The San Francisco call., 1897-08-01
LOOKING FOR.
PER us GOLD
Many Fortune-Seekers Are
Willing to Go on the
Lancing.
Those Who Know the Country
Believe in It's Hidden
Mineral Treasures.
Captain Hatfelds Baokers Are Not
Known, but Many Are Ready
to Put Up the Money.

The publication of news OF the proposed
departure of the British ship Lancing for
some of the ports OF Peru, in The CALL
yesterday stirred up great interest in
mining circles and among hundreds OF
men whose desire to go to the land OF the
Incas has long been smoldering.
1t has been known in a general way for
several years that few conservative Eng
ush mining companies have been taking
out great quantities of gold for long
time, but those conversant with the facts
have always been close. mouthed about
the matter, and the news of mining ex-
periments in that historic country has
generally lacked detail and verification.
The offices of Hermann d Mills, ship
ping agents, were crowded yesterday with
men willing and anxious to try their for
tunes in the land without rain, where the
atmo sphere is clear and dry, and where
Indians marcn for days with coca leaves
as their chief food.
Consul Robert HI. HUE has been be-
si e ged for all kinds of Information about
the country, while merchants, traders
an others familiar with the country OF
the Far South have been piled with q
Thousand questions as to the prospects Tor
gold in the land of the old buccaneers.
One OF the best-informed men in the
City on this subject is Peter Bacis salupi,
ho spent tw enly years of his life in Peru
and who married many years ago at
Lima. Speaking OF the question yester-
day, he said: Il advise no man 20 GO
down there alone and without money
with view OF finding gold on the bushes,
but if an expedition goes there headed by
mining experts and practical prospectors
they cannot fail.
"In the old days hundreds of wears ago
the Spaniards took out fabulous sums,
and they used nothing but The most
crude methods of mining. If the modern
miner were TO visit some OF the old mines
that were worked centuries ago he would
dig out fortunes where nobody l S now at
work There is no question in my m n q
that the ground all shows good color in
The mountain regions mined SO succ ess-
fully ages ago. / am in touch wiz b a
number o. people from there, and hear
from the country regularly. 1t is one of
the healthiest of lands, and there are
plenty of opportunities for the bright
prospector who goes there right to make
a fortune. -. =:
II should not advise man to go there
by the Panama route, where the dangers
of yellow fever are enormous. The way to
go is the way proposed by Captain Hat
field of the Lancing. know number OF
men who will gladly 20 that way and
they would put up money for the expedi-
ton, though l do not know just who is
back of this particular expedition. L have
received letters from mum Der OF people
all over the State on this question, and
have told all that it is a good country to
visit if they know mining and can 90
there with proper company or prepared to
put up the money essential to proper de-
veIopment of resources.
Captain Hatfield ship is to be fitted out
for the expedition by George Ross, the
well-known shipwrighs. He says she can
readily be made 10 accommodate thou
sand passengers, as she is nearly 400 feet
long and was for many years French
steamer OH the Atlantic, running TO
America.
Her machinery was taken out many
years ago and she has since been carrying
freight all over the world, principally
from England to this country. The
Lancing is one OF the best four-masted
skipper is also the chief owner. His
friends say he is almost venturesome
enough TO undertake the enterprise him
self. He insists that there are capitalists
back of the enterprise and that they are
negotiating for charter, bu. he will not
give their names, being under obligations
10 keep them secret. There are so many
men anxious to make the trip on specu-
lation that it would require very little be-
yond good mining engineer or two, with
the leader of the company, to form the en-
tire party into strong organization for
thorough exploration of the mineral belt
in the mountains of Peru.
Those who have lately been studying
the reports that come from Lima say that
they generally agree that a number OF
adventurous English and American min
ers have taken out fair sums OF gold
within the past year. A man known as
Miner Brown is reported to have eAhib-
ired nearly 150 pounds of gold at Lima
recently. While he was not specific as 10
the location of his find it became known
that lie got the yellow metal from the
abandoned benches Of the old Spanish