Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-28


stream at Guanahuato which contains the
refuse washings of the mines there and
which is said to carry off about 81 900, 900
little knots of dark-faced, bare-legged,
BLACK haired, big-hatted Indians washing
the dirt of this over and over again to catch
something of what the big works had thrown
away, but a large percentage is never gotten.
After the ore is dug, blasted and picked out
of the mines, it is crushed
In a Most Primitive Way
by dragging a sort of milestone around over
it, and when it has become fine enough it is
reduced by what is known as the patio proc
ess. Imagine a great round vat of choco-
late-colored mud foot or so deep and in the
center of this Mexican Indian in dirty
white shirt and white cotton pants rolled
up to his thighs. Let him have four ropes
in his hand, and to each of these let there
be attached one or two or three mules Put
long whip in the other hand, and let him
thrash the mules vigorously with this, keep
ing them on dog-trot as they plow their
way around and around and through and
through the chocolate mud for hours until
it is thoroughly mixed.
This chocolate mud is the crushed silver
ore which has been chemically treated and
is now being mixed with vitriol, salt and
quicksilver in order that the silver in the
ore may be united with the quicksilver,
and this be reduced by chemicals,
washing and evaporation until the silver is
run out in bars or bricks. I saw this sort Of
work going on in many places, and I counted
IL mules trotting around in one of these big
mud vats They were sorry looking ami
mails, and in vat beside them / saw what
looked like broken down, bob tail car
horses Upon inquiry learned that only
the oldest and poorest of animals were used
as the quicksilver
Rotted on Their Hoofs
in q year or two and they had to be killed.
The process is by no means an economical
one as it wastes about 20 per cent Of the ore,
and it NAV be that in the future the old
streams of Mexico may be rewashed by our
modern process. Practical mining is in fact
in its infancy in Mexico, and the Mexico of
the future will produce much greater
quantity than has the Mexico of the past.
So far, it is said that every dollar of gold
and silver taken out of Mexico has cost
dollars worth of labor to get it, The fail
ures and waste have eaten up the profits
and while many have grown rich, many
have been worked to death and have gained
nothing.
There are, however, no better mining
fields in the world to-day than here. The
hills of the old regions seem to be mex
haustible, and the new fields are many. The
new railroads that are being built all over
Mexico will open up much new territory
Attention is now being turned to the West
and South, and heard it predicted to-day
by man largely interested in mines, who
has travelled over Mexico for years, that
this country will be the scene of the next
great mining excitement, and that 1t will
surpass that of California in 1849 Said he,
What Mexico Offers Now.
"If you will take map Of Mexico and
draw q line from Tampico on the Gulf of
Mexico, to Mazatlin, you will divide the
country into two somewhat equal parts.
The upper one of these contains the greatest
of the mines now known, but they are moth
ing in comparison with the mines which are
vet to be developed in the South. The best
of our gold mines of the future will be in
the South, and the new railroad that is now
being pushed down toward the Isthmus,
will open the eyes Of both Mexicans and
foreigners.
"Montezuma got great part Of the mill
lions of dollars which he gave to Cortez
from the Southern provinces, and one of
his presents was plate of solid gold as big
as a wagon wheel In the State of Oaxaca
there are fine gold mines and in Sonora
there is vast field of minerals that is
known to no one. The number of Ameri-
cans who have invested in Mexican mines
is rapidly increasing and I expect to see
more English and American capital come
here during the future than ever before.
There is, Of course, fair chance to lose, but
there is also fair chance to win and both
in the re-development of old properties and
in the opening up of new believe there is
money to be made by any man who is pos
sessed of fair amount of capital and an
ordinary amount of nerve and good busi-
ness Judgment"
FRANK G. CARPENTER