Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-09

providing daily output OF oUU tons OF
silver-lead ores, with an average yield per
ton of thirty-seyen per cent. lead and sew
enty ounces of silver, SO says Mr.. Stumpf,
whom | interviewed on the subject Fol-
lowing the general rule of this country,
the ores increase in richness as depth is
gained; fortunately being so situated at
the same time as to be worked entirely by
tunnels. As fireworks of nature are on
grander scale here than elsewhere, so are
the deposits of mineral wealth greater IN
comparison, and the precious veins of cor
responding wealth and thickness. The
two main tunnels of the "Empresa" are
run parallel to one another, on a vein of
solid metal fifty-six feet wide, gaining a
descent of 2,200 feet in run OF the same
distance, cutting a hundred cross veins,
some of which are twenty-four feet vide.
This mine covers total superficial area of
100000 square meters, guaranteeing
enough galena for the uninterrupted func-
ton Of the smelters for many years to
come.
The ore-bearipg district wherein Mr..
Ch,isty's property is located embraces an
area of sixty square miles, or more, with
great surface indications of mineral wealth
throughout. The heavy out-croppings of
the veins are oxide and hydronade of iron.
At the depth of about ten meters, peima-
manent ores of argentiferous galena are
found, with pyrites, carbonate of lime,
sulphit of baryt, and some quartz from the
crossings of the veins. The average yield
from the out-cropping ores has been Is
ounces per ton. More than 500 veins have
been marked out to be cut by tunnel,
which has already been run 5000 feet, on
an average depth of 1000 feet below the
out-croppings.
The coal mine is only twenty-four miles
from the lake, and has an area of 1,,240
square meters. The proximity Of the
property to the lake and the railroad
greatly increases its value, because easy
and comparatively cheap transportation
is thus afforded. Very much of Bolivias
wealth is not available on account of
LACK OF TRANSPORTATION.
Since Chile 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 best, transportation to the
Atlantic is over the passes of the Andes
and across the deserts, and when arrived
at the ports there are no facilities for land
ing or loading cargoes There is long
and difficult route to the Atlantic, across
mountains, 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 sui phurated
zone, and are not suitable for amalgama-
ton, which has been and still is the only
system of treating them. The people
have no knowledge or conception of oper-
ating with purifying furnaces and other
modern inventions. Thus great quantities
of ores, from 80 to 200 ounces OF silver per
ton, entirely worthless to-day, can be
bought at low price, for this kind of
metal does not yield any profit if sent to
Europe, freightage to the coast being too
costly. Now that American enterprise
has started home market for all this that
was formerly wasted, mining industry
ought to receive a new impetus.
The mills of Potosi in which ores are
crushed are fair samples of the primitive
methods employed in the richest mines
HERE uc DCSl vi tHClli diC luuC dlIdilS,
beside which the most old fashioned home
made cider-mill you might find in the
United States would look like a dainty
piece of cabinet work A Bolivian drdstrd,
as the crushing mill is called, has great
stone wheels attached to the ends of a
horizontal bar moved by an upright shaft
propelled by an OK, mule, or a couple Of
bare-legged Indians. Thus the stone
wheels revolve in sort of rude trough
into which the broken ore has been tum-
bled, moving slowly around, crushing per-
haps half ton of ore in day, while the
mills of California and Nevada would
crush twenty times as much in as many
hours. and with little more expense.
From the beginning of the work to the
end the very simplest and slowest methods
are employed, and even by those processes
the laborers are few and inefficient In
early days the Indians were compelled,
sorely against their will, to work in the
mines for the benefit of their conquerors,
and were rewarded with the most cruel
treatment When the enforced labor
could no longer be controlled, the mines
fell into comparative decay, and the
INDIANS OF TODAY
Doubtless retain memory, through tradi-
ton, of the wrongs and suferings of their
ancestors, and cannot be induced to work
with any degree of energy or industry.
Powder or other blasting material is
rarely used in Bolivian mines, the ore be-
ing broken out of the veins by man
power. Then the tanateros, or ore car
riers, put it into rawhide sacks, string it
on their backs and carry it out of the
depths, climbing patiently upwards by
perpendicular logs that have been notched
to give holding places for the hands
and feet. Then it is dumped on the
ground, where Indians, sitting down,
pound the Jumps into pieces suit
able for the crushing mill, where the
stone wheels finally reduce it to mud by
the slow process above described. After
wards it is roasted or treated with quick
silver, and at last little pure silver is OBJ
tanned and run into bars for transportation.
By this process great part of the
silver is lost, together with much of the
quicksilver used in the work of amatga-
nation. Where the primitive process
yields profit Of say $40 ton. the meth
DDS of the United States miner would
make it yield FIVE times as much. He
would hoist the ofe by machinery instead
of by man-power, and would use machinery
for reducing it to powder, thus allowing
none to be wasted, and getting out much
larger quantity in given time. After the
reduction he would extract the silver from
the rock in such a way that not grain
of it would be lost, and all the quicksilver
used would be carefully preserved to be
employed for the same purpose over and
over again. FANNIE B. WARD.