The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-24
copyrighted, 1914, by Frank G. Car
Denter.)
CERRO DE PASCO, Pc

CERRO DE Isl Peru.
[ have come to the top Of the Andes
mines OF this continent. They lie
here on the root of the world. They
are more than 1900 miles south Of
the nan Cana and something
like 5000 mile. from the Strait Of
Magellan. They are about eco miles
east of the Pacific Ocean and 5000 |
odd miles from the Atlantic. Their
actual altitude is over $4,000 feet,
and n has to go over a pass which |
Is 1855 feet above sea level to reach |
hem. [ came here by the Central
Railway Of Peru. This brought me
over the Andes and down &c the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. level at the
town OF Oroya. There I got the Ger
10 de Pasco Railroad and climbed up
The plateau to where ! now am.
Cerro dc PaSco is the highest min
ing town OF the world. 1t is three or
four thousand feet above Leadville,
, and almost twice as high IS Mexico
City. There are peaks near it which
are 10000 feet high, and it's surround
ings are some OF the gTandest on
earth. The town is right oyer reas-
nres OF silver and copper of incalcu-
liable value. They have been mining
silver here for 800 years, and that
metal is almost played out. The out
look is that they will be mining COP
ger for 100 years more, and the cop
per mines are really just at their be-
ginning. Today The town is like a
great coiander, the holes Of which
are the openings Of mines. The Span
iards and Indians have been mining
here tor eight generations and now
the Americans I'VE bought h most
galuable deposits and the outlook is
that they will be mining for many
generations TO come
The story OF Cerro de Pasco dates
back To 1880. At h a time an In
dian who was watching his llamas
and sheep, had to stay here owe
night. He built q fire on the stones
10 keep warm and When he awoke
IN the morning he found the rocks
speckled with giobuies Of silver which
the fire had boiled out. This story
went forth and rs q result something
ike 500, 0 700 ounces Of silver have
been taken out Of these mines. The
are mining some silver here now anC
AS l rode on mule back about through
The town 1 could see great pits large
enough to swallow the Vatican al
Rome or our National Capitol al
Washington from which that ore ha6
been taken. The silver ore come:
from "A yellowish rock which lies nea1
the surface. IT diSintegrateS easily
and much Of il is AIKEN Dat in til
form of d powder.
The first working was done 10y TIA
Spaniards, who used Indian slave
and logged them TO keep them a
labor. Later on the mines fell int
the hands of Indian Cholos. and whei
silver was high they were owned %
capitalists who paid the miners some
thing like 40 cents a day for tWelv
hours work, with an ounce OF coo
leaves TO keep them lard on the Jot
TODAY the silver ore and many or Tn
petty copper propositions are worke
by Indians. Outside the America
holdings there are many small mineS
and the town Of $4,000 is SO peppefe
with holes that one would hardiy dal
10 go about alone after dark. ~
native miners 10 their work in ii
D~ld-fashioned way. they Dig out q
pest ore with picks and carry IL u
ladders in yaWhide sacks on tae
backs. I saw many piles OF o'lch %
az l rode through the city. An u
dian will carry from sixty To elSii
pounds at q Dad and they are no
bringing the ore out ubon la"ae
from q depth OF 500 feet.
The ore taken out by the lndla
is now largely copper, although nao
Of it CARRIE; more or less silver. i
real value of the mines IS in the co
per, the ore containing more anu liio
copper Us the mining goes down. i
silver, which near the surface OF
sssayed 100 ounces to the tcIl, II
gradually fallen in quality untll II
now less than ten. All OF the O
however, has more or less gold a
silver in it and the american col
pany finds that the costs or the m
ing are paid by the precious lnesa
The copper being almost pure pro
'Nha Cnnnay 10 far. richer than tfl2L
the mines of the Cnited states TIC
which our great supplies come.
Ii was the great cope NalIe u
attracted the attention OF A1neTlc
capitalists to CerrO de Pasco, ana
day a syndicate composed OF so
Of our richest men have bougnt -. l
mines here and they are oper@tl
them on a scale such as exists j