New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-01
THE MINES OF BATOplLAS.
Treasure Caves Of the Aztscs Have Ineshanstbls
Supply Of Silver.

When the capital OF the Aztec Empire rad fallen
before the Spanish eonqusrors and the hero Cuauh-
tsrnoo had been tortured and killed IN the vain at
tempt TO make him reveal the hidden treasure
house OF the Aztecs and 10 divugs from whence
had come the stores OF silver and gold. band OF
hardy adventurers spread out over the land 70 ana
the source OF the famed riches These hardy
soldiers Of fortune, with sword IN hand. left their
trail OF blood and ashes wherever they found op-
position. and. caring nausht for hardShips. pens
treted every corner OF the wilderness II was By
one Of these expeditions that. for the nrst tine.
BatopiIas entered BY the stranger. II was In
1888. almost three centuries age, that OF thsss
parties descending into the rav1ne whsrs now lies
the city at Bstopias Gstonishsd to ths
brilliant reflection in the river % along TIA
bank. On inspection these found 70 contain
almost pure silver IN It's native sJata. Immediately
the news spread throughout ths country. and
many focked TO this EldorGdo where IN many cases
all that was necessary TO do give Tia natal
the rounded form and u stamp it with the bust %
the Tetgning sovereign to make It money. Minas
had bssn found In great nUrnbsF. but the
extracted only after labOriOus processes ana TIA
from tnat time me present this ysr1sahis
hoard when the mines hsvS bs e WoE - osrss
yeIiasly. In TIE early days OF ths nfs Of the
stset: hon points were used Tor drilling. and the
stacIe and dinGulty millions Of silver we're taken
out OF the then principal ysins-AoE much w
BY OCCIDENTAL Are It is said mat RSfSsl AlOnSo
which he encountered when discoGrassd and d.
Pirited, ais money and credit exhausted, he Eaa
q silver baTs from the church to the rssidsnOs
Visit Of that preate 70 Bst0pilas Another favored
OF fortune was the Marquis Of Bustausnts, poor
& SAID thai +. took out 10000; some Say say
While w0Ens Tor LEAD In the san Antonio Vein
discovered bonanza Up TO the time OF the sxs
q $40 aud the succeedins years, Batopras wss q
hT0grisaing and p[oGGctiys PLACE Al mi. time Z
there remained only ten families IN the place that
pds Of h sSGh 2n and W2yd Ra the
particular attention from Humboldt and Garbos
At that date II was OF more Importance than
a9y , dnd dsSsy village las 5 N the sisTsa sI ~
removed new mining camps had been discovered.
In vogue It was difficult 70 reap any profit from
level and tfersYoTe ne sa fo5n5 po Il bsssms ths
commonly accepted belief that silver did not occur
modern work, as there has bean found at a dsptl
O 1000 feet as rich ore ss had bean found mar
The modem history Of Batopilas began II 1ssl
ender R Shepherd, Of Washington. D. G Thi4
ZIP was Laken Win the .dea OF the acquisition os
tne san Migue! Mine, which was purchased: and
The Governor took up bis residence n this $50
1ss ' gSd Eah o6 he oB s Bs5 in a
SHEPHERD who was man Of great creative genius.
he seemed 10 transmit 20 those with whom he
the whole OF this vast mineral tract Of native ST.
Yer and estaPls2ing gTsat business thus elm n
the miner VINO works on a snaau scale To this
and obtained from the Msxicaa government a con-
govsTnmsnt Thls incaeea the Tngrai tights to
about sixty-one square miles. which covered All
so many years has so ably administered the gov
Ssvs0g fhs par, q Ms5i.0 and !: 2. :s az
scheme embraced the Harvesting Of the power %
the river 20 drive the mills; and vas accomplished
masonry. and an aqueduct more than two miles
hundred
/ the lighting OF the works and for the transmits
IS then carried from mis- Hscienda san Antonio
under The river through tye-foot pipe to the
twenty-five more sta nps and eight araalsamatins
In order to overcoms the difficulties Of hosting
the ore and rock from great depth and It's trans
"a very costly and sometimes tnpOssbls task. be
ssuse Of ne scarcity q Hges) he great .POrnriO
mel 5000 feet long. the longest IN Mexico, and
up great area Tor exploration q veins at depth
out vesv In C. cars raV by EasoIsas engines and
the ore dumped into the mill which IL at the mouth
brought upon the backs q mules. or burros f9r
BsIcrras the rsii~oa5 -ssrbeI orIx IS Fsr Is ssT
Antonio. Texas. and there was forty days' stage
trip to Chihuehua; from there an additional eight
days staging, and then the six 70 eight day uau =
AZ the present time. the tip Rom ne
railroad may BE made IN about three .6Ays
3ec,sssr for the eoonoaicaI Tspair Of TIE r1iIs 70
have a foundry an large CASTINGS are NV nsee
complete machine shop and 2 complete system f9r
the REDUCTION OF ores ana taelr INTO
Of bars. nnulebac[, two bars 70 uuls TO the
railroad, and from there 10 New York One million
dollars has been paid in dividends. but when the
improvements were begun al the products q the
permanent improvements. When the business was
s seG often SR svs sG dollars HsT ve TsS sd premium M
shipment to China Then came The d s, ~
sy9s states to shH down It has 6asn possible
however,
OF the high grade OF the ores: and because OF tbs
favorable labor conditions, the best miners noe
which Is half the value Of American money. IN
skilled labor receives from 81 10 81 Mexican money.
a day The work ls done mostly By contract
those q the San Miguel group. which include ths
, Carmen and san Antonio. which worked By
the ancients, and the Nsta Grande. which was
that is one that did not show the surface. but
which was cut by tunnel and on which much OF
Ses %64ksd 0S feet Below the level of the river
and good silver ore has been taken from that depth
thus disprovng the old theory that the rch silver
was found only a. "a me sr5 5 T'9s .s ~ l9|
ground Since the present orsahiLALloh - Iat
charge OF the business there have been taken out
about $ls 1000 600 and IL is impossible 20 tell the
value Of the ore taken out before that, but many
millions extracted
tied depths to which these veins can 5e worked
the large number OF veins which have had simply
some exploration work done on them 70 prove them
a s7 ,,S SI The P1rArto MA Tunnel h would
seem that this win be one OF the worlds pro
ducers OF silver for the next 20 years. as 1t has
ton walls and haciendas have been built with the
idea that they shall last for centuries From the
time the AEtecs worked the mines. S29oCeoOOo O.
bullion has been taken out. Governor Enrique g
Greet. the new moass9dor rom Mexico 70 hs
United States. IS Director In the company and
has always taken great interest IN BatOpias, and
believes that unlimited wealtn exists wllaln me
other directors OF the BatoDilss Mining Company
B. Parsons Lyndon II. Stevens. samuel Elliott
Louis n scott Fienry r. - s@ pIsg