El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-21

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silver itself remaining In the furnace.
Mining Thefts-
great deal OF silver and gOld is
stolen bv the Mexican miners The aver
age Aztec has but little idea OF propGllg
rights. and he takes what ne can 4lilu
as @ gift from Cod In some u tAe
mines the workers are SedLcueL ~
three different sets OF men me LetL9
will conceal the metal under their alLlls'
under their toes. IN their ears ana, an
fact. in every other concelFtDLe ple-Cl5i
They are barefOOted and DareleG5-9
and in many cases work almost Ii,4heus
wearing little more than breechcl 3lA-
In some of the old native mines LhSy
carry the ore out upon LADDERS AZ
many DIaces they sort the ore before IL
is crushed or treated with qulchsllF eI-
OF the 5000 mines counted by hum
boldt in 1900, not one was Worked SCI
eutifically, and large part on Ile IN IN
creased product of the country today
comes from the modern mining meth
DDS introduced by the foreigners
Mexican Mining Laws.
I have received many inquiries as 20
The mining laws of Mexico. Ihey are
simple and practical livery CaLllp l5e-9
its board which looks after the lntereSts
of the miners, and foreigners nave LAS
same rights as natives IN denounclng a
claim. ST. g. .-7r,7
a uertenencia- IL contains about 1uy
square meters or about IL acres allo
iii can be held by taking out the pIopeE
papers and paying at the rae o. ~ ~,
Mevfcan currency. for each % claims
Der wear The title of the claims are re-
corded in the department. Oh LOIneuto'
and patents for them are issued Dy lns
general government Inc mlnlns "a.
are more liberal than ours ana CLAIMS
can be held whether WOrke DOR not 30
long as the taxes are paid
Pearls Raised on Farms
Mexico is now producing a gOOdly
amount of pearls and also OF precious
stones used In the arts, me pe-IlLs
come from the Gulf Of California, the
oysters being found on both SldeS OF
the peninsula by native divers ana sl7O
being cultivated on farms
The fishing IS under concessions from
the Mexican government, and one COM
pany. which has the largest pearl 1llL-n
in the world, is now employing IN JLiS
harvesting season more Inau 4vyy
hands The oysters are planted, the
eggs being placed in artificial channels
where the young can be protected from
their natural enemies rs Ihey gov
they are taken into deeper water a-nC
Kept in large boxes or cages and there
left to develop
THE harvest is ready at the end OF
two wears. at which time il is said the
shells are al their best and contain J!le
best pearls IT is also said that the
pearls disappear after tnat age s.=+-
Three kinds OF pearls, ye--OWr " ~
and black. are now being found Ine
yellCw ones are Of the least value, Lne
white ones come next being worth
about $3.50 a carat and the most valua-
Bile are the black pearls Whlcn are
worth $500 q carat and upward
one OF the lLEEEEL braL4S EhtL --A---
here was th-ee-fourths or IN inch N
diameter. 1t was taken 10 Iafls anu
sold TO the emperor OF Austria Ior s1U--
OOO A black pearl from this region,
valued at $4,000. went first 10 Mad1l1-
and was given by Spain TO Napoleon
III Another famous Mexican pearl u -
OF rose color 1t was found ABOUT zoo
years ago and was sold IN Europe Tor
Mexican Opal Mines.
Mexico has mines OF fine stones IN
Guiding emeralds, tOpaZes, garnets ana
e~erhvsts. The most profitable are
those which produce turQuolses ana
opals. The turQuOises come mainly
from Zacatecas. and the Opals are found
my way to Mexico City. i saw there
hundreds OF peasants at Work IN Ine
mines The opal veins lie IN strata
scattered through a matriG so hard thar
dynamite is used to dlSlodge IT, me
! country is so rich that traces OF the
minerals can be seen In the stones use1
| for public building purposes
some of the opals are stolen and sold
: by the W0rkmeu. peddlers have them
Z for sale at the stations, and even on
I the streets of Mexico City The ped
oilers wrap the stones in black velvet or
black paper, ana when they snow IneIl
| il is under the rays of the sun, which
at first glance. One has 10 be very
| careful in buying opals. for many OF
/ the stones are cracked. and the cracks
I concealed bv soaking them for a night
I or so i'm olive oil The finest stones
| go to Mexico City, and some OF the Desl
| are sent TO Europe and the United
] States. They bring all kinds of prices,
/ from few cents to hundreds of dollars.
/ according TO their size, color and the
] brilliaucv of their ODaleSCenCe.