Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-09

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| Perhaps the richest region on this hem
isphere, if not on the globe is that of Potos
itself, signifying IAN eruption Of silver" And
the mountain is well named, for it is broken
| out all over with precious metal, like a we'll
defined case of smallpox. More than 5000 tun-
nels and openings have been made in it, every
one OF which has produced gold, copper iron
lead, tin. quicksilver, zinc, antimony or some
| other mineral, but silver in greatest abundance.
Gold has been found in many places, but has
never been extensively mined, being much
harder to get at by the process in vogue, while
silver is SO plentiful that the people
can afford to dispense with the more
precious but troublesome metal. To this
day big nuggets of pure gold are occasionally
picked up by some wandering prospector and
these bring higher price when sold as curios
than the value of the bullion. Years ago Po-
tosl received its greatest boom by means of a
stroke of lightning, which detached a mass of
solid gold from some unknown cliff away up
the mountain side and dropped it at the feet
of some miners III the vale below For long
time tins mysterious nugget was the wonder of
the world. Then it was sold at fabulous price
to the royal museum at Madrid, where it may
still be seen.
RENAISSANCE.
Early in the seventeenth century the city of
Potosi boosted more than 100, 900 inhabitants,
but today it has scarcely $4,000. Of late years
Its mines have been comparatively neglected
so that the output of them all does not exceed
S2,5OO,OOO a year. II the spirit of revolution
ever remains laid long enough for capitalists
TO feel secure IN investing their money here
and II roads are constructed SO that the pro-
ducts OF interior Bolivia may find au easy out
let to the sea and proper machinery for work.
ing the mines find insres5 by the same means,
renaissance may occur which will remind the
world OF the FL Dorado of olden times Bolivia
Is also very rich i'll copper tin, iron and lead
The most valuable tin mines III the world next
to those of Borneo are said to be those of
Oruro, about midway between La PaZ the
present capital. and Sucre, the capital proper
In the mountains Of Corocoro. near the north
eastern edge of Lake 1Itcaca copper is as
| abundant as silver at Potosi. so much so that
the chief freight business of the lake steamer
from the railway from Puno to the Pacific is
transporting 1t for shipment to Europe
Since the memory of the oldest inhabi-
tants the little river on the outskirts of
La Paz has been worked off and on for its
gold washlngs in a desultOry and unskilled
fashion, when the people who happened to own
that section of it got away down at the heel and
felt degraded TO the necessity of raising a lit
tie money by the sweat of their brows and al
ways with good results. Recently a foreign
mining expert, having examined the place,
offered the present owner rental Of $40. 600
per annum for term of years for exclusive
right TO the washings short distance down
the stream. but the proposition was refused
AT present the most prosperous mining en-
terprlse In Bolivia Is a purely American one,
carried on exclusively by United States money
and machinery and owned by Mr. w. H.
Chrlsty, young millionaire of Boston. Mass.
| His principal mines of siver-lead ore lie at the
base OF Sorato, the great mountain near the
southeastern shore OF Lake Titacaca. which is
one OF the grandest snow-clad giants of the
Andean system. He has also some extensive
smelling works and has been granted by the
government a monopoly of the smelling busi-
ness In BOLIVIA Tor period OF fifteen years.
He Is about to import diamond drill from
Chicago and the president has lately given him
the exclusive right to use such 4 machine in
this so-called republic for the next ten years.
All this business, OF which Mr.. Christy is the
sole owner. goes under the general nams of
"Empresa Tticaca" and includes not only one
OF the most extensive sllyer-ead mines known
| to man. and the drill and smelling works above
mentioned, but several smaller silver mines in
the adjacent regions and the only coal mine in
Bolivia. The latter, In comparatively tree
less country where the only fuel from earliest
times has been llama dung and u species of
fungus, mine of good bituminous coal. is
worth about as much as so many Jumps of gold
The way 1t came to be found was as follows:
| The Indians OF these high attitudes llamas
exclusively for beasts OF burden and the gen.
| eral cure-all among them for any injury or all
| ment to which the odd little animals are heir
has been petroleum for external application
1t Is very expensive remedy. however. for
| these poor Ind ans, the most inferior kerosene
costing not less than II. 90 per gallon i'll La Paz
| and goodness knows now much more in re-
| moter districts. An Indian coming through
| the untraveled portion of the Sorato region
one day came upon pool OF greasy mud. which
smelled SO like petroleum .nat he applied it to
an alllng llama, with the very best results. In
course OF time the story spread and Indians
| from far and near brought their animals until
! the place became a regular llama sanitarium
! Thus 1t reached the ears of Mr.. Christys men,
There intelligent prospecting discovered the
! coal beds aforesaid, and lattcrly Mr.. August
| Stumpf, who is q general man of business and
manager of the "Empresa Titicaca," has found
an oil well. from which great things are ex-
! pected TO flow in the near future
THE VEINS.
At present the Sorato mines are providing a
daily output of 500 tons Of silver-lead ores,
with an average yield per ton OF thirty-seven
per cent lead and seventy ounces silver. SO says
Mr.. Stumpf, whom l interviewed on the sub
CT. Following the general rule of this coun-
try. the ores increase in richnt IS as depth is
gained fortunately being SO situated at the same
tlnie as to be worked entirely by tunnels Az
the works OF nature are on grander scale here
than elsewhere. so are the deposits of mineral
wealth greater III comparison. and the precious
veins OF corresponding wealth and thick ness
The two main tunnels OF the 'Empresa" are
run parallel to one another. OH vein of solid
metal 81 feet wide, gaining descent Of 2.20O
feet In run OF the same distance, cutting a
| hundred cross veins. some OF which are "A feet
wide. This mine covers a total superficial area
OF 100000 square meters. guaranteeing
enough galena for the uninterrupted function
o! the smelters for many years to come.
The coal mine is only "A miles from the lake
and has an area of l0.240 square meters. The
proximity OF the property to the lake and the
railroad greatly increases its value, because
easy and comparatively cheap transportation ID
thus afforded. Very much Of Bolivia's wealth
is not available on account Of
LACK OF TRANSPORTATION.
Since Chill has seized upon her sea coast the
country has now no outlet Of her own by Which
to reach the markets of the world. At the bes,
transportation to the Atlantic is over the passes
of tine Andes and across the deserts, and when
arrived at the ports there are no facilities TO,
landing or loading csrgoes There is a Ions
and difficult route to the Atlantic, across noun.
tains, woods and plains to Buenos Ayres and
another through the heart Of Brazil but both
are dangerous and very expensive journeys.
The same reasons prevent the incoming OF
proper machinery for working the mines
Now, as formerly, Bolivian ores are mostly
extracted from the sulphurated zone, aud are