Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-30
In NICARAGUA.
MINING INTERESTS In THIS 18TH.
MUS REPUBLIC.
Primitive Methods Of Crushing Ore
Rich Gold Washings-LuxE-
rance in the Tropics.
ICcrrespondence Of the REcoKp-US1oy.l

Correspondence of the REcogD-UNIoN.l
GRANADA, NICARAGUA, I
March S, 1889.
Immediately after the establishment of
peace in Nicaragua, numerous expeditions
were sent out from this city into the cele-
brated gold region called the Chontales.
So encouraging were the reports brought
back by these adventures that the new
Government offered extraordinary induce
ments for the settlement of that salubrious
and beautiful portion of Nicaragua by
miners and agriculturists, and from that
day to this those far-famed gold washings
have been subject of deep interest to in
dividuals as well as to the Government.
AT present the most important silver
mines in the Republic are those of Dipilta,
in the northern mountains. They have
been worked about forty years, but never
under advantageous circumstances, vet
have produced an average of about $4,000
marks OF silver per annum. The yield of
Dlpllta ores runs from something over u
per cent. to 2 per cent. pure metal.
An English writer named Byam, who
visited Nicaragua few years ago for min
ing purposes, states that the silver ores
which he observed, were ''fne, broad but
irregular veins, the. precious metal COM
bined largely with sulphur and lead, the
ore hard, but clean" He also remarks
that the copper ores are universally COM
bined with sulphur, or with some other
substance which requires calcining to get
rid of, but that all may be smelted in com
mon blast furnaces with the aid Of equal
quantities of iron-stone, which is found in
inexhaustible quantities on the surface of
all the Nicaraguan uplands. They are
what the Spanish miners designate as
metal de COLOR being red and blue oxides
and green carbonates, with now and then
the brown or pigeon-breast. They cut
smoothly and easily with the knife, and
yield from % to 60 per cent. The copper
veins are generally vertical, all the larger
ores running east and west.
Speaking of the gold-washings of the
country, Mr.. Byam says: Some advent
urers, generally of the very lowest class,
both in manner and morals, proceed to the
auriferous streams that run through the
south part of the Honduras nearest to
Granada, for two or three months during
the dryest part OF the year, and when the
rains have entirely subsidized. Their bag
gage is very light and easily carried on a
halfstarved mule, for each provides only
for himself and female companion, a
small load of Indian corn (barely enough
for the pair, metate, or stone to grind it
on, some tobacco, an earthen pot or two,
Ratchet aud small leather bag-a very
small one will do-in which to put the
gold when found. They also take few
half gourds, dried, to wash the earth in,
grass hammock for bed, their mechate, or
broad-sword, and some bows and arrows.
That part of Nicaragua where the mines
are is almost uninhabited, and on their ar
rival at the different streams they gener-
ally separate each pair choosing a spot,
often miles distant from the others, where
they commence operations. The first
thing is to build ramada, or hut of
branches; but, with characteristic desire
to save themselves labor, they always Sc
lect place where two good-sized trees are
near enough together to serve as the main
posts to their rude abode, and upon which
to fasten their hammock strings. Such
casa can easily be built in two or three
hours, even by the LATEST miner and his
comprehensive generally doing most of
the actual work, unless their honeymoon
be very new.
1.-THE temporary home being thus es-
tablished, the entire care of the house
hold is left to the woman, who grinds the
corn and makes the tortillas and gathers
the brushwood over which to cook them.
These unleavened cakes are about their
only article of food, and are toasted on
| fiat stone heated in the Goals. Their bev-
erage is little cocoanut and corn ground
together and shaken up in gourd with
little water-and not a bad drink, either
as | can testify from experimental knowl-
edge. Thus the couple vegetate for a
quarter of year, upheld by hopes of afiiu-
ence during the remaining nine months.
Their mining operations are as simple
as can well be imagined. The man digs
few holes in the ground near the stream
and after having piled up heap of earth
close to the water, washes it slowly in
the half gourds, when, after repeated
changes of the water (if the spot chosen
proves to be a good one), little fine gold
dust is visible in the gourd. 1t requires a
| great deal of nicely to balance the gourd
backwards and forwards, up and down, to
! and fro, so as to get rid of all the earth
without losing any of the gold; and it is
still more difficult, at the last washing. to
manage to leave the gold altogether at the
very end of the remaining deposit, which
is generally of a dark gray color. None
but an expert can do it without wasting
most of the treasure. The grains of gold
are sometimes large enough to be picked
out after one or two washings, and often of
a size to be discovered while digging; so
that man in reasonably good luck may
| find enough gold in week to keep him
comfortably the remainder of the year
according To Nicaiaguan ideas of comfort.
But money so easily obtained, as easily
| goes, and the fortunate twain on their re-
turn to town quickly squander it in de-
hatchery and gambling. If he does not
wind up the annual spree by numbering his
compalaera she may consider herself mas
cote among her class and prepare for an
other seasons campaigning.
| From various numbers Of the principal
newspaper in the State, the Nicaraquenese,
| have compiled most of the following
facts. The modes of mining yet praeticed
in Central America are so exceedingly
rude that it is surprising any profitable
result should be obtained. The gold and
silver ores are crushed in big adobe ba-
sin, in the midle of which rises vertical
shaft, generally driven by a horizontal
water-wheel. This shaft has two arms. to
each of which large stone is suspended.
These are the crushers.' After the ore
is reduced to sufficient fneness, the metal
is separated by amalgam--a long and ex-
pensive process, which is now beginning to
be greatly cheapened by the introduction
of the Germal barrel process The ma
chimes for crushing the ores have, how
ever as yet undergone but slight improve
ment. Some ofthe mines in San Salvador
and Costa Rica have European machinery,
and are being worked to great advantage,
as compared TO the no less rich deposits in
Nicaragua, but here modern mining ideas
have not yet been introduced"
Sulphur may be obtained from all the
volcanoes, crude and nearly pure; and
nitre is as easily procured; also sulphate
of iron. Not only are very valuable gold
deposits known to exist in this region, but
important discoveries have recently been
been made in adjacent territory. In the
nearby Department of Vera Paz (Guate-