El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-01

Aside from the prominence whlci
Central America holds at the presen
time owing to the renewed interes
excited by the proposed canal "hlcf
the United States government will
CONSTRUCT in the near future to connect
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, this
part of South America is decidedly
Interesting TO the American or Euro
pean visitor.
Its mine raj and natural wealth are
great, and the field offered for capita
lists ia one of the best in the world d.
Its forests and soil have not oeen
worked to anything like their posi- OIL
Titles. and await to return q fortune 10
the men who invest their money 20
develop than. Hundreds OF fortunes
from the gold and silver mines have
been carried to Spain, but that has
been hundreds of years ago, and since
the time OF the licensed Tree
hooters who accompanied and followed
Cortez, the Spaniards have done moth
ing further in the search Tor golo
started by the leader In American
explor alton. That there do exist rich
mines in the interior OF Central Anne
RIGA is matter of European history
and Indian tradition.
The stories tina. have been handed
down by the natives arouse the inter-
est of the practical American tourist,
and must have had powerful erect
on the Imaginative and avaricious
Spanish adven turer.
At least one of these stories has re-
Gently been proved to be true. The
traditions surrounding the lost mine OF
Cana have been investigated, aud the
mine found after having lain unworked
for centuries. Already quantities OF
the yellow METAL that have repaid an
hundred fold every expense connected
with the work, have been taken from
the mine, and added to the wealth OF
the world. The story OF the lost mine
is as interesting as fairy tale.
According to the iudetintte Spanish
records the mine WAS located in the
part of the Isthmus OF Ia
mama, in the U nited States OF Colon bia
1t WAS through this region that Balboa
passed in 1913 on the expedition which
resulted in the discovery of the Pacific
ocean. Balboa obtained more or less
gold from the Indians, and reported to
the Spanish Crown the discovery in
that region of more than thirty
s creams carrying gold.
The difficulties to be overcome were
SO great, however, that no attem pit
was m sde to obtain the gold until near
ly century later. The fret work done
by the Spaniards was placer Mining. |
The first and only quartz mine dis
covered aud worked successfully here
was called the 'Espiritu Santo" mine.
This mine. according to Spanish histo- |
ry, was worked from 1880 to 1927, VII en- |
trouble with the Indians compelled |
the Spanisrds to abandon all mining |
in the new country. In that time the
records represent that the "Espiritu |
Santo" yielded $50, 900, 900 in gold.
From apparently reliable inform stion
1t would seem that the town of Cana,
near which the mine was situated, and |
from which il took its name, bad At
the time of it's abandonment popula-
tion of 1000. One hundred and fifty
years later, when the next attempt to
open up the mine was made, all traces
Of the old Spanish town has disappear
ed. A century and half of rapid
tropical growth, together with an
rapid decomposition of
all matter not growing, and an annual
rain fell of 20 feet, hal obliterated all
signs of the old Eldorado and it's At
diameter has grown up in the old
workings, and the forest had regained
she ground wrested from it by the gold
seekers.
In 1879 the first attempt in recent
years was made to discover the lost
mine said to be in the neigh Dor b God Of
Cana. James Crossman, a man fami-
liar with the Spanish language, and
with South America coun.
Iries headed party of adventures,
every men of whom was Injured to the
trying climate and familiar with the
country In search for
the lost mine.
The Spanish history of the country
gave the head OF navigation on the
Turia River as the shipping point to
the mine, SO Crossman chartered a
schooner and put aboard two pack
mules and plentiful supply of pro-
visions and mining tools. Beside two
,ailors who he picked up, and pls ced in
charge OF the vessel, the party consist