Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-06-29

Ascension, we saw about dozen natives
working by this method. which Is as old as
that mentioned in the Bible. The rich ore.
showing probably $3.50 to the ton. has been
prted out OF the vein with crowbars and
rough blasting and then brought to the
town on the backs Of burros. Here the
huge rocks were broken at first with sledge-
hammers until they were reduced to size
about as big as ones fist. so that they could
be handled and broken by smaller harsd
hammers until 1t was almost as fine as sand.
1t was reduced to complete powder by
being beaten In coarse leathern bags. It was
then taken and mixed with water ard
thrown into an arasbra. which Is a cross
between cofee-mill and quartz crusher;
In short. 1t is four stones tied to revolving
mill-bar drawn by the inevitable mule 81
Mexico.
This makes q paste rich in granulated
In little pot. as if they were making apple-
butter or putting up the preserves for .
famtly's winter use. instead Of working one
OF the richest veins Of silver in a county
celebrated for its valuable silver mines.
This resulting mass is washed out in pan
like prospective miner washes for signs
OF gold In the sand and gravel of a mountain
stream. with the exception that quicksilver
Is put In to form an amalgam with the noM
liberated silver. This is pressed out with
the hand. and the little ball of amalgam. al
bright as silver itself. has the mercury
driven of by furnace big enough to try
the eggs for party Of two. and the pure
silver ball, glistening like boar frost In tho
morning sun. is beaten down to the size Of
big marble to prevent it. in its very friable
condition. from breaking to pieces. It Is
e1asperating IN the extreme to see such
diabolical works Of man applied to the rich
offerings Of nature. In my first 200 miles
Of travel I passed half as many silver
prospects. that would pay well II rail-
road ran within days easy haul Of them.
1~r,k xknx ~v;n
until Anglo-Saxon blood. muscle and ma
chinery get into these parts to change the
present sluggish course Of affairs.
Ny trip Of over two hundred miles down
the eastern slope of tho Sierra Madre Noun
tains, from the boundary between the two
countries. coupled with the information I
had gained en- route. showed me that
could undoubtedly do better by attempting
to make my way through the great range
from the westward. SO the remainder of the
State Of Chihuahua to that Of Sonora to
the westward. preparatory to piercing the
Sierra Madres at the most available line for
the best interests of the expedition. There
was but very little out OF routine travel for
day or two. until we came to the third
crossing OF the Casas Grandes River. at q |
point so near its mouth or where it emptied |
into LaguAa Guzman. that we felt sure we |
would have little trouble in crossing it. for. |
as have already explained. most Of the |
rivers in this country are the larger the |
nearer they get to their head. There had |
been NO rains to swell the streams, and our |
urprise can therefore be imagined when |
We reached the river to find it q raging tor
rent. It was over the backs Of our smallest |
horses and over the tops Of all the wagon
aging for crossing with our effects in q
dry condition.
A long experience in frontier field service
had taught me that It was seldom wise to
await the falling Of a swollen river II 1t could
be crossed at all. and 50 we set to work to
get over the obstreperous stream. The
artist in the illustration has no doubt de-
scribed it better than can possibly do. but
there were so many phases that will try
to give some Of them. The loads were piled
above the beds and this made them top
heavy. the great empty beds acting like so
many boats as they dashed into the river.
contributing very much to making the
whole thing. unstable. One driver. q
Mexican. by the name Of Chaves. had the
worst time of it in a low. light wagon.
drawn by two small pinto bronchos.
The food swept him down stream under
an overhanging clump of willows. despite .
rope tied to the tongue OF the wagon ana
another held firmly by half dozen persons
at the head as at his feet. although he was
knee deep in the ice-water OF the river a.
he stood upright in the wagon-bed. mo-
ment's waiting to allow the horses to regain
their beWildered senses. and Chaves swan
them upstream to the crossing. and the
whole affair on shore. looking like drowned
rats tied to . dripping cigar-box. We were
three hours and q quarter getting over the
river. which was finished just 1t nightfau.
but We felt as II We could have 1ynched the
man who wrote that Mexico was vast
Waterless tract of country. We saw enough
water that day to have supplied Bourbon
County. Kentucky. for q full century. A
good system Of conserving the water supply
here would allow thirty Caucasians to live
found.