The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-27
GUAYMAS, MEXICO.
A Land Astounding in Precious
Minerals.
SOME INTERESTING HISTORY
The Lower California Gold Excitement-Th
Introduction Of American Customs
Into Sonora, Etc.

GUAYMAs, Mex, Oct. 2, 1SS9.-[Specisl
Correspondence of THE HERALD. l.
Sonora,s mineral resources are excelled by
thoseof no state in the Mexican republic,
there being within it's limits no fewer than
five thousand registered mines of silver
Alone Gold and copper are also abundant;
Tcoal is known to exist, and lead tin, iron
and plumbago are found in various places.
Several copper mines of considerable value
are lying idle for
WANT OF CHEAP TRANsPC CITATION,
they being situated from two to two hun
dred and fifty miles distant from the coast,
and far from any line of railroad. One of the
most important of the several coal deposits
in the state, lies ON the Yagui river $50
miles above its mouth, and more than a
hundred miles distant from Guaymas. 1t
is anthracite, of fair Quality-the only an
thracite known anywhere on the Pacific
coast, and therefore very valuable The
valley containing it is about two
thousand feet above sea level, and
perfectly easy of access; but it
costs upwards of $50 per ton to transport
it to Guaymas the nearest port, by the
i
] river-with its succession of shadows and
rapids and low water more, than half the
| year, would be uncertain at best, and even
more Improbable.
There ara two mints IN the state, estab-
lished and owned by English residents, un-
der privilege from the goverment-one at
/ Herm0Sillo, the state capital, and the other
at Alamos, 24S miles southeast of Quay
mas.
| One
CANNOT ACQUIRE ABSOLUTE TITLE
to mining property here, as in the United
States, but may nominally own the mine
as long as he works it a given number of
months in every year-a wise provision,
probably, to keep things going among so
lazy people. If the theoretical rowner
! fails to comply with these conditions-no
matter how much he may have paid for the
property, or how many improvements he
has previously made upon tit can be ode
aounoed," as the term is, and re-
verts, in that case, to the
government or to the denouncers. For
| those who are in this secret,
however, and in favor with the powers
that be, there is way of getting around
all this, by means of which actual labor
| in the mines can be dispensed with and
the owners still retain possession, by OBJ
tanning what is called prologue" pay
ing a specified sum to the government.
(say S. per month for each claim during
the time comprehended in the prologue.
When
THE GREAT GOLD EXCITEMENT
broke out at Muleie-iust across the gulf |
from Guaymas, near the eastern coast of |
the Mexican territory Of Lower California |
it was felt here more than OH the PENN
sula where the bonanza was said to exist.
Mexican brought over about forty
ounces of coarse gold, which he says was
taken ont by three Indians in less than a |
week. l had the pleasure OF seing this gold,
the largest nugget of, which weighed ex-
actly fifteen ounces; the next largest piece
about half that size and the others about as
large as good fat peas. 1t wss indeed a
sight calculated to set people wild
with thoughts of such treasures lying
around loose on the top of tine earth,
waiting only co be picked up. Parties We're
Immediately organized to invade the new
Ell Dorado with pans and shovels-themain
expedition and the very first to sail con-
sisting of twenty five miners of Tombstone,
Arizona, headed by woman-the same
who made herself notorious few years
earlier by heading party on snowshoes
into the Frazer river country. What be-
came of
THIS ENTERPRIsING AMAZON
whose character, of course, was not even
|
but Doubt ess, like others Of the genus
miner, she is still searching somewhere for
treasure, with speculation in her eye and
the gold fever burning unquenChably in her
veins. The party, however, sent back
word to their friends not to follow until
further word was received, there being
suspicion that a trick had been played and
a false excitement created for the sake of
getting up ''b0om'' for that section of
country. No word ever came back and
there is still a great diversity of opinion :
on the subject, as to whether !
the parties aforesaid failed to find {
the locality, or found so good field that
After time the state of Sonora laid claims t
to the territory and sent out surveying par /
ties; which would indicate that the govern {
ment possessed some favorable information
concerning it. The placers are said to be ,
located between the 18th and 29th degrees Z
of latitude, about thirty miles from the !
coast. 1t is also asserted that there is
NO WATER ANYWHERE l.
rear there; but if the gold abounds in mug '
gets as large as those [ have seen, q man
could carry enough water to sustain life
while picking up fortune with his fingers, a
without the trouble of washing it. '
BY the way, if we may be permitted to
digress-a most interesting discovery has {
been made little way northeast t
from here, in an old Spanish mine in Chi
huaha, on an immense estate owned by
parties in New York and Ell Paso. The
mine, which is called the San Pedro (St.
Peter, lies near the Casa Grande
river, ana on it is an old incline
into a mountain, at an \
angle Of forty five degrees, evidently
the richest ore streak in zig
gag manner. At the end of this incline a
chamber was found, which Y
mad evidently been fashioned with great
abor and care, into Catholic chapel The 7
chamber is thirty feet square and about T
twenty feet high. Seats, running entirely
around it, have been cut from the solid
'ock, and an altar and pulpit have also
been carved out of
THE FOUNDATION OF THE ETERNAL HILLS. o
Standing in this weird and ancient
anctuary, in total darkness except for the
iickering light of torch, with ears alert =.
o certain scamperings and rustlings and ~
lidings in moldy corners and upon the =,
limy indicating the presence of :,
ats, Lizards, scorpions, centipedes and
'erhaps poisonous serpents-one thinks of n
he Huguenots, the prosecuted followers of y
;hrist in many countries, and the mysteries
f religion that has cost millions of lives
n innumerable wars, and pain and torture ID
nd terror enough to win heavens favor
or all the tribes of earth from it's creation n
o the end.
A tradition exists among the natives of
be neighborhood that, many years ago, 5
regiment of Spanish cavalry was sta
ioned at the preside of Janos, twenty-five
1ilpc distant from no mipac q