Gilpin observer., 1913-06-05

world. Its own leading men
believe positively 1t is the
richest, and no one can say
Just how great is the wealth Of its un-
explored hills and canyons. The ef-
tort of its statesmen to redeem it. as
recently reported. by land concessions
to immigrants and railroads to carry
the products of the fields and the
mines, which are now carried on the
backs of natives. has attracted more
attention in Europe than the United
States, which is godfather to 1t.
Peru is said to be the one country
In South America where there Is no
racial antipathy to Americans. as this
country did Peru a good turn prob
ably before that spirit was born among
the Latin races to the south. 1t was
In 1858 that the United States re-
stored to Peru the Lobos guanc is
lands. to which some adventurous
Americans had laid claim. The fair
ness of this government has since
then been something Of a tradition
down there.
Wealth Back Of DesoIate Coast.
Much OF the wealth that Spain has
dissipated, her gold and silver that
was made into ornaments as we'll as
money. and the precious stones be-
longing to the royal houses are re-
puted to have been largely carried
back from Peru by the Conquisa-
dores.
For a thousand miles the coast
of Peru presents & bold. unspeakable
barren appearance. Mountains tower
up toward the cloudless skies day aft
er day as one pursues his slow way
down the coast. Not tree or a green
bush can be seen, but back of the
barrier is the wealth of the Incas-
gold and silver, coffee and cotton and
spices and fruits and rare woods. No
where does the desert run back for
more than 80 miles from the coast.
and usually not SO far. Then there
is the long stretch of gradually ris-
Ing plains. the foothills and then the
great interior table lands.
From 1880 to 1924 Jesuit priests
are credited with taking 81 tons OF
pure silver out of single valley.
while other mines are said to have
yielded hundreds of millions of dol
lars. and even with the primitive
system employed by the monks and
the native Indians. But for nearly
half a century or more Peru went
backward, and became SO poor that
her richest citizen lived on the pawn
shops But that period has passed,
and with permanent peace the country
is slowly recovering its prosperity.
Silver is one mineral that is, per-
haps, most abundant. and that is to
be found in every section of the re-
public. In many places 1t is found
In native state, and the deposits are
of great richness. Copper mining
is Comparatively, a new industry In
Peru. as not until the depreciation of
silver, did miners tSrn their attention
to copper. when it was found that
1t existed in paying quantities in the
great silver districts Within the
last few years the Haggin-Guggenheim
copper mines at Cerro de Paseo have
produced enormous quantities OF ore,
and modern smelling works have been
established at several OF the more i'm.
portant centers.
Cerro de Paseo and Yauli are the
two best known copper regions of
Peru, but others are known to ex.
lst The ores of Peru are always found
In various combinations with differ
ent metals.
Gold. which constituted the great
wealth of the nation before the con.
quest by Pizarro, was not mined to a
very great extent by the Spanish con.
uuerors, who. for some reason, gave
all their attention to silver mining.
For this extraordinary reason the
gold mines from whence the native
Incas derived their fabulous wealth
remained more or less abandoned for
three centuries, and 1t Is only now
that there is a revival of gold min
Ing.
Gold is found in several parts OF
Peru. There is alluvial gold gen.
orally on the Amazonian slopes and
throughout eastern Peru the rivers
have all gold bearing gravel beds.
10 that hydraulic mining, the most In
expensive method known, 10 likely to