The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-08-13
A SILVER CITY
TIE GREAT MINING TOWN OF
zAcATEcAs IN MEXICO.
Tuancls Dug Through Veins Of Solid
s liver Facts Of Interest About
Mexican Mines and Mining.

nl 10 cuUDlt Stone hlucWulkH huOff n
net work OF tunnels which run In aud
OFT across and above each other with all
the wandcrings OF Rosamonds Bower.
Ttc.e tunnels dug through veins Of solid
~ rG silver IN specks Ill around and
shout you. from the hundreds Of mines
NhisH dot the sides OF the mountains 10
tn clear, silyvry sky which hangs over
head This, writes Frank q. Carpenter,
10 the New York World, is bare out
linr 81 the great Mexican mining city Of
zucaicms. Here everything is silver In
the days Of Cortcl the mines were worked
aud from then till now tho work has
gone on, giving hundreds Of millions TO
the world II goes on still, and under
my feet the A2tccs Of to-day are work.
ing away ~ they did IN the past, and
across tho WY ! see the mules tramping
1Hif hoofs OF Ia the yitrio aud quick
silyCr with which the crushed orc Is
missed IN order to reduce II for the mar
ket Mexico has given the world more
than four thousand million dollars
worth Of gold aud silver, aud much Of
The Latter hts come from here This
Whole region is full Of silver
The mountains on every side, and, In
fact, IN nc,rly every part Of Mexico, are
filled with ore, aud from the Pacific
Ocean 10 the Gilf Of Mexico there is a
vast country Of inoalculable possibilities.
Travellers aud old Mexicans tell me that
The southern part Of Tho country is even
richer IN minerals than the northern part,
aud all agree that the land has not rs yet
been pr0spccted The western coast
eoniuiub undcycloped regions Of gold
aud silver, and this will soon be opened
a. thu railroads.
IN Chihuahua, just north of here. there
arc mines ont of which S3ii, 900, 900
have been taken IN about one hundred
and thirty years, and seven days ride by
stage TO the west OF these are the Bar
tpplias Mines. which are owned by Gov.
shepherd, ana out Of which he is taking
great quantities Of good ore. so far hc
has put all of his profits back into his
mines, and he *, ! am told, developing
them on the same magnificent scale that
he Improved Washington CITY. lie lives
Ia The hope Of vast fortune in the future
and is spending, Il is said in improved /.
machinery aud fine mining furniture
what any Mexican or ordinary American
would consider fortune.
A great deal Of capital is now going
into the re-dcvelopmenl Of old mines In
MEXICO Humboldt estimated that there |
were y, 900 mlnes In operation In Mexico /
al the beginning OF the ccntary, and II
the legends are correct there was never
go great success in Mexican mining as
al hp 4ftnn ttgttn Tia IL
ovpr,hrown and driven out Of the couA
try, 10 1921, when tho republic was
founded, These mines are to be found
All over the great mining territory of
Mexico. aud there are hundreds of men
% the lookout for good onck. II Hum
boldts figures are correct there must be
At least 9, 900 mines yet TO be reclaimed, I
aud tho search for these Is active.
Senator fabor II having some trouble
with au old mine which he ia ro-develop. I
ing lie bought an interest in the mine
for $50, 600 and agreed to erect reduction I
works, and began 70 tunnel through the /
side Of the hill TO strike the vein In that /
way. While they we're tunnelling he
did not want his mill TO lilo Idle aud be-
gan 10 work on some refuse which the
owners had thrown aside as not worth .
about. II paid so we'll that he /
kept at IL, aud now Il is said that the \
original owners are making great fuss
because he is not working on the mine |
itself The probability is tina, the mat
tcr will be settled without trouble, and !
that lac will make big thing out of this /
mine, as he has out of so many in Col
erndo.
The Mexican mining laws are among
the best ia the world They are rigor
ously enforced and there Is no country
where the miner Of any nationality has
better chance than there. The laws per
nit any man 90 claim miuo, bnt in
order 10 hold his title he must work at
least four men In il for twcnty-siN oonsoo-
ntivc weeks every year. II he fails TO do
this, his mine. however good, can be dc
nounced, us it is called. by any third
patty, aud the Government will recog-
MIC that partys right to il II he takes
the mine and fultills the above eoudi-
tons. Good mines are carefully watched
here and failure to work them results in
their loss.
The most OF the work in the mines in
Mexico is done 10y the Mexican Indians.
They make splendid miners aud they
never strike. They get ak the way
from 30 cents to Sc day, don't get
drunk and work right along. Here at
Zacstccas thore are thousands OF them,
and You will not fluid a Quieter or more
orderly town OF 10000 people in New
England than this city OF so, 600 here in
Mexico All OF The miners wear but
little clothing Ia the mines. They do
most OF their work barefootcd aud bare
legged, aud the little clothing they have
on is searched before they leave the
mines to SEE il some silver has not slip
ped into il by mistake. The average
Aztec has little idea OF property rights
and he takes what he eau get as a gift
from God.
After the ore is dug. blasted and
picked out Of the mines il is crushed ia
: most primitive way BY dragging a sort
OF milestone around over il. and when Il /
has become fine enough il Is reduced BY /
what Is known as the patio process. /
Imagine a great round vat Of chocolate I
eolared mud foot or so deep and 10 4
the centre of this a Mexican Indian In
dirty white SHIRT aud white cotton pants 7
rolled up 10 his thighs. Let him have
four ropes IN his hands aud 10 each OF
these let there be attached one or two or
three mules Put a long whip in the
other hand and let him thrash the mule |