Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-16


OF AMERICAN ESrERPHIsE-NSKs IN THE
MOUNTAINS.
Frederick schwatka in Chicago Inter-ocean
OK THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE SIERRA
MADREs, May 20.
In the great broken barrancas leading out
to the westward from the heart of the central
Sierra Madres found myself in the richest
mineral district of America, and probably the
richest in the whole world.
The history of the big Batopilas mining COM
pany, about the center of the district have
spoken of, and which stands head and shout.
ders above all the surrounding mining compa-
MES, is fair representation of all in this part
Of the country where my travels have been
cast.
Batopilas, or Real de San Pedro de Batopilas
as it was originally named. is said to have been
discovered in October, 1882 Like Unique, the
| discovery is to be attributed to the ''adelan-
| tados" sent out shortly after the conquest to
explore the country and enlarge the posses
| sions OF Spain. 1t is surmised that the rich
mineral finds made near the capital and which
subsequently extended far into the interior,
| led to the progress Of the ''adelantados" fur
Their north and inspired the expedition into the
Sierra Madres which gave rise to the discovery
OF Botapilas. Tradition has it that upon their
descent to the river bottom the ''adeiantados''
were struck by the luminous appearance Of the
rocks, which were covered in many parts by
snowy flakes OF native silver. Hence the name
Nevada -signifying "a fall of snow" which
was applied to the first mine worked in the dis
trict.
The news of the discovery spread far and
wide. and as the evidence of its great richness
multiplied it soon became one of the most
FAMOUS MINES OF NEW SPAIN.
The first miners of the new discovery made a
recently-appointed viceroy magnificent
present, composed entirely Of large pieces Of
native silver, the richness Of the ore being I'M
precedented. have now in my possession one
from Batopilas that runs from $4,000 to SS, 600
to the ton and that looks like a mass of solid
SILVER ten-Penny nails imperfectly fused to.
gether; so can readily see how the present Of
solid native silver could have been made. In
1870 royal decree ordered the collection Of all
data for history of New Spain, and special
commission of scientists was ordered by the
yiceroy and royal tribunal Of mines to report
upon the Batopilas district. There is but one
copy OF the report extant, which 1 traced to
the records of the city OF Chihuahua. The
commission states that the silver extracted
from Batopilas in a short number of years
amounted to S5O,000,0O0, not including that
which was surreptitlously taken out to escape
the heavy imposts levied by the crown, and
winch must have been enormous. The most
famous period of Bonanza" for the Batopilas
district was during the last fifty years of the
eighteenth and the first years Of the present
century. During this time the famous mines
OF Pastrana, E. Carmen, Arbitrios and San
Antonio were discovered and yielded the fabu-
lous returns which have been variously esti-
mated at from go, 900 900 to $50. 900, 900. From
the outset OF the Mexican revolution in 1910 q
period OF decay set In which reduced BatopIlas
greatly and almost caused its ruin. The many
revolutions together with the wonderful dis
coveries of very rich gold and silver mining
districts adjoining this one, depopulated it to
such degree that it counted but ten resident
families in 1845
From this time the reaction which has made
batopllas the richest silver district in the world
may be said to date. The old mines were again
opened and new ones discovered. The meas
nre OF success did not compare with that at
tanned In the time of the Spaniards, however
owing to the lesser energy displayed. but
proved amply sufficient to repay the timid
enorts OF the native spectators. Not until the
year 1862 did American enterprise direct its
efforts in so promising direction. A purchase
was effected by
AN AMERICAN COMPANY
mostly composed of gentlemen interested in
wells, Fargo Co., whereby the property en-
bracing the famous veins of San Antonio and
III Carmen passed into their hands They
operated with great success in the face of many
difficulties until the yesr 1879, when the prop
erty again changed hands and was acquired by
a stock company which has held and worked
them to the present day.
The American companies in this, the richest
mining district In the world, are:
The Batopllas mining company.
The Iodos Santos silver mining company
The Santo Domingo silver mining company.
The Mexican mining companies are quite
numerous, but shall not detail them. although
some are quite important. especially the great
gold mine OF Cero Colorado, which is now at
tracing so much attention and of which / shall
speak farther on. Altogether there are over a
hundred In greater or lesser degree of active
operations in this rich district, all contained
within a radius of four miles. OF these the big
Batopilas mining company owns and operates
over sixty. 1t is owned in New York, Washing
ton. Boston and Philadelphia and is under the
management Of ex-Gov. Alex. R. Shepherd of
Washington. 1t is, without any doubt, the
most important American mining venture in
Mexico and the one which has the greatest Diff
tculties to contend with.
There is no other mining camp in the world
more dllhcult OF access, and the establishment
OF business OF such enormous magnitude
IN THE HEART OF THE SIERRA MADRE
IN 80 short number of years is an accomplish
ment suggestive of great courage, energy, and
tenacity. This company owns all of the famous
old mines which in the time of the Spaniards
yielded those fabulous bonanZas which caused
the astonishment of the world, but it has had
to repair the follies which, from q scientific
standpoint, were committed by several genera
tions of inexpert and shortsighted mining. It
has had to clear the old mines of immense
masses OF rock and dirt which had accumu-
lated during many decades of abandonment
quitting and scalping," as miners say. Since
the present company has had control over 100
miles Of openings have been made, the detail of
which would be too long and uninteresting to
give. The most important is the great Porfirio
Diaz tunnel, to be three and one-half miles in
length, and when completed one of the longest
and most important mining tunnels in the
world. cutting over sixty well-known veins at
the rivers level. 1t is now in !, 900 feet, and
being driven by modern machinery at the rate
OF fifty feet week. This almost infant Ameri-
can industry started with less than $50 600
capital, Gov. Shepherd told me, and in seven
years, after paying fair dividends, had been
able to put S5,500,000 back into the mines
to develop them. 1t is now a first class mining
camp, and as none OF its stock is on the mar
ket for sale In any way am not afraid to give
1T the credit it deserves as an American under
taking that has done more to make the Ameri-
can name respected in Mexico than all the
diplomacy that has been enacted since the two
countries became republics.
No Mexican can look at the great mills, the
big aqueduct of enormous masonry eight or
nine miles long that will take up all the water
OF the Batopilas river, nor can they look at the
town OF Batopilas, the most active / saw in
Mexico, now
SIY TUoIsA crpoUn