The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-10-26
ON PERU'S HEIGHTS
William Mahoney Talks Entertain
1ngly of Life in the Mountain
Times of South America.
He Also Gives Brief Description of
the Operations on the 18TH
milan Canal at Panama.

Will Mahoney, who has been visit
ing relatives in St. Cloud, was here a
couple of days this week and on Tues
day returned to the Granite city.
From there he will 60 to Montana and
probably to New Mexico. Were it
not for the fact that his sister at
Seattle is not in the best of health
Will would return to Peru, where he
held a good position with the Cerro
dc Pasco Mining company. 1t was to
see his sister that he made the long
journey from South America. He
read in the U o that his father
had gone to Seattle in consequence Of
her sickness and he Immediately re-
signed his position and started for the
United States. The journey consumed
80 days.
Mr.. Mahoney was foreman of
smelter at La Fundicion, Peru, which
is located at an altitude Of Ii, 900 feet
above the sea level. The climate in
the mountains, says he, is not cold
although there is an occasional light
fall of snow in the winter time. 1t
disappears, however, almost as fast
as it descends. 1t takes white man
some time to get accustomed TO the
climate, or rather the atmosphere. as
it is very rarifed, but person with
a rugged constitution will grow used
to it and enjoy it's dry crispness.
Will says that there is a tremendous
quantity of copper and some silver
and other minerals mined at La
Fundicion and that practically all the
work is performed by Indians. The
white men employed are overseers and
clerks. These Indians are very
small race and they talk the Spanish
language. They differ from the
North American Indians in many
respects, the principal one being, per-
haps, that they are willing workers.
they. labor faithfully day in and day
out, and the stipend which they receive
amounts to but a few cents day.
Their rations consist largely OF
corn, which is prepared by soaking
in water and then baking on heated
stones which are followed for that
purpose. The only flesh they eat is
mutton, but not in large quantity al
though sheep are very plentiful in the
mountains-sheep about the size OF
jack rabbits. Men make a specially OF
raising these sheep, but the greatest
proportion of them are sent to the
cities in the valleys below and sold.
The female Indians, says Mr.. Ma.
honey, invariably carry around
weights with them-when they have
nothing else to pack they carry large
rocks strapped to the small of their
backs. Will was unable to figure out
the philosophy of this peculiar prac.
tice. The scenery in the mountains is
magnificent, especially when the sur
sets: there is some timber on the sum.
mits and variety of game abounds
there.
On his way to Seattle Mr.. MahoneJ
was compelled to lay over at Pana
ma for a couple of days to await {
, steamer, and he improved his time by
| looking over the operations on thu
canal. He expressed himself as sur
J prised at the magnitude of the under
r taking and the methodical manner II
which the work is being carried out
3 With thousands of men engaged
. everything goes on like clockwork
! He watched the big steam dredges a.
they scooped up tons of earth ant
3 rock every time they dipped ant
= marveled at their tremendous power
q The Gatun dam, says he, is in itsel
a wonderful piece of masonry, and i
capable, he would estimate, of hold
=, ing back tens of thousands of tons o
: earth and rock. It would be vel
- worth trip to Panama, he says, t.
= view this, the worlds greatest engi
neering feat-the cutting of th
> isthmian canal. :: s..
Robinson Abandons His Task.
Q Aviator Hugh Robinson, who wa