Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-30

S92-SIXTEEN PAGES.
Ex-GOv. SHEPHERD.
A Correspondent. Dsscripsssn e Hss Hs.e
and work st Bsesp:lss.
A correspondent Of the Chicago I~ser- oseo~,
who has Just paid . visit 70 ex-Gov. Shepherd
at Batopilas, MEXICO, writes,
The temp tation to leave our tssn st Nonssva
and 60 over and zee what Boss" Shepherd IVES
doing at this point wss one not 70 Be resisted.
His history at Warrington and hsv be made
the capital Of our country the most beautiful in
the world 10 known to all Many know how he
ieft hat city . poor man, but there ere very
few who know how he has become an American
baron IN foreign land. Bstopilas. the rishsst
mining camp In Astsc land, Il located On the
banks OF RI Fusrts river, In the bottom Of .
S,o00-foot canon that h comparable oaly WITH
the huge csnons along our own Colorado.
Inc city y 500 feet above - Level, and go
mnss southwest Of the city Of Chihuahua The
only ways TO get there are on the hurricane deck
OF mule, By balloon or by flying machines;
for this camp ID hid in the very heart Of the
largest Of the huge mountains Of Mexieo. The
scenery 10 grandsr than that Of the Alps. Here
are cloud-pisrcing peaks, towsrine precipices
and awful canons; winding rivsrs, foaming
rapids and charming waterfalls; trSeleep dreary
| crags, scorched With endless drought: and cool
forests and cosy shaded nooks; an atmosphere
pure and transparent that gives magnificent
slowly overhead everything in fact to intoxi-
cate or fascinate the one in search Of the PIC
| turesqua.
All Of the magnificent panorama il unfolded
as You come zigzaging down the face Of the
| precipices on paths too Riddy to be remembered
and too devious for description; paths where
the mules picked their way with noses held
close to the dust and ears thrown forward held
in complete subsection BY the universal first
law Of self-preservation.
PICTURESQUE OLD CITY.
The old city itself il delight 70 the artistic
eye, with its one-story, whitewashed, gaudily
painted sdobes, its matched huts, Its ruined
cathedral, its half civilized half tropico savage
appearance; al 90 quaint 80 irregular, 30 highly
colored, 90 outre such an utter defiance OF or
der, a. il had all slid down from the mountain
and got damned together at the rivers edge.
The full name Of the ancient city, which was
| built in 1882, was San Pedro de Bstopilas. II
is one OF the historic points where Spanish con-
querors Of the country amassed huge fortunes,
over 800 years ago. Since the end Of the Span
ish reign the city has existed, until recently,
upon the product Of the unskillful and discon-
| nected operations Of the native miners only.
Even with unscientihc methods it has ever
maintained its great reputation, and poured
ont its wealth freely alike to Aztec, Spanisrd,
Mexican and American; until the whole belt il
| fairly dotted with bonanza mines. From 1871
| to lS48 these mines are credited With, In the
government reports, producing el793,o90, 815
In silver and gold; from 1s4s to 1876 they are
credited with over fifty millions Of dollars in
gold and silver
However inaccurate these figures may posi-
bly, be they serve to show that great fortunes
were made from these mines. II 10 fascinating
to hunt up the old history Of these mines; to
read how the great Humboldt rejoiced over Re
curing one piece Of native silver weighing over
| 400 pounds; how the two veins Fl Carmen and
the San Antonio, gave the Marquis de Busta-
mente and Christoval 81, o0o, 900 70 60 to Paris
on early in this century.
GOV. sHKPHKRD's ooxINo.
In 1879 Gov. A. r. Shepherd came from
Washington and took charge Of . group OF
mines. At the time Of his arrival buGinss Wa
disarranged; eve,y one was cramped In work
ing by lack CT supplies, and the machinery con-
sisted only Of rickety three-stamp mill and
three tumble-down arrastras. Roads were
quantities Of machinery and supplies were
coming in on pack mules. Rain fell in tor
rents for eightv-six out Of ninety-eight days
The governor had q thousand and one diff
culties to contend with, besides overcoming
the inertia Of the lethargic race.
PhESENT CONDITION OF MINES.
The following is q summary Of the condition
of the mines under the push and enterprise OF
Boss" Shepherd: The Batopilas Mining Com
pany own by purchase and government conces-
sion tract Of land 111k miles long by miles
wide, containing 10000 acres, or 81 square
miles, in which the power Of our "Ameticar
baron is supreme. In this tract are over SOC
veins known and more or less developed, and q
many more undeveloped. The mines most OF.
tensivey developed, the principal ones nov
worked are twelve in number. The Original
cost of the mines was 81 800 900, and the work.
ing capital S450, 900. The amount mined dur
ing the past ten years is &6.050, 900, Of which
1880, 0C0 has been paid in dividends and
interest, and "a, 1000 put into improve
greatest works are the squeduct and main
tunnel. The aqueduct is two and one-hali
miles long, bringing the water Of the river along
the mountain side to the tunnels mouth Thii
aqueduct is built Of stone laid in cement in the
most solic and substantial manner. In some
places 1t was necessary to 60 down thirty fest
| or more for permanent foundation. Today Il
is almost complete and looks like one of the
massive aqueducts built by the old Roman en-
perors. 1t Is part Of the mountain now, CAP
able o: defying delugss and land slides for q
century. This ditch for furnishing water power
cost $3.50 900. The Portiero Diaz tunnel, 90
surveyed as TO cut the main veins Of the dis
| trict at the base Of the mountain, will be seven
miles long when completed This magnificent
work, with its air shafts already measures 8, 800
feet. The total workings underground in the
principal mines measure about forty English
miles. The amount Of orc mined and in the
dumps awaiting the mill that 10 to be run BY
the aqueduct water power il valued at o., SOC, :
600. When the min il complete, at the Dia,
tunnel, and run by water power the yield Of the
mines win be over 2,ooo, 900 year or more
than double what it has been producing in the
past.
| KIND HOST.
| Words cannot express our appreciation Of
the kindness Of our reception or how delightful
it is to sit down at the table with the governor
and his charming wife and daughter and talk
Estates talk, for they all keep in close touch
with poll tiles. literature and art After having
listened to the personal abuse poured out upon
the governor by petty politicians at Washington
/ cannot help wish that some Of them could be
taken by the back of the neck and rolled down
into this canon and given q chance to become
acquainted with one Of natures noblemen. .
kind -hearted. courteous gentleman-one who
| I'd 10 AZ ~ l~<x;l