The Republican journal., 1897-12-09
Costa Rica's Mineral Wealth.
Foreign Capital Invested In the Country May Yet
Bring True the Early Spanard's Dream of Golden
Rivers. How Mining Property may be Acquired.

The name itself-''The Rich Coast
speaks of early discoveries of precious
metals in this country. Columbus and
his companions bestowed it-just $50
years ago this month of October-their
belief in the richness of the newly dis
covered land being based on the profu-
sion of golden ornaments worn by the ma
tives. Spurred on by the sight of these
breastplates and armlets of pure gold,
and by the auriferous sands carried by
the rivers that flow toward the Atlantic,
the Spaniards thought to find boundless
treasures in the interior, and expedition
followed expedition in eager succession.
In their day the mines of Tisingal, Tala-
mania and Chiriqui created as great a SEN
sation throughout the world as the klon-
dixie in this: and the first Spanish Govern
OF OF La Costa RIGA, Senior Don Juan
Y azquez de Coronado, named the cele-
brated stream now known as the Chan
guinola, La Rio de Estralla, (''The River
Of the Starry on account of bonanzas
supposed to lie near its unknown upper
waters. Two hundred years later it was
learned that the rivers running to the Pa
cihc were equally rich in golden sands;
vet at the beginning of the present cen
Jury not single mine of consequence
was being worked IN Costa Rica. A few
insignificant claims We're Open-notably
Las Concayas, near Cartago, and the sill
yer mines of Escasa, but the work was
rushed 50 feebly that results amounted
to little. Fabulous tales We're still told
concerning the lost mines of the Estralla,
and gold and silver was known to exist in
many places, but the people were too
poor, or too indolent to undertake in earn
est the task of getting it out In the
spring of 1915, Friar Nicolas Garcia,
Bishop of Nicaragua and Costa Rica
-ame to visit this portion of his big
diocese. He was bit of mineralogist
as well as an ardent lover of nature, and
while passing along the picturesque road
near the Monte de Agucate he observed
evidences of the exist ence of valuable
ores in the vicinity, and said as much to
q number of distinguished personages
Who had come out to meet him. Most of
Lhem smiled indulgently upon what they
Considered the Bishops delusion and
thought no more about it-for had they
not lived within sight OF the mountain all
their days and heard nothing of gold
senior Don Jose Santos Lombardo, rather
more credulous or more intelligent than the
others, picked up certain specimens of
The earth as pointed out by Bishop Gar
ia, and had them examined in Carriage.
This was the first hint of that famous
lode which excited such furore of curl
,sity and avarice, some eighty years ago,
-Aat the writers of the day declared the
mountain should have been named Monte
ir ore, mountain of gold. soon Don
Lumbardo and his brother-in law, Rafael
5alIegos, presented themselves before
rI.e Spanish authorities and claimed the
mines since known as the ''Sacra Fami-
a. (IIoly Family; and not long after
saIds Padre Miguel Bonilla'' denounced
mother, which he called after his patron
saint, San Miguel But the real Monte
Ic Aguacate mine, that of Castro broth
IS, was not opened until after Costa Rica
aad gained her independence from Spain.
y 10 1890, the last named mine had
,leded about seven million dollars The
Mint and Exchange was established in
.osta Rice in 1880; but to this day it may
be said that the great wealth of gold and
silver, copper and lead is undeveloped,
and the mining industry of the Republic
yet in its infancy. 1t has had SO many
faculties to contend with that the Won
Ter is it has been able to survive at all.
The first severe ordeal was the same
shich befell all the nations of Spanish
America while struggling for their in
dependence, the second was lack of
.lnds and needful appliances, of skill
Ell labor AMI of roads; and not least
7mong the drawbacks has been the
-arcity of quicksilver, or its high price.
The methods employed were the crudest,
and in all cases the difficulties in the way,
and especially the cost of transportation
before there were any railroads in the
oountry, were sad hindrance to enter
Prise. On account of little means of COM
munication and slight mercantile relations
The bullion was mostly sold, at low prices
to a few spectators, who exported it to
jamaica in exchange for articles of con-
sumption. Within the last few years,
however, several English companies have
put considerable capital into Costa Rican
mines; and with improved methods and
the importation of labor saving machin-
cry the world may yet see the golden
streams, dreamed of by the early Span
lard S, flowing from the almost forgotten
Rich Coast" Chief among the foreign
companies now operating here is that
called the Anglo Costarican, formed in
London, which has directed its efforts
mainly to gold mining in the Esparza
district. The principal mine, ''La Trini-
,laJ Iioe about ,,ilac por+J, IS +bo