Mohave County miner., 1911-03-25

try, the region between the mouth of
 the Rio Grande and the peninsula of
 Yucatan appearing to be underlaid
 with vast quantities of it. Only re-
 gently an oil well was opened not far
 from Tampico with flow which places
 it in the front rank of all producing
 wells in the world. It was feared for
 awhile that it would be impossible to
 cap this vast stream of oil, but after
 many days of strenuous work the ef-
 forts were successful. Two years ago
 the Pennsylvania Oil company was en-
 gagged in drilling the Dos Bocas yell,
 located 50 miles south of Tampico and
 10 miles inland from the gulf. When
 the drill had reached a depth of 1924
 feet it apparently penetrated a chan
 nel connecting with the oil bearing
 stratum. The gas pressure blew out
 the tools and casing, and the spouting
 oil took fire almost immediately, con-
 tinuing to burn for nearly two months
 during which time it was estimated
 that nearly 1O,OOO,OOO barrels of oil
 were consumed. Hot salt water gradu- ally replaced the oil, and the flow was estimated at IA, 900 barrels per day.
 The oil business in Mexico has de-
 veloped at a very opportune time. The railroads of the country, owing to the cost of coal, have been predisposed to use oil as fuel for their engines.
 The Tehauntepec route was the first
 railroad in Mexico to make the experiment, and it proved so suc- cessful that the Mexican government hopes to equip all of its 5000 miles of railroad with oil burning engines. All of the new engines ordered are equip- ped with oil burners. Surveys are made around the gulf coast to indicate that the supply of oil is greater than was estimated and its abundance will doubtless prove a great stimulant to every kind of industry. It so happens that the mineral lands of Mexico ex- tend from the American frontier to the city of Oaxaca, along the line of the Mexico extension of the Rocky Noun tains, while the oil fields cover the coastal plains around the Gulf of Mex ico, thus making the entire country a mineral region.
 There are a great many American mining companies operating in Mex ico. The American Smelling and Re tining company, incorporated under the laws of New Jersey, is the Gug- genheim property. It has a capital stock of 100000, ,OOOs, and was the pioneer mine in the introduction of modern smelling processes. It is now at the head of the industry in the re- public. Its smelJers, located at Mont cray, Aguascalientes, and Chihuahua have a combined capacity of more than l, 300, ,OO0 tons of ore year. The Boleo mine, operated under a French char ter, is supposed to be controlled by the French house of Rothschild. It is ex- empt from all federal and local taxes except stamp taxes, until December of next year, and from all customs and local dues until l942. The Fl Orc Mining and Railway company, limited, occupies rather peculiar situation. It is an English company which was to take over the capital stock of the American Mining com Dany, incorporated under the laws of the state of West Virginia, and the American Railway and Lumber con- Dany incorporated under the laws of he state of New Jersey. Its profits amount to approximately a million dol | ars year
 The opal mines of Mexico are among he richest in the world. In working hem the opal stone is drilled out with | steel drills, brought to the surface on he backs of peon laborers, broken in- O small pieces with hammers and then 'ent to the lapidaries, who polish the tone. The richest opal region of Mex co is to be found in the section around lueaetaro, in central Mexico, where he rock formations are so full of opal hat traces of the mineral may be seen n the stones used for building pur- poses. There are many varieties of pals, and they sell at figures varying rom a few cents each to a thousand 'esos apiece. The Mexican peon has ound that he can cover up the defects If imperfect stones by giving them 'ath of oil, and the traveller who buys lis supply of opals from an irresponsi- 'le vender, is almost certain to be heated.