The San Francisco call., 1897-04-01
RICHEST
IN THE
WORLD
George W. Silver Says He
Has Discovered the
Incas' Mines.
FABULOUS WEALTH IN
PERU.
Gold Nuggets to Be Picked Up
in the Andes as Thick
as Strawberries.
A FAT BANK BOOK NOW IN EyI.
49, DEMO
Ruins Of an Ancient City-PI aspects
That Hydraulic Mining Will
Be Tried.
A FAT BANK BOOK NOW IN FvI.
DENCE.
Ruins Of an Ancient City-PI aspects
That Hydraulic Mining Will :.
Be Tried.


cisco on the last steamer from Panama.
de says he has found a territory amidst
the Andes of South America where, figur-
atively speaking, geld nuggets are as
plentiful as rawberries on hillside, and
he believes he has discovered the locality
of the fabulously rich mines of the ancient
Incas. Mr.. Silver has been shipping gold
by every steamer for.nearly a year through
Wells, Fargo & Co.; the express company
delivering it at the Mint, where it was
coined into glittering twenties and depos-
tied in bank hereto his credit. He has bank
books and other data to corroborate one of
the mcst interesting and profitable ex-
periences that a gold hunter ever had.
Though he has been in South America
only year on his last trip, the bank-books
in his possession show he has deposit OF
$25, 900 20 his order.
Mr.. Silver formerly resided in Oakland
He has son IL years old in school there
now. His wife is dead, and his only
other living relatives are two brothers, no
are weII-to-do business men of Boston
Mass.
Il found this gold," said Mr.. Silver yes.
terday, with a common rocker in the
bed of stream. The natives with pan
collect from 81 to $40 per day, according
to the degree OF industry with which they
work. Like most Indians they are indo-
lent, though friendly in this instance, and
Will work only day at time. 1t is cas-
ler to sit around in the sun and watch
their crops grow.
NEARLY every country in South America
Is rich 4n gold. l spent two years going
over the country searching for the richest
spot, and think / have foundsit. The
place Is III the province of Pataz, In Perm.
Pataz is on the east side of the river
Maranon, OF main Amazon, about AGO
miles from the coast. It taxes about tw O
weeks to get in there by mule or .burro
after leaving the Meirgs railroad. My
companion and myself bought a. ia jo'
from an Indian for $50 There were no
particular boundaries to our claim on the
east side and up the stream of the little
river Caios, which empties into the Mara
non. We had the privilege of working as
far as we pleased. We found fine gold all
through the bank, and on the bedrock
obtained as high as So 25 to the pan of
coarse gold. The depth of the gravel was
from 30 to 100 feet. This was our start
Our claims above subsequently gave big
prospects-as much as IS to the pan. /
was informed by reliable natives that
pieces of gold weighing as high as twenty
seven pounds had been found in that vi
emily. You can see that this ground
would be immensely profitable with hy-
draulic mining and machinery.
The gravel benches run for miles along
pected. Ihey all carry heavy de posit of
gold. Our boxes were at first robbed of
most OF the coarse gold which they con-
tanned. We did not find this out for some
time. We received positive proof that our
confidential and trusted peon sold one
piece of gold for~$32 which he had stolen
from our boxes during the night. We
lived about quarter OF mile away from
our works ana could not watch them at
night. We moved down TO the works.
The lower class of the blacks will steal,
though generally on a small scale, unless
watched.
After quitting work on our 'tajo,'"
he continued, 1--WE prospected near the
summit OF the range, to the eastward OF
Chacacoche, on the top and down the
sides OF a big, round mountain, for some-
thing Ike 1000 feet.
I'VE found gold everywhere over the
surface. This mountain is called Ra.
graicia. There is a layer Of gravel un-
washed, or n debris with wash gravel. from
ten to sixteen feet deep. From a pan
taken anywhere could be obtained from
80 TO 100 colors ana some pieces quite
coarse. This is about ten leagues IRON
where we worked our claim. This noun
tain is riddled with old mines, like an ant
hill, which were worked by the Indians
before the Spanish took possession OF the
country more than 800 years ago, 'Tradi-
tlon says they were immensely rich in
layer on the mountain is the waste and
tailings of the working of these mines
Water can be brought on to this N ountain
from the heads of small streams The
yield OF gold would be exceedingly great.
never saw quicksilver used in the coun-
try, and much fine goli is necessarily lost.
i he fine gold Is always bright, and, have
no DOUBT, would amaleamate easily. Ma
tive Ia bor is cheap.
"The town OF Tayabam BIZ is situated on
q gravel bench AGO feet above the river
Calas After a heavy storm / have seen
the native children of the town pick from
@l TO 81 in gold from the cutters under the
caves OF their houses There are miles
and miles OF just sucn benches as that on
Which this town stands.
"On the west side of this stream, about
two leagues above the junction, is bench
called Laplay. 1t contains veins of de-
composed quartz running from $1,000 to
$2OOO ton. Sonfe time before my arriv 81
IN the country priest. Psdre Narses L1-
Zano, took out twenty-five pound of gol d.
ne bank has been mined by tunnels
thousands OF years ago, and underground
Workings, following the small veins, often
struck large pockets of ore Padre Lo-
zano had TO stop operations on account oi
nlling up the stream below, which over
howed and flooded the crops. A great
obstacle to mining in the country is ih It
there IS no tim per suitable for lum ber
Healer tnan lUO'nlIes, and no wagon roaos,
only trails Tor pack ANIMALS. There is
plenty OF beef and mutton, wheat, corn
and potatoes.
There are no foreigners in the country
and the natives treat white men in
friendly manner. The Indians will sell
gold dust and nuggets for So or SO an
ounce, particularly il they are paid in
PERUVIAN silver dollars. They know just
"hat they can do with the money of the
country
nj here is no trouble in getting claims.
Inle can be easily had from the Govern
meht' Large mercantile houses at Tru-