The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-30

rows; larks were heard in the meadows,
and an occasional phoebe uttered his CHEEKY
call. And, most welcome sight of all,
becauseso familiar at home, we saw dande-
lions, yellow as gold, Though with quite
different scent from those in thelN orth),
OF which we gathered hands full in mem
DRY OF far-away days and places. AT
last
PUENTE coNrMUN
was reached, remarkable bridge, raised
considerably above the surrounding coun-
try, where. at a widening of the road, is
another posada, in which all travellers larry
for a sieStd, while their horses are being
fed and rested. This is by far the most
interesting bridge l have yet seen in Co
lombia. 1t crosses a bit of low ground,
which in the rainy season is roaring
river, and at other times merely a swamp,
by span of three piers. At intervals
along the middle span are round turrets,
and on the four principal pillars is Span
ish inscription, which, translated, reads:
This bridge was built in the regin of
Carlos ", the king of spain, in 1892, by
the English prisoners VINO were taken at the
abortive attempt of Admiral Vernon to
capture Carthagena."
After crossing this bridge, an hours
steady ride brought US within sight of the
distant trees and church towers of Zipa-
quira. Just beyond the blue hills we
were skirting, lie the extensive udnos
(plains) of the unconquered Cassanare
Indians: and to the left raises the never
ending Andean chain, mountains towering
one behind another till the snow-covered
tops of the highest are lost in the clouds.
Gradually the scenery changed from pas
ture lands to cultivated fields, where pota
toes, corn and wheat are growing, dotted
all about with miserable mud novels,
wherein black pigs and blacker humans
dwell amicably together. We had been
invited to remain during our stay, in a
pleasant little quinta in the farther suburbs
of Zipaquira, with the family of one of the
salt-mine oners, and before darkness fell
we were warmly welcomed, and safely
houed III this hospital home.
THE FAMOUS SALT MINES
are located in the hills directly back of the
town. Nobody knows how old the mines
may be. nor how many millions of tons
have been taken out of them. In the year
1925 the Spaniards found them old and well
established, having long been worked by
the aboriginal tribes; ever since they have
been worked for the benefit of the chang
ing governments, to this day furnishing
the Colombian government with about one
eight of its total revenue.
Walking up a steep hill to the most ex-
tensive workings, we witnessed both the
English and the American systems of con-
densing salt; the former in one big iron
tank, and the latter in numerous small
ones. In another large building the crude
salt is condensed into solid blocks, and all
the moisture is squeezed out of 1t by rude
machinery with lever at one end, forced
down by men with ropes. Tubshaped
blocks are thus made perfectly solid, and
these, we were told, are sold at five reals
each, or about fifty cents American
money. Sometimes a thousand drrobds
of salt are sold in single forenoon, an
drrobd being exactly twenty-five pounds.
In another shed a row of earthenware
kettles is fixed over furnaces, and the salt
is thus evaporated into cakes, the kettles
having to be broken to get the cakes out
of them In another establishment the
kettles are made of clay, the same as that
used for adobe bricks.
Afterwards we followed steep path up
to the opening of the principal mine. On
the way thereto we met carts drawn by
oxen loaded with salt, and women bearing
on their backs heavy loads of the same.
While waiting for candles we had time to
look about US and enjoy the unrivalled
view. In front stretched the great Bogota
plain, the ancient elysium of the Chibchas
to the eft, shut IN by high mountains, lay
the important town Nemacon, about six
hours ride from Zipaquira; and Sepo was
dimly discernible few miles to the right
a village made famous by one feeble and
crippled girl, VINO does the most wonder
full wood carving, representing the people
birds, beasts. and Characteristic scenes Of
Colombia
Inside the mine, we followed cart road
to higher and higher levels, instead OF
descending as in other mines. The dark.
ness, rendered more apparent by our far
ing tallow dips, was so intense that it
could be felt, and the utter silence was
something appalling. The walls were sup
ported by solid columns of salt; salt, noth
ing but salt. Somebody spoke of Lot:
wife, and another quoted the Scripture
passage, sIf the salt hath lost its SAVIOR
wherewith shall it be salted.n The super
intendent informed US that this stipend
Gus
MOUNTAIN OF SALT
must have been formed by the ocean
which in prehistoric ages washed over the
place where we were standing, bu
whether biologists will agree with him
| can not say. In some places the salt wa
white as snow and sparkling like diamonds
but as rule it was dirty slate color
Away up in the heart of the mountain
where the air was close to oppression an,
the blackness and silence more terribl
than before, is little chapel, followed on
of solid salt, in which is an image of tn
. Virgin, surrounded by tall crosses. Nigh
and day, from year to year, candles ar
always kept burning il front of thi
strange shrine, and miners never fai
to say their prayers here on enterin
the mine, fully believing that thi
alone saves them from falling into the
clutches of the evil spirits of the mountain
1t was an indescribable relief to find ouI
selves once more in the warm. sweet sun
shine, with the breath of heaven about us
We brought away some crystals from tn
river and some coagulated drops of sal
from the works, that had fallen out of tn
, kettles and formed themselves into the mos
. curious shapes, like frozen snow, to pu
beside some equally strange formation
Salt Lake in Utah.
Zipaquira is a charming little village
celebrated for its lovely gardens and flow
cry patios, especially for its orchids an
pansles. The last-named favorites are pt
etically called pensdnientOs (thoughts) r,
minding one of Ophelia's words, Here
pansies, for thoughts.n There is a hanC
some church and many pretty residence
: The market place occupies the plaza thu
was the scene of bloody battle. ten year
l ago, in which General Morales was killet
, The walls of the adjacent houses are rio
: died with shot and there are many othe
/, traces Of ''war's wild alarm''
2 JURATENA,
the quinta at which we were entertaine,
is shut in among the hills and reached /
a lanes overhung with green cones of the e
o meralda, bushes covered with yellow be
!, ries, pine-shaped and poisonous, which Il
S natives call Pena de Diablo (the devil
pineapple) and pretty pink flowers of u
; iva de Monte. No words can convey a
4 alternate idea of the look of smiling CO,