The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-29
Sam Hugh Brockunier Writes Enter
tainingly of Experiences in
Central America. u =
THE OLD SPANISH GOLD MINES
Explored by the Young Americans.
Only Two Scraps and But One
Strike, Experienced.

years ago aroused SO much interest here
| and resulted In the formation OF 4 min
ing company, have recently been ex.
plorlng In the Willis of Honduras, in
Central America, looking toward gold
mining operations. The Intelligencer
has been favored with letter from Mr..
Brockunier. which is dated August 10,
at Camp Stifel. on the Chiqulla river,
but comes via Teguclgalpa, September
3, and in an explanatory note, Mr..
BrockuRier says: 1.-THE enclosed has
been delayed by inaccesslbllity of post
offices during my trip to Tegucigalpa.
Expect to follow 1t shortly with some
descriptions Of our journey, which was
varied and more or less Interesting"
Correspondence OF the Intelllgenccr.
CAMP STIFEL, Chlqulla River Hon.
duras, Aug. 10 via Tesucisalpa. Sept. g.
Since wrote you last we have
been very busy exploring, pros
pecting and surveying, from this poin,
as centre. Our pueblo shows healthy
growth; starting from nothing but n
bowling ENTHUSIASTICALLY, fc- the
country is full of tigers--we have nos
some ten houses, or as We would call
them huts, and large company store;
the latter called by the natives casa
grande.
The rainy season varies in different
| parts OF the country. being apparently
| governed by altitude and natural feat
ures of the land: it began here In dead
earnest on the first Of July and one
could scarcely SO out without getting
caught in 4 storm. but 1t cleared up
about the first and they tell us we !iava
six weeks interval of fair weather be-
fore the heavy rains Of November and
December.
We have examined five placers and
some thirty old Spanish gold mines. Tho
| latter are known as the Sula mines and
form Z very interesting study They
are up among the pines on top of high
mountain and we're worked by the
Spanish from 1625 to 1923. During this
period several million tons of ore were
extracted and ground In the old fash
Toned arrostra. The poor Indians who
performed the labor were not thought
of as men. they We're merely considered
as SO much work: they were worse than
slaves, because they were not only re-
CURED to toll but to provide their own
living, and It may well be said that
there were as many lives as tons of ore
ground out.
Many Of the old tunnels and shafts
had fallen in and others were vcry-
shaky. but we We're able to enter enough
to accomplish our work. Our first en-
trance aroused thousands of bats from
q long slumber. their squeallng and the
Tapping of their wings disturbed our
nerves quite little at first. and We
were constantly lodging until We
learned that they were equally anxious
to avoid us; but 1t was always startling
to see them fly straight at you and then
sheer off within few inches Of your
face. As {: counter-irritant we had to
keep on the alert for soft roofs and
hidden pits, SO we were quite happy for
awhile. Mr.. Holmes, in probing around,
lei down portion of the roof In one
tunnel. but as it fell between us no
harm was done.
The old tlmberiug was almost entirely
gone and where still standing crumb!ed
ut u touch. The rock is quite soft and
the way the Indians twisted anu turned
In it with their drifts was quite curious
and bawildcring: they reminded one
more of large gopher holes than OF
mines.
The old forsaken pueblo presented n
sad, but quaint sight, Part of the
adobe walls were still standing. but
vegetation was growing around ami
through them. The broken pnttn,v III,
old stone mortars for gind,nr corn. orr.
or what not, and remnants of ovens. I'LL
looked as IL they bod suddenly be,n Dr.
serted: inst ms If ,bn nIocn had ham
swept by the pl,prc onn unconsc,n,,s.
'ly looked around for human bones. IT
was odd to see n fine fourteen inch nInp
growing right in the middle Of thu
house.
Standing there alone ON n mnon,Irh.
night w,tcb,n, ,or ,,r-,rs ,ho GEO.,
seemed to whisper stories of cruelty
and crime, OF a busy but wrrtched
place; and in Imagination I could see
the long files of slaves filing of to their
u,orl- o,ob or,, T., ,,,, ..