Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-02
A RICH GOLD REGION
Where a Syndicate of Capitalists,
Headed by a Pennsylvania,
WILL SEEK THE PRECIOUS METAL.
A Tropical Country Where Lazy Natives
Sell Their Women.
A JOURNBY BY CANOE OF 600 MILES
Contemplated By the PrOspectOrs in the United States
Of Colombia.

A former Pennsylvania who has been
travelling through the United States of Co
lombia talks entertaininglv of that country,
which he describes as the richest mining
region in the world. A syndicate of Dem
yer capitalists will undertake to develop the
mines.
DENVER, August 1.-George T. Emerson,
Pennsylvania BY birth, Coloradoan by
adoption, and a prospector by inclination,
returned to Denver few weeks ago from q
trip to South America and registered at
the Brunswick. He is an old chum Of Cass
Hite, the veteran pathfinder, and possesses
in large degree the characteristics of that
old-timer. Mr.. Emerson returned to Dem
yer with secret in lis breast. He had
been prospecting for some time in South
America, and at last discovered what he
considers one OF the richest gold-mining dis
tricts in the world. Quietly but effectively
he has been organizing a syndicate of Den
yer capitalists to stake him on long expe-
dition to the United States of Colombia,
within so miles of the equator.
fected. Samuel Lesem, Captain Tom Sewall,
General Frank Taylor and Fine P. Ernest
decided to equip Mr.. Emerson and send
him at the head of an expedition to the
country where gold gravel exists in bounti-
full plenty and only needs development to
produce wealth that would rival Monte
Cristo. The contract was signed yesterday
| and Mr.. Emerson paced the Brunswick
lobby, chatting pleasantly with Captain
| Sewall and enthusiastic over the success Of
the venture that calls him to South Ameri-
can shores for the second time.
A RISKY UNDERTAKING.
Emerson's companion will be F. @.
LaBlond and these two plucky explorers
will penetrate regions where the face of a
| white man is regarded with morbid curiosity
| BY the natives. A reporter saw Emerson
| last evening. The explorer wore a white
sombrero of generous brim and regular
mountaineer garb snugly fitted his well-de-
veloped form.
"Oh! 1 know that the expedition will be
a success said Emerson. From here we
| go to New Orleans, where we will ship our
machinery to South America. From New
Orleans we go to Colon and thence BY Royal
Mail steamer to Carthagena. Then we take
| Sea for about 20 miles, until we reach the
mouth of the Atrato river near the Gulf of
Darien. We proceed by boat down the
| Atrato river until Quibdo is reached.
cat this point We take canoes, storing
| provisions for eight months. Then we go
| TO a point 600 miles from the mouth of the
| river, penetrating a country where white
men are comparatively unknown When I
| first visited that country the natives looked
upon me with great curiosity. There are a
few Americans at Carthagena. The ma
tiyes are a mixture of Spanish, Indian and
negro. Along the Sinue river slavery is
practiced to a large extent
FEMALE SLAVES ARE CHEAP.
| 'You can buy a woman cook at all the
wav from $50 to.S100. One hundred dollars
| is the limit for a fne-looking woman.
| These South American women are expert
| divers, and are used great deal in the
| Atrato placer district They dive in the
water after gold armed with sort of native
| gourd, and the sand they secure is subse-
uuently washed and has a good yield.
When you get through with these slave
women you can sell them again, but second
hand slaves do not bring as good figure a.
they do originally.
'You will doubtless be surprised to learn
! that parents sell their children in the
| United States of Colombia along the Sinue.
The natives are of a dark hue, yet you can
scarcely call them negroes. The mode OF
! attire is primitive, of course. The men
wear breech cloths and the women dress in
| a garment that is similar to an abbreviated
| Mother Hubbard.
"One dollar of American money is worth
50 in South American currency. A premium
| is paid there on American money. Native
provisions are cheap, but imported pro-
| visions are rather high. Ham is 81 25 per
pound. Flour brings 20 cents per pound.
| Rice is very cheap and can be procured at
| 2J% cents per pound. The people are indol-
| ent. After making a few dollars they lay
around in idleness until it Is all spent, then
| 90 to work agan. This is q sort of Spanish
characteristic, anyhow.
DANGER FROM FEVER. -
aThe weather is very hot in the nited
States of Colombia. Fever invariably at
] lence of malaria, and 1 was sick three weeks
on nv first visit there. I was agreeably
disappointed in not finding as many snakes
| as I anticipated. Still took no chances,
| and will not now. On this trip we will
sleep in hammocks, when along the river.
| In the dry season we will sleep on sandbars
| in the river. There is a rainy season there
that commences in June and lasts until
| October OF course it is very wet during
this period.
'"The native women do about all the work,
while the men lay around and drink rum In
copious draughts. Frequently the natives
are imposed upon. One American engineer
| offered native $50 for a nugget Of gold that
was worth fully S4OO. have prospected in
Colorado on the San Juan and Colorado
| rivera hut I came 10 the conclusion that
placer mining could never be worked to ad-
vantage in these regions and struck out for
| South America. / am fully satisfied that
the
RICHEST GOLD DEPOSITS
| in the world exist in South America. Look
| at Venezuela, for instance. The locality
| where am going now is 30 miles from the
| equator, and 1 am sure OF success. l am
| thoroughly familiar with all kinds Of min
| ing and know & good thing when / see il. I
| have mined since was Il years old, and I
am too old to chase rainbows now. shall
take nv own machinery with me, and the
trip will require fully eight months. ln-
| tend to take some fruit along with me, a.
| fruit is very scarce in that region. Fish
and rice are plentiful, but fruit is scarcity.
"My find is in the Corderilla country and
| the gold comes from the Andes" concluded
| the veteran prospector. ''I anticipate no
trouble whatever, as 1 speak Spanish and
am thoroughly acquainted with the country.
This is Mr.. La Blond's first trip there. He
/ will certainly be a curiosity to the natives
| along the river / look something like .
Spaniard myself, and while they eyed me
with some surprise. still think La Blond
will be regarded as a wonder. There IS no
yellow fever existing there now, and We
| will only have a brief siege OF the malaria.