Omaha daily bee., 1914-08-30

the property or simon l. Patino, who
might be called the tin king of the world.
He is worth many millions, and It all
comes from tin.
From Poverty to Riches.
1t is only few years ago that Patino
was poor clerk, working for a few dol
lars q month. He had Indian blood in
his veins, and no one supposed he would
ever be more than a hireling. Then he
found this prospect and tried to get his
employers to work it. They had no faith
in him or mis- property, and so he de
nounced the claim for himself. In some
way he managed to get a small capital.
At first he practically lived in the mine,
laboring there with the few Indians he
could hire at low wages. He finally struck
rich vein and since then the mine has
paid as high as S, 100000 a year. 1t some
times yields as much as $500, 900 a month
Patino has suddenly jumped from pow
erty to extravagant riches and he has
hard work to invest the surplus. He is
interested in banks and he has bought
houses and haciendas and mines of va
rtous kinds. He has built a railroad from
the Antofagasta line TO Uncia to get his
ore out to the steamers; and is installing
the best machinery. OF late years he has
been living in Paris and his properties
are now managed by agents. I have al
ready referred to the great blocks of tin
from the Patino mines that will be shown
at the worlds fair at San Francisco.
Another Tin Romance.
l hear other romances Of tin fortunes
made on these Bolivian highlands One
relates to a German mechanic named
Kemp, who opened a mine when tin was
selling for s, 100 ton. He had no trouble
In disposing Of the property to a Chilean
syndicate, which paid him 100000 in cash
and an equal amount in the shares of the
mines, which were then estimated at par
Kemp had no knowledge of the value
of money. and he supposed that his $780,
COO would last him forever. He took 1t
and went off to Europe. He spent right
and left and within less than two years
his fortune was gone. He then came
back 10 Chile. expecting 20 get another
100000 by the sale of his stock In the
meantime the price of tin had fallen, and
the shares that Kemp took at par were
each worth IS cents instead of S. He
thought he had been tricked and threat
ened the company with a lawsuit. The
officials replied that there was now no
money in mining and that he could have
the property back as a gift He took II
and for time almost starved. He could
not get enough food for his Indian labor
ers. Then the price of tin rose and he
was able TO recapitalize the mine. He
organized a new company and the shares
are now above par, Those which Kemp
has, at their face value, are worth at
least Sl25,0OO
/ have already written OF the Bolivian
Exploitation and Development company,
the president Of which Is Mr.. Horace G.
Knowles, our former minister 70 Bolivia.
Mr.. Knowles tells me that his prospectors
have recently discovered a wonderful de-
posit OF stream tin in one OF the Bolivian
rivers. The most OF the tin now mined
here is in quartz, but this stream tin is
in nuggets and Jumps from the size OF an
egg to that Of your two fists or larger
It is said TO be very rich, containing So
FER cent OF oxide OF tin. The deposit runs
through the bed OF river for distance
of tTenty-six miles
Deposits Scarcely Touched.
Mr.. Knowles thinks that the tin OF Bo-
livia has scarcely been touched he says
that his Sasineers are sending in reports
Of many finds that promise to pay big
dividends upon their development He
believes that when our canal is completed
the tin ores OF Bolivia will go TO the
United States rather than 20 Europe. We
are now using 10 or 50 per cent of all the !