The Columbus journal., 1910-05-18
{ PANAMA ;

the border line of Costa RIGA and Chiriqui have
ways been hostile and in several instances have
risen against the whites and massacred them. The
Talamanca Indians who still inhabit these parts,
were especially be'licose.
The existence Of the "Tisingal" mine has never
been doubted nor Is Il considered the product OF
the fertile imagination Of the natives Of Chiriqul
At Cana. in the province of Panama. at the pres
ent time there Is being operated gold mine for.
merly worked by the Spanards. Several years
ago. while blasting in one Of the galleries Of the
Cana mine an aperture was made into what proved
to be buried the remains Of a gold mine worked
several centuries ago. Leather buckets. with
straps that fit around the forehead and around the
shoulders OF the mine workers and instruments OF
steel we're found In q good state Of preservation.
The mouth Of this mine had been SO completely
hidden that mining operations had been carried
on for years almost paralleling the entrance shaft
without the engineers suspecting its proximity.
Records Of the old Cana mine are In existence but
its exact location had never been fixed before
Gold can be found In almost all the rivers Of
ChiriQui. In 1859 there were discovered the first
Indian graves. from which were taken gold orna-
ments. stone figures arrow points. ETC. Since this
time there have been found In Chiriqui hundreds
Of these Indian graves. known to the present day
natives by the name OF "guacas." The writer him.
self opened up one grave from which he took 10
pieces of pottery
1t is a well-known fact that the halfIndian ma
tives Of ChiriQui. knowing the whereabouts Of q
rich "suaoal" prefer to work II alone and to sell
the gold found only in such quantities as their
needs may require. They suspicious Of the
white man. this suspicion and disrust being inbred
in them and handed down in tradition from their
ancestors. who in truth had cause TO hate that
race. hunting and exploring party that recently
returned from the vicinity Of Buenos Aires and
Boruca. in the heart of the Indian country to the
west OF David. reported that although they were
not openly attacked by the Indians yet they
conscious of being constantly watched; that food
was scarcely obfainable. and that on several occa
sions they found the water Of the springs muddied
apparently but few minutes before their arrival
believe that il Is. nasmuch as Il Is but repetition
Of former ones Of similar nature then II ia quite
eviden: that the party were not cognizant Of the
customs. hkings and language Of the natives With
whom they had to deal
Odd inscriptions and decorations are found
carved on volcanic powders In many parts Of Chi
riqui. and these inscriptions. according the In
dians indicate the buryins grounds Of the caciques
Many Of these decorations appear on the pottery
found in the graves and IN the chronological report
referred TO are classified
Codbearine copper ore has been found In many
districts in ChriQui. especially in that Of Bugaba
In which "Tisingal" in all probability located.
the analysis OF which has shown Is per cent COP
per bearing two per cent gold
The Panamanian governnen Is at the present
time planning the construction of railroad from
David in Chiriqui to the city Of Panama. which,
when built. will greatly oren up this par, Of the
country and make it more accessible The Indians
OF Chiriqui will give way before the advance of
civilization and the earth will give up another Of
her treasures so well hidden for centuries BY ma.
tures barriers aided by the avensing hand of the
vanQI!sted American