Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-19
GOLD IN WEST INDIES
METAL ONCE FOUND IN ALUM
DANCE IN PORTO RICO.
Specimens From Riverbeds in the
Island Presented to Ponce
de Leon in 1908.


The recently reported discovery of gold in
Porto Rico comes as a confirmation of pre-
vious rumors that the sands of that islands
numerous rivers are auriferous. The un-
accountable thing about it Is that our peo-
pie should have been long finding 1t out,
for it was well known at the time Porto
Rico was taken possession of by our troops.
and even long centuries before that In it's
earlier years the island produced an abun-
dance of the precious metal. AS soon as our
authority was established in the country
member of the geological survey at Wash
ington FASTENED to the island for the osten-
sible purpose of examining into it's re-
sources, but came back without bringing
anything of value AS in the instance when
other members of the survey camped on the
site of Dawson City in the Klondike and
ranged along the creek that has since pro-
duced it's millions without discovering a
sign of the gold that astonished the world
the very next year, SO in the case of Porto
Rico. Almost every detachable man with a
pull In Washington hied himself to Porto
Rico on a special mission for one or an
other of the departments but the sum total
Gold Found by Ponce de Leon.
However, there is gold in Porto Rico.
There was gold there before it's discovery
by Columbus in 1893, the golden orna-
ments of the natives proved. When, in
1908. Ponce de Leon. the famed seeker after
the fountain of youth, first reached the is
land he was Hospitality entertained by the
Indian cacique Agueynaba, who presented
him with fine specimens of gold obtained
from the river beds in the western part of
the island. Ponce was SO excited that he
could hardly rest until he had sent to Santo
Domingo the island whence he had invaded
n linn
in his search for gold in the interior. 1t
was gold that he was after, as well as Co
lumbus, and all the other Spaniards of
their time, and that they got the precious
metal in quantities the official records of
the Spanish government attest. The city
of Caparra was founded In 1910, but owing
to the strong desire of the SpaniardS to
search for gold 1t practically without
inhabitants during the first two years of It's
existence, since every abe-bodied man was
sitting the sands of the river that came
down from the mountains. The Indians
were impressed at the very outset, and soon
all those who came within reach of the
white men were aiding the Spaniards in
their Investigations. At last 1t became so
unbearable that Cacique Agueynaba re-
solved to either put an end to Spanish OPP
pressions or himself receive his quietus.
Immortality Of spaniards.
He had been told that the Spaniards were
immortal, and for time he believed it,
seeing them come up out of the sea in al
most endless professions. But, like the
canny Scotchman who lived in story after
ward, he had his "doots" at last and re-
application of the water cure-that is, he
captured Spaniard alone in the mountains
and held his head under the water of a
stream for two or three hours Then he
took him to the bank and sat beside him
for two days. or until he received incon-
testable evidence of his demise. Such he
role treatment put an end for time to
gold hunting in Porto Rico, for, the Span
iards resenting it and getting after the
cacique, Instruction followed, which
was not put down until the Indians were
practically extermtnated.
Still, traditions of gold in the island lin
gered through the centuries, the stories
stimulated every now and then by rich
finds by natives who washed the sands in
a shiftless manner with wooden dishes and
without system. There are, in fact, people
living in Porto Rico today who gain a live
lhood by gold washing. pursued in just the
same way as their ancestors before them
followed it, and as it is carried on also in
the adjacent island of Santo Domingo.
First Gold Found in Santo Domingo.
1t was in Santo Domingo, really, that the
first gold was discovered by white men in
America, for though Columbus had seen
gold in the Bahamas and in Cuba in the
shape Of nose and ear ornaments worn by
the natives, the latter always pointed to
Haiti or Santo Domingo as the home of the
precious product. When he finally arrived
off the coast of Haiti, in December, 1892
he was given a great deal of dust and some
nuggets, and when he finally reached the
bay of the present Cape Haitien he found
himself the threshold of the golden
country, the "Cibao' Of the Indians. From
its resemblance to the word C1pango, men
toned in the book of Marco Polo as a rich
land of the east. Columbus concluded the
two were Identical, and for a time imagined
himself Just on the borders of the great
khan's dominions. The great khan was the
potentate described SO affluently by Marco
Polo, and whom Columbus for a while
thought he perceived in the Haitien caciQue
Guacanagari. This generous Indian re-
ceived Columbus with hospitality, giving
him all he had, in fact, of gold, as well as
of provisions and fair maidens. He gave
Columbus a golden mask with ears and
tongue of beaten gold, and even took from
his own head the golden crown he wore
and presented it to the stranger. His COM
panion caciqucs also did the same; and so
abundant were the signs of gold in this Sec
ton that Columbus wrote in his journal, for
his sovereign's delectation, that he fully
expected to obtain ton of gold during his
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