Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1913-05-10
ALETTER FROM BOLIVIA.
George Pringle Gives Interesting Ac-
count of Country.

knocking about the South American
country for the past year or two gives
fine following interesting account OF
bolivia in a letter to the Times under
date of March II:
Mr. f. w. Fairbanks. Yerington, New
Dear Friend: | suppose you are in.
tcrested i'll this country on account OF
the fabulous riches reported here last
wear. and which caused about two hun
dred American miners to drop every
thing in the States and come to thls
country ! can say for those men that
thew were as fine lot OF fellows as
person could meet anywhere. They
all had plenty OF money to pay their
way but soon found out that Bolivia's
placer gold was visionary. ] might
ask this question: Who are those
who leave their homes in search oi
new Are they the weak, the inso
lent. the incompetent, No. they are
the strong OF mind and brave at heart
the energetic and self-reliant. How
ever. they all have gone back from
whence they came. sadder but wiser
but leaving a better impression III Bo
liyia of the character of men in the
United States than was here before
Some few years ago there was buncl
Of about twenty Montgomery Ward
engineers came here lookin~ over the
country They all had a gun-prob
ably the first gun they ever strappc'
ON them. However. they got into al
kinds of trouble and some natives go
killed and some Americans wounded
Bolivia il one-fourth OF the waN
around the world yet SO far a the
knowledge and the interest OF tn,
American people are concerned, 30
lvia is much nearer than the i've Re
publics which lie just across the sunny
Caribbean sea from our southern
coast. Guatemala. Costa Rica. Hon
duras. Nicaragua and Salvador. They
might a. well be the names OF five
comic operas so far as the averag,
American i concerned.
Think OF an angry squirrel SPIN
ming its revolving cage. GrotcsquC
armies OF bare-footed, ragged sol
diers. led by adventures from the
States pulling off ten=cent revolu
tion every other Friday We might
call it the International Monkey Show
the location OF a thousand get rich
quick rubber plantations and othel
swindling enterprises, palm trees anc
temporary tin tyrants, iced drinks anc
fugitive cmbezzlers from New York
hot tropical junglcs and wild younf
dcspcradocs from Chicago and the
West who boast that the open season
for Greascrs is never closed.
am at present at an altitude of ~,
600 feet an ! don't mind telling yo,
conhdentially that when ! leave here
will be looking for a spot belo"
sea level for a few davs' rccupcratiol
some place where the air does not
come so high but that ! can afford tc
have all | can use. ! have been ~
some towns where there Is not enough
air in the whole township to keep :;
Nevada burro healthy Three hun
drcd years ago. in those romantic day.
oi early Spanish dominion, Bolivi9
was famed for her silver. Her pedesta
is still OF silver hue; but today IT !.
made of tin Tin valued AT Sl600N
was shipped out of the country last
year. The tin deposits are in the Cor
dclcra provinces high up in the Roya'
Range | know OF a number OF mine
at an altitude OF 1900 feet. The NOR,
important mines are equipped with
modern plants. Like gold tin is taken
both from veins and alluvial. The
high lands are rich IN copper and biN
muth Last year the Coro Coro dis
trict sent SStOW0 worth OF copper
ingots down To the sea by mule cart
1t has long been known that the rich
est sulphur deposit is at Tocore, Bo-
livia The Italian product which has
held the trade now has a serious rival
The building of the Madeira Ma
more railway is one OF the greatest
achievcmcnts-Sccon perhaps. To the
opening OF the Panama Canal NJ
though only 2l7 miles in length. 1t.
situation in the heart OF the worlds
greatest jungle, offered dilhculue
which for forty years proved unsur-
mountable Back in 1871 an attempt
was made to construct the line but in
less than two years the forest, witt
its army of tropical diseases, proved
the victor. A second attempt, siN
years later. succeeded only III the com
pletion OF the survey and the building
OF four miles OF road with terrific los
OF life In 1907 an American firm Of
contractors. fortified by the expert
icnce OF applied hygiene. obtained al
Panama. undertook the task. Mod
ern science and skill overcame all OBJ
staclcS and this month seen the OH
cial opening of the famous jungle
route Formerly it required from thir-
ty To sixty days. according to the sea
son. to make this distance, BY rail 1t
will be made in twelve hours. Last
year. with the difficulties of transport
alton. exports amounted to over SlO.,
100000 in rubber alone. Rubber and
tin have made Boliyia's multi-mil hon
aires. The present paucity OF the
country's gold output has been mat
ter of comment Investigations have
repeatedly demonstrated that the gold
mines here are harness prospects,
call them harness prospects because
they run in traces. Bolivia has pur-
chased her freedom The S30UDiWN
she is now spending on railroad eN-
pansion amounts to Sl2 for every man
woman and child within her territory
white mestizo and Indian
The song of the rails has become