Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-30

sugars, canQy ana ugnt Iterature, pue noW
the nuts nearly all go to Germany, where
| they are made into buttons. There are also
| numerous forests of mahogany and cedar,
which are not likely to be exhausted for
| centuries The States of Tolinia and
Antioquia are very rich in minerals, espe-
cially gold. The great difficulty in the way
| OF mining, according to modern practlce, Is
getting machinery to the mines on account
| of the bad roads. There are no wagon
roads, and any article weighing 250 pounds
is too heavy for a mule, and must be
carried by men. This renders transportation
enormously expensive. The mining is car
ried on by foreigners, many Of them Ameri-
cans, who have introduced American ma
chinery manufactured mainly in Chicago
and San Francisco, now the seats OF mining
machinery manufacture in the United
States. The foreigners generally adopt 1t,
as like most machinery Of American make,
it is superior to European. Mr.. Dougherty
states that the difference between the two
is something like the difference between an
American or French shoe and an English
one. 1t Is characteristic of all American
machinery that it contains the same
strength combined with lghtness and neat
ness. The richest mines developed are IN
the State of Antioquia, of which Medellln
is the capital. Its population is GO, 600,
The city is in the beautiful and fertile
valley on the banks of the Porse river,
tributary of the Cauca, which is a tributary
of the Magdalena President Cisneros and
party went there ten years ago and COM
menced the construction of railway from
Puerto Berio, 450 miles from Baranquilla,
an elevation of $40 feet above the mouth of
the Magdalena. From Puerto Berio to
Medellin is 130 miles, There are 80 miles
of this road in operation, the rest surveyed
and located and IL miles of grading and
bridging finished. This road will open up
rich mining country, both placer and
quartz In some of the cuts they found
streaks of quartz and after a rain color
could be obtained by rubbing the detritus
in the hands
A TEMPTATION TO QUIT WORK.
As the poems got but 80 to 40 cents day
for railway digging, the authorities found
much trouble in making them work when
passing through such strata, as they could
make that much or more by panning out the
earth, and it was much easier work. In the
mountains along streams the alluvial de-
posits were all found to contain more or less
gold. The completion of the road will en-
}ble the mining companies to get heavier
machinery to- Antioquia An American,
after examining the Lacunda mine carefully,
offered the owners Sc, 600, 900 for it, but they
thought it worth more to them. 1t is the
most systematically worked of any of the
mines in the country, but the machinery
used is too light for effective work.
The equatorial line passes through the
southern part of Colombia and it extends
north of that line IL degrees, while the
10th meridian of longitude runs about
through the center. The iowlands are hot
and malarial, but as the temperature varies
but or 10 degrees during the year foreign
ers soon become acclimated and suffer
less from heat than people in this city
did few days ago. During ten months of
ibbean coast and much mitigate the heat.
May and June are showery and during De-
cember, January and part of February
heavy short showers succeed each other at
very close intervals and the lightning and
thunder are terrific, the latter causing the
heaviest houses to tremble as during an
earthquake. While building the Antioquia
road evere shocks of earthquake were ex-
perienced during the wet season. The re-
suits were very expensive, the disintegrated
earth sliding into the cuts, some of which
were 115 feet in depth
HARD WORK FOR RAILROAD MAKERS.
Mr.. Dougherty says that railway builders
in this latitude can scarce conceive of some
of the difficulties attending their construc-
tion under the equator, cutting through
and filling up marshes that seem of un-
depth, and the tropical showers
in the mountains cause slips that would ap-
pail the energy of even Americans, though |
owing to the uniformity of temperature no
trouble is experienced from expansion and |
of metals. The poems, how
ever, are well adapted to the labor. They |
work habited in little more than breech- |
clout, notwithstanding mosquitoes and other |
insects are ravenous enough to make even a |
pachyderm frantic They are the best people |
that can be had for the business, steady |
workers and, though slow in action and |
slow to learn, are easily controlled, and the /
most adventurous among them never even |
dreamed of anything in the shape of a trade
union. The company supplied them with
rations, q certain number Of ounces
of beet, rics, beans, corn and
plantain; no pork. The plantain
hat the yam does to the sweet potato.
Each peon's ration cost the company 25
cents day wages were 80 cents to 81 90 a
lay. The company supplied the ranches,
,r tents, attention and medicine in sickness,
,tc., and found it good policy to do so
md keep their men not only in good health,
,ut in good heart also.
CONCESSIONS FROM GOVERNMENTS
f. J. Cisveros, with whom Mr. Dougherty
las been associated for IL years, holds con-
SESSIONS from the various governments and
las been the head of all the enterprises
lamed. He is member of the American
society of Engineers. He had the contract
or the building Of the Jiradot, La Dorado,
Antioquia and Cauca railways and is Presi-
lent Of the Baranquilla Railway and Pier
company and of the Transportation Com
,any on the Magdalena. He IS a man Of
,reat energy and executive ability. In his
bsence Mr.. Dougherty was in charge of the
york.
The Cauca Valley Railway starts from
3uena Ventura, which is 800 miles south of
Panama on the Pacific Ocean. The sur
,eys and location are completed and 16
niles of the road also. It was commenced
n 1866, and is ,now being finished by an
illinois syndicate. The Cauca Valley is
ich agriculturally, and Mr.. Dougherty
ays he saw sugar cane that was said to have
been planted 80 years ago. In all the low
rounds of Colombia two crops of
orn and rice can be raised each
'ear. The cotton export on the
dagdalena doubled in amount in less than
hough nearly all raised by hand work,
ompetes successfully with American cot
on raised with the aid of the best Iaachin-
ry. The Cauca Valley is about 20 miles
ride by 800 long. The climate Of Buena
Tentura is somewhat humid Mr.. Dough-
rty made the meteorological report of the
ection for the wether bureau at Washing
on and knows whereof he speaks During
ne year the rainfall was 154 inches. The
ain falls every day, though at no great dis
ance south is the rainless region Of Ps-u
ADVANTAGES OF STUDYING SPANISH.