The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-02

Primitive Methods Will Soon
Give. Way to Modern
:. !. Mining Engineering.
Those Familiar With the Country
Say It Has Many Mineral and
!: General. Resources.

: There is still greatdeal Of uncertainty
g.. as TO the time of the departure of the pro-
posed exped ition. from this City to Peru
and. nobody yet knows who is backing the
tour proposed by the captain of the Eng
ifsh snip Lancing. Captain Hatfield says
" he cannot name any of the principals in
the movement, and none of the general
mining men of the City seem to know
much about the matter of the expedition.
1t is well-kpown.fact in mining circles,
-. however, that there is gold in Peru for
the gathering and that the cities of that
part OF the world are rapidly losing their
populations Because the people are hasten
!. ing to the mines.
1.-THE mining in~that country is carried
on in q very primitive way" said Joseph
r. Moore, a mining expert, to. CALL re-
porter yesterday. Where the quartz
abounds, =he said, 1.-THE methods of get
ting 1t out of the earth are the most
primitive in the world. The rude Indians
go in with common picks and shovels,
and there As: nothing like thorough sys-
fem in vogue. IT. the same methods were
used that are. familiar in all countries
where mining has ever been done in
great results. l think you will find that
any thorough exploration. done there will
bring forth good returns, for. it is thor
ough mineral lead, and there is no doubt
that 1t is asyet undeveloped.
Physicians who have been in the coun-
try and who know its conditions in
:, general way from their: reading say the
climate of the mining regions is for the
most part very heallhful. The attitudes
are sufficient to prevent malaria and the
yellow fever, while the dryness and cold
are enough to make the country invig-
Grating.
1t is comparatively unknown land to
the most OF the world. The great thing
for. the prospector to do is to get in with
the Indians, who area queer race, and do
all in his power to gain. their confidence.
1t is said that they know the country and
are quite. cenversant with the mines and
the regions which were thoroughly pros
pected by the ancient Incas.
T.. Peter Bacigalupi of the: Baldwin phono-
graph parlors spent twenty years in Peru
He says the mineral lands are crossed by
placer mining are very good all through.
the mountain regions.
=. Near Lake Tiicaca there ere some of
the richest of all the plaoers yet found in
the southern country. 1t is Mr.. Baciga-
Iupi's opinion that the masses who go
there from this country will never return,
He thinks they will succeed at the mines,
'butsays they Will remain in the country
even if they fail, because there are many
RESOURCES IheY can fall back upon, the land
being rich and the people very hospita Bile.
There are many rich and cultivated peo-
pie among the natives, and there are
many whose ancestors, though Anglo
Saxons, settled there many years before
the country became important in a COM
mercial way.
1t is said that Captain Hatfield's plans
will soon come to focus, ana it is a ques-
ton OF few days or weeks at the most
when the expedition will be decided upon
or abandoned for the present. 1t is found
that there is an increasing interest among
the masses, and the old captain begins to
think it would pay him to take about 500
people to Peru, even if his ship is not
chartered by some mining syndicate.
He has had so many offers from men
willing to put up few hundred or a few
tnOuSdHu uOIa1S, lHaL IL IS worth con-
sideration whether the trip might not pay
without the backing OF any heavy COM
pany.
The more thoroughly the country and
its possibilities are studied, the more
thoroughly people are i'm pressed that the
trip is worth undertaking. They see that
there is chance TO do mething, even if
the mining propositions fail.
1t is said that there are some prominent
mining engineers on their way to Peru,
and that they, will make thorough
e1amin alton of the country at an early
date for very large English syndicate.
Meantime, interest in the land of the Incas
goes on here with undated energy, and
Thousands are watching the developments
with great anxiety.