Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-24

they were almost starving, Notwithstanding
the fact that they had plenty of money
with ,hem. For weeks they had to walk
through the rain and sleep at night with
out a fire in rude Indian huts, where at
times they we're only admitted because
they forced their way in. There is abso-
lutely no chance for a man to make his
expenses as he goes along, and as for try
ing to wash enough gold out Of the streams
to support him, this Is an impossibility, for
the surface washings and, in fact, all gold
bearing gravels that could be easily gotten
at have been worked over and over by the
Indians. first in the days of the Incas, later
on when they were under their Spanish
taskmasters. and since then from year TO
year for themselves. The gold regions on
the eastern sides of the Andes are in many
cases malarious and those about here are
so high that many cannot stand the rari-
fed air and have 'soroohe. No American
can work here as he can at home and most
of those who attempt to do so soon give 1t
up. AS to the ~roughness of travel here
and in the Rockies there Is no comparison.
The passes of the Andes are over the ridges
of the mountains rather than through val
leys and passes of 16, 900 and $1,000 feet
are common. Mr.. Bellows told me he
| crossed the mountains In one place at 49,
900 and that when he got to the top the
| other side seemed straight down and his
trip from there on was like climbing down
the side of a wall. Some of the roads over
the mountains are by a series of steps and
mules are trained to clint and jump up
from step TO step. In some places the
mules will sit down upon their hind legs
and slide down the mountains and you
are often in such a situation that II you
~ ,pur ,,p1a ,,olaS q r,icSton you are lost.
Some Troubles of the Miner.
Let us look at what it will cost the ordi-
nary American to come here to mine. we
will suppose that his purse is lean and that
he travels in the cheapest way. IL he goes
by Storage from New York to Panama 1t
will cost him $50, and he will need S35 more
for his steerage passage to Mollendo. 1t
| will cost him 1922 for actual expenses from
| Mollendo to La Paz, and so far nothing
whatever has been allowed for extras. AT
La Paz he must outfit. and here everything
is high. A sack of -four will cost him $11.
He will find no baking powder and no ba-
con and he will have to stock up with such
canned goods as he can find at the highest
prices. The chances are that he will decide
to live off the country and that his stomach
will be turned upside down as soon as he
gets outside Of the settled regions. what
he will have to eat If he can buy 1t will be
| cholona. This is a sheep, split and dried
whole in the sun. He packs this on MS
mule or burro, and it forms his staple
food. 1t is exposed to the rain ana then
becomes soft. A terrible stencil rises from
it. and it looks like putrid meat, as IL
really is. Another food that Is a staple Is
cbuno or frozen potatoes dried. These are
much liked by the Indians, but are not
relished by foreigners. Outside OF these TWO
articles you can buy nothing on the road
At the Indian villages you may sometimes
be able to get vegetables, but no meats.
Game is very scarce and there Is little wooa
for cooking except in the regions on the
.ostern stones of the mountains. There is
absolutely no fuel for warmth in what are
some of the coolest of climates. II you
carry an oil stove you will have to PACK
along kerosene for 1t, and this will cost
YOU for the Peruvian variety more than 81