El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-30
By FREDERIC J. aASKIE.


This is a Guggenheim interest, and is
capitalized at s50,000,00O. At Batopi-
las a company which IS the OutgrOwth
OF the operations of the late governor
SheDherd builder of the new Washing
ton, is operating number of proper
ties. and has an output Of 100000
ounces of fine silver a year when nor
nal conditions exist.
The Cananea Consolidated Copper
company, with It's annual output Of
IS, 900, 900 pounds of copper, valued at
l2 IL cents a pound is another illus
tratiOn of the big mining operations
being carried on in northern Mexico,
and the Dos Estrellas Mining company
Dos Estrellas meaning Two Stars
which has declared dividends of as
much as $50 percent on its gold min
ing operations the while placing one
half of its net earnings IN the surplus
account, is another There are dozens
of big mining interests like these in
the region affected by the revolution,
and it has hit them very hard
OIL Belt Not Disturbed.
The oil business fortunately is out
side of the main revolutionary zone.
The TampicO region is very rich in pc
troIeum and there is a rich supply also
large proportion Of the railroad en-
gines of Mexico burn oil, and that has
proved an important aid to the govern
ment, In that the fuel supply never has
been seriously interfered with. One OF
the principal oil corporations in Next
co, the Mexican Eagle Oil company, is
reminiscent OF the pdlmy days or the
cientificOs who gathered around presi-
dent DiaZ, and took advantage of his
age and confidence in them to feather
their own nests. In this company is
almost the entire list Of the cientificos,
among them the son Of DiaZ, Enrique
Creel, governor Landa, EscandOn, =
the federal district, and others On
| the basis of $4,000 barrels of oil day
I II made a profit of S2,5OO, 600 in a sin
| gle year. and more than S250,000 addi-
/ tiOnal out of byprOducts.
On the whole the revolution has
| served to slow up the mining interests
| of the entire country to a degree, and
I practically has put a stop to work IN
many of the more important mining
centers. 1t is agreed on all hands that
I whatever the outcome of the rebellion,
/ il will be years before the mining in
! dustry in Mexico will recover its for
! mer status.
Aztecs Had Much Gold.
While gold has been found in only
small quantities IN Mexico existing as
! an isolated metal, yet during the time
| Of the Aztecs it was so plentiful that
! the indians did not pay much atten-
/ ton TO silver It is estimated by Pres
/ colt that the presents Of gold which
/ MOnteZuma gave to COrteZ as his trib-
| ute of friendliness amounted to $1,000
| 600 or more But the Aztecs never re-
( Tealed the sources of their gold supply
/ and like their literature and science
/ il is one of the mysteries of today II
! has been estimated that since the ad-
I vent of the Spanish in Mexico more
/ Tlan Sb,UUU,UUU-UUU worth OF silver mas
/ been taken out OF the silver mines OF
! the country The largest single piece
/ of silver secured in the history OF
! Mexican mining was found by an in
/ dian peOn- There was q dispute as &c
/ whether the peOn or his master should
have it, whereupOn the Spanish crown
! took it for its own uses. When Spain
first enacted a mining law for Mexico
/ il was provided that two-thirds OF
! the silver and gold taken out should
/ be given to the Spanish king. Later
I this was cut Gown to one-fifth, and
/ the diligence with which the represen-
| tatives of the crown made these col
: lectiOnS gives an excellent insight into
! the amount of mining done The rec
! ord shows, for instance, that one mine
/ yielded $4,000, coo ounces of fine silver
! in L years. The owner of this mine
; lived in a way that would make a lords
| manner Of life seem that OF paupel
| in comparison. and yet he amassed {
. fortune of more than $50, 100000.
One bonanza king proposed to lay Z
I house. but was forbidden by the au-
! thOrities to do so. Joseph BOrda, {
( French Canadian, made three fortunes
| as a silver miner in Mexico. With tht
I first one he built a large number OF
! churches. He lost the .-cOnd one. anC
. then appealed to the archbishop to al
/ low him to sell a diamond studded or
/ nament he had given one OF tins
/ churches He sold it for 100000 and
1 then made a strike that gave him his
| third fortune. Pedro Romero, pOOl
: ShopAeepeI, ulsCOE SLeu a IIllllS 81 ~
! IN silver ore that he built two men,
( o'war for his sovereign and made hin
I a never to be paid back loan of S1,GUO,-
OO0 and then founded the Natioaa
! pawnshop. one Of the finest institutiO 81:
: for helping the unfortunate in tbs
I world
While the modern mining company
| with its dozens of stockholders. WhC
! have risked but little, has succeeded
Z the bonanza king WED staked his all
/ there are still vast fortunes made GU
I Of Mexican mines. and NEST Of the
dividends go into English and Ameri'
/ can pockets. and those pockets have
/ felt the revolution