The times., 1899-03-27
4 genuine VOLCANO
OFFERED FOR Sale
Owner of Popocatepetl Puts 1t
on the Market.
Sought Because of Its Rich Sulphur
Deposits.
Great Enterprise Contemplated for
Making the Mexican Wonder
Commercially Valuable.

Perhaps one of the most curious business
propositions ever made is that Gen. Caspar
Sanchez Ochoa, of Mexico. General Ochoa,
who is the owner of that famous Mexican
volcano, Popocatepetl, offers the smoking
monster for sale, and for year past has
been negotiating with various parties for
the transfer of the fiery mountain.
The Mexican Powder Company last
spring began negotiations with Popocate-
petl's owner to secure the valuable sui
phur deposits, but the deal has not yet
been consummated.
Henry E. Taylor, representing the larg-
est sulphur manufacturing concern in
Great Britain, visited Mexico last October
for the second time and made an offer of
100000 for the volcano. Some years ago
the firm represented by Mr.. Taylor pur-
chased the Sicilian deposits in California.
Up to date, however, General Ochoa has not
made any transfer Of the wonderful vol
cano, for those who have wished TO ac-
quire it have failed to make the necessary
money deposit.
The extraction of sulphur from Popo-
catepetl, General Ochoa says, is bound to
be very remunerative, provided proper ma
chinery is employed for that purpose, says
the Mexican Herald" 1t used to be val
ued at $22 a ton, but now is valued at
from S35 to $40 ton, and with proper ap-
paratus for the mining and extraction the
industry represents about 100 per cent of
profit
General Ochoa is figuring upon the con-
struction of a galloway for the extraction
of the sulphur deposits, and a working
model of the proposed cable line is to be
seen in the Office of Donald Stewart Mr..
Stewart some time since proposed to Gen
eral Ochoa that a tunnel be driven from
point about 600 metres below the crater,
to tap the bottom of the sulphur deposits
At that time General ochoa's idea was to
carry the cable line up to the peak and
over into the crater, project which was
impracticable on account of the very slen-
der support furnished by the narrow lips
OF the crater for the cable supports, and,
furthermore, because il would have re-
quired considerable power for the hoist
ing of the buckets from the depths of the
crater, and the generation OF power is al
most impossible at that height. Impressed
with the engineering difficulties General
Ochoa now approves of the plan suggested
by Mr. Stewart, to tunnel the peak and to
connect the mouth of the tunnel with the
hamlet of Tlamacas. To make the connec-
tion between the tunnel and the proposed
reduction works of Tiamacas would re-
quire 1900 feet of cable, the longest ca
bleway in the world.
A Great Galloway.
The model represents an apparatus of the
Hallidie patent, rope made of cruc.bla
steel wire one inch in diameter. with
tensile strain of not less than
Tant IN thn
patent is that of a. S. Hallidie, of
San Francisco. Cal, an old mining
man of the West, who has demonStra ed
his galloway in connection with some of
the biggest mining ventures on the Pacific
Coast. Although General Ochoa is an in
valid and a veteran, and therefore under
ordinary circumstances is entitled TO rest
he is still dreaming of carrying out this
ambitious scheme. He refers to the fact
that when the summit of Pixies Peak, ris-
ing 1900 feet in the air. was reached by
a cable line people stood aghast and
thought that the limit of daring had been
attained by American engineers. If Gener-
al OchCa carries out his scheme the engi-
neering achievement on Pixies Peak VIII
pale in Importance, for Popocatepstl is
1856 feet above sea level. or nearly 1900
feet higher than the giant of the Ro kies.
The essential feature of the cable line.
as SHOWN In the model, is a single end ess
rope, with fixed clips attached.
There is thus but one rope employed, and
that rope travels with the loads attached
by clip fixed to the rope. The ropeN ay is
reduced to minimum OF simplicity.
The entire clip can sustain load of one
ton without showing any weakness. Its
only wearing point is the strap which en-
circles the cable. The strap is cheap and
can be replaced with a new one in about
five minutes. The buckets 10 pc used in
carrying the sulphur are self-dumping, and
are attached by bale and hanger to the
lugs of the clips by a bolt and nut The
carrier or bucket. weighs seventy pounds.
and its capacity is 200 pounds of ore. The
load is fixed TO the rope and travels with
1t. The carrier is filled while passing. while
the rope is moving at speed of about
three feet second. The clips can be in
creased to any reasonable number desired.
in accordance with the necessities of the
sulphur extraction.
The grip pulley is built of parts which
can be separated and carried over the
on muleback. In conveying the
sulphur ore il is calculated that the rope
travels 200 feet minute. The ore buckets,
which are 100 feet apart, are, as above stat
ed. designed to hold 200 pounds. The 120
tons a day can be delivered by the con-
templated cable line.
The gray haired old soldier is dreamer,