed. passes under the stamp heads. on which steam Ot water Is flowing. and then crushed into fine power from the battery over the RuAlgsm8sion tables These are ot copper, covered with 0 coat iDg or murcuTy, The gold particles amalSsmRte with the mureury, md the water carries the quartz grams on into the race below, The tables are cleaned every twenty-fOuF hoGrs. the mill being stopped 10 allow of this. The result from the days working of thIs immense machinery Is Q cOu ole Of balls of varying slZe ssy O. an egg-of amRigam, which are carried down 10 the house, weighed and then deposited ID the safe until a suffi- cleD' quantity IS had for retort.og. Al Ser retOrting the resultant gold IS ready for shipment. Some gold B shipped in She retorted form and some is melted and cast in the form of bsTs before ship ment. The shipment of bullion takes place once month. the varieus com psnies bringing their gold to the office whence the bullion train starts, The bullion Is carried over the road ID chsrge of mounted party of guards we'll arm ed.
 Bdllion dsy is a sort of holiday for the chief officers of the companies, on which they all meet together and discuss mutual affairs. The bnllion train in re- turning brings up mail and the monry to pay the labor and other expen -es. Thea, for many dsys, the scene ct com pany's office IS lively ore, the miner orseigi0z the window T letter. and w:th InauiF ies ss tO when pay day val cume. The money cOm,s up generally !n English s0vereIgus, Tifh occasionally some American gold. There k very lit- tie chsDse ID the country, and ten or five cent VGneZuelsn pieces are rare. Erg rglisb, French, German and American money Is that chiefly m circulation. The stan dsrd of Venezuelan currency Is 100 cents. ur cennI. lio dollar, worth about what pur dollar iF. but accouots iu Eenezuels are kept in Maeuqlins. 4 MacuQu;nO dollar Is worth about fOuF-ffths Of sen ciiEo dollar, or to be exact, "A IS cents Amepcan gold A five cents piece Is ten cent piece cut Tn two, and divided again It passes for two and one-hRlf cents.
 Al event lu 4Ait hA n AliC 45 tuC val of a freight train of bullock carts or bnrros. The Venezueisn in charge, after much iumbling. fods tue bill of ladInS, and then comes the checking Ot the packages NhIis 6ll the iilerr lock on. Sometimes IL ls a cargo of boxes contain Irg tins of green corn, tomatoes, oysters, lobstets, preserved fruits, etc, from the states. Then fl IS bdiSy machinery, stamp heads, Ii asks of murcury, dynsnlie or fuse. The smaller inning stores, sUch Rs dynsM-le, fuse. snoveis, picks. hschets, hammers, drill iron, rope, etc, are kept in store room lO the living hou5e of g mining company.
 Let me dsFcr!bs X sieepiDg apartment at the mipes as it V r give sn Idea Oi the manner of living. The floor ls cover ed where the irOn bed stood with mat ting. under which ars soma coffee sacks. Iae hammock. shraCn up over the mos quijo frame of the bed, is stretched across the room. The csrratS roof, 10 which are numerous spiders and R friendly house snake, who occasionally comes down On the floor. Is the ceiling. An immense toad, who is Of use, as he catches many insects, lives under the bs6, and IS on good terms with R small
  Tbe windows, ~Ithont glass, gre simply protected by rough Venetian shutters. and when it rains s steady stream pours in several places through the roof. The disggreeable insects known as chIgoes are numerous, sui 1 great care has to be taken to avoId theIr acquaintance. The temperature at the mines is quite high during She day but Gs the nights are cool, warm bed coverings are lndispen- sable.
 All over the country arc scattered bar rancoes, or small shafts, sunk on to the different loies, some abandoned and some still worked. These are danger ously near the road in many cases, and gr-at care has to be taken Iu ridlug about after dark, The best way IS to iet the reins lay loosely on the mules necz and trust to his sagsoity. The rlNer water IS used by many for washing, and that of the mines, well filtered IS often drunk, being kept cool ID tenagas. These are porous earthenwRre jsrs, which are known cnriously as monkeys" ID the Wet Inainz Nav York Herald