The Columbus journal., 1910-05-18

above sea level. Two other craters OF lesser
height rise one on either side of the main crater:
then sheer drop Of several thousand feet Of sui.
phur-coated rock to the highest signs of veseta.
ZION Below this on the Pacific slopes stretch
beautiful rolling llanos or steppes. lower and
lower on down to the palm-fringed coast line
Somewhere on these immense slopes lies the
lost mine OF the Indians. "Tisingal" known to
ana worked by the early Spanish settlers who
changed its name to la Estrella" or Mine OF the
Star
During the year 1s33-34. in going through tho
archives at Carriage. Costa Rica some official doc
umenfs pertaining to this mine were found and
permission was obtained from the Costa Rican
government for their publication Shortly there
after company was formed In Carriage to send
Out exploring parties. and although considerable
time and mor"r were wasted and several lives
lost In an endeavnr TO locate this mine no indica
tions of its whereabouts were found.
Reprints of some of the documents referred to
nave come into the hands OF the writer In which
Is preserved the old style Spanish in which they
we're originally written during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. Translaticrs of these pa
pers have been made and the In formation con.
tanned therein summarized. to which have been
added data obtained through a personal acquaint.
ance with the country described. During last
year an unsuccessful attempt was made by the
writer to ascend the highest crater of the Chiri.
qui volcano for the purpose OF verifying certain
information purported to have been secured In
the year 1fo5 from this point and pertaining to
the Tisingal mine. During the dry season Of this
year a second attempt will probably be made
Among the documents consulted Is one that,
literally translated reads as follows
within the limits Of the department Of Chiri-
qui contiguous to the Republic Of Costa RIGA,
exist places rich in gold known by the names Of
Tisingal Quebrada Ancha. Quebrada de Orc and
Others quite important The first Of these places
was explored some time ago by a Spanish colony.
which in the year 1901 founded the city Of Con-
cepcion de la Estrela. near this mine OF great
wealth The excessive stinginess OF the conquer
crs reduced the Indians OF the locality the con-
dition of slaves. they being forced by the Spanish
to work. mining the gold of the Tisingal These
Indians became tired of the excessive work and
bad treatment and became desperate In the year
1911 they revolted against their oppressors and
exterminated them: but other Spaniards at the
place of the mutiny again compelled the Indians
TO resume the working Of the mine and made
harder for them their state of slavery This al.
most eliminated the Indians from this stretch Of
country
"On the twenty-eighth of September some
years after these happenings. the Indians re-
turned. and without pity consideration took
the life of every foreigner living in the country:
and not only this. but. carrying stones from dis
tant localities. they covered up and destroyed all
also RACED all houses and churches belonging to
the Spdniards The ONLY traces remaining OF
these ancient buildings today are the foundations
of the church and a bell belonging to it.
AT last the news of the new rebellion reached
Cartago in Costa Rica. where immediate prepa-
rations were made for revenge. II is known that
at the beginning of the year 11l0 the government
at Cartago sent 200 men by the way of Boruca
and Tuis to San Jose Cabecar. a town to the east
Z bout Is leagues from Conception. This expedi-
tion took 500 Indians of both sexes prisoners and
reduced them 10 a state of slavery and as such
consigned them to the inhabitants around about
Carriage upon their return TO that place These
prisoners and all other Indians they met along
tie way were mastered shortly thereafter.
From that time all Indians living in the
mountains In all directions M a distance Of 20
leagues turned bitter enemies of the foreigners
aud up a few years ago would have nothing to
do with the white races Due to these events al,
traces Of the villages of TuTrialba. Tus Atirro.
San Jose Cabecar and otLer places that lay on
the route to Conception de Ia r.strelia and Tsin.
sal were lost and the trails of communication
" ..h the mines were CottTci with brush and
ompletely destroyed thai after 30 years in
artas o knowledge Was be obtared as to
he locality of the Estl. .la md practically no
erSon living knew / ad thr mines at