The Sunday globe., 1901-05-12

ployed by the company having resigned
and returned TO France shortly after Mr..
Martins arrival The priest visited the
mines once year, and during his visit,
which generally lasted ten days, there
was, of course, no work; but OF feasting
and marriage and giving in marriage there
was plenty.
For the two years Mr. Martin was en-.
gagged in completing his task he was com.
PEELED, besides his other labors, to baptze
the children, prescribe for and cure the
sick, read the burial service over the dead,
and keep tab on couples Who could not
or would not wait for the priest These
couples Mr.. Martin insisted on seeing
married when the priest arrived
The machinery and iron for the plant
were transported up the Andes from Lima
on the backs of mulesl No piece of the
machinery was over eight feet in length
nor weighed in excess of three hundred
pounds II took exactly one year to
transport all the necessary material from
Lima to the Choquclinpie mines. Thus
over two full years were consumed in
putting The plant into working order, but
instead of hundred and sixty tons out
put. but sixty could be produced, as the
Indians could not and would not produce
more ore than an average of sixty tons
daily. The ore assayed fifty ounces to
the ton, with richer veins in sight, making
the mine valuable one indeed. The
company operating it is composed almost
exclusively of Frenchmen, and but one
foreign stockholder has ever visited the
place
The altitude, Mr.. Martin states, is i'm
possible to live in TO exceed thirty days
at a time, when a descent to the valley
for few days rest and rccuperation are
absolutely necessary. This does not ap
ply, however, to the Indians or Bolivian
natives The Indians are Of stunted
growth; but few men Of either fine ply
sique or of average height are to be seen.
They chew the cocoa leaf and by insert
ing q small piece of lime in the mouth,
which they carry for the purpose, the
alkal OF the leaf is extracted and cocaine
in its undlutCd form is the result. To
the constant use Of tn S leaf and to the
inbreeding which exists Mr. Martin at
tributes their undersZed and eliminate
appearance. The least scratch or abra-
sion of the skin results in ugly aud in
durable ulcers, due no doubt TO the
condition of their blood from the mixture
Of cocaine and alcohol in their systems.
The seroche, a fever Of the higher alti.
tudes of the And 5, makes il impossible
for the European or American to live or
locate near the mines, as the monthly
descent to the valley for week re-
cuperation is compulsory to prolong life,
and is therefore exceedingly monotonous,
besides being inc0nvenient and Tuinous
to any enterprise on hand; for, while the
"AmelicanO' is absent, the Indians get
drunk and raise hades.
When Mr., Martin had operated the
mill for one month, according to the
terms Of the contract made with the De
! Sociedad Mineral Compana, he turned
over the entire plant to Don Antonio
| Lucio, administrator. An American sta.
tiOnary engineer was engaged to run the
engines and look after the machinery,
and the company paid Mr. Martin in full
! the contract price agreed to in Chicago by
its agent SenOr Jorge Basacre. Three
I times each year the occupants of the
mines make the seven hundred mile trip
/ to Lima for supplies. This latter city
/ Mr.. Martin describes as beautiful in the
extreme, its botanical gardens being pro-
nounced the finest in the world. The
/ city itself enjoys all the modern improve
ments of advanced vilization-electric
i lights, street cars, finely paved and clean
streets, handsome private residences and
| imposing public edifces. There are nu.
merous hne clubhOuses and several
| Masonic lodges, to all Of which Mr..
Martin had special invitations and several
| Of which he visited in company with the
only American resident of Lima. As a
| souvenir of his ride on the surface elec.
/ trio street cars, Mr. Martin brought home
/ number of transfers issued to pas
sengers after the manner of the Washing.
ton roads. A fac simie of the ticket is
as follows:
/ IRAMWAY DE LIMA