Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1902-02-20
TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA.
CIIAPTER L

OF the richest mining regions in the
world
The lofty Andes throughout their en-
tire length, from the Isthmus OF Pana-
ma to the the Strait OF Magellan, con-
tain some gold The Sorata range.
which now looks down upon rs, has rich
veins of tin and vast quantities OF cop
per are yearly taken out OF the noun
tains to the north and south.
There is so much gold on the east
slope of the Peruvian Andes that during
the foods the streams washed down
grains and nuggets of gold.
Many Of the streams are dry part Of
the year and the Indians have paved
them with stones so that the heavy gold
! is caught in the cracks when it drops.
The golden grains are thus carried
down when the rivers are high and so
caught that they may be picked up
when the streams fall. This was one
of the gold mining methods of the In
cas- and it was thus that much OF the
gold which the Spaniards took from
them was obtained
We SEE men washing gold in many
places as we ride through Bolivia. The
miners are Indians employed by the
white men. There are some ut work
near La Paz.
The mining in this country is done in
very crude way. 1t is only lately
that mercury and other modern means
which we employ to collect gold have
been much used.
When we visit the silver mines we
find that most of the work there is done
with rude tools. In the older mines
the Indians use hammers and drills tc
break up the ore. They carry it out OF
the mines on their backs in sack of raw
hide.
Some of the richest silver mines o
the world are in the Andes.
A little north of Mount Meigs where
we crossed the coast range in Peru, il
the town of Cerro de Pasco, built abou
one of the richest bodies of silver ore
ever know. This body was about I
mile long and more than a half mile
wide. Tue mine was discovered severa
hundred years ago in curious way.
An Indian shepherd had wandered
to this place one day with his flock
He found the air very cold as evening
drew on and kindled a fire before wnict
he lay down to sleep. When he awok'
the KIT morning he discovered tina
the stone upon which the fire had beer
built bad n,elrtd and turned to silver.
Since then thousands of tons of pure
silver have been taken out of that spo
aud many of the llamas wu saw on GU
way TO Mount Meiggs loaded with sill
yer had come frou. COrro de Pasco.
There are other rich silver regions il
different parts of Peru.
Bolivia has perhaps given more sllve
to the world Imam any other other coun
, try. 1t has mountain called PaJsoi
out Of which has been taken slmos
) three billion dollars worth OF silver
So much that could it have been melt
ed up and made into teaspoons it woui
furn,sned enough 10 have given ever
man, woman and child ON the gIub
Two solid silver spoons.
Tin mines are not so common in tn
world as mines of gold and silver, bu
Z tin is Of such a character that litti
Of it GOES great way. 1t is largol
used rs a coating for sheets Of iron t
d protect them from rust. The tin cup,
g pans and pals and other such thing
y which We use are made of tin plat
which is merely iron plated with tin.
The only mines which gave much ii
10 the world until with IN about tw
n hundred years were those of souther
n England The mines are sCill thet
but Great Britain uses so much TIL;
. this is not near enough and she has
import a great deal from far away land
1t is the same with the other countrit
of Europe and also with the Unite
States. just now great deal of u
is comes from the Strait of Malacca al
70 from different parts of Australia ar
h. also from the rich mines which we fir
in Peru and Bolivia.
or ITO be continued.)
Mt TRAVELLER