The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-10-23
TIN MONARCH OF
SOUTH AMERICA
~" ~
Romantic Story of the Wonderful
Rise of Don Simon Patino of
0rur0. Bolivia.
WIFE BOUGHT FIRST MINE
Jewels He Had Given Her Provided
Funds for Start, and Now He Is
Ono Of tho Worlds Rich.
est Men.
BY RICHARD sPILLANE.

SEtGGNINGs
Copyright. 1914, by the Mcclure, Newspa
per Syndicate.)
Don Simon Patino of Oruro, Bolivia
has a great regard for his wife. Most
good men have the same weakness IN
respect to their helpmates. Whenever
Senior Patino had little extra money
he fastened to spend 1t on the sonora
Usually he bought jewelry. Senior Pa
tino was not rich, but his wife had
diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sap
phires in greater number than the
wives Of many wealthy men. Sonora
Patino used to protest against this
extravaganza, but 1t was of no avail
She could not check him, so, after q
time, she accepted with complacency
whatever he purchased.
Senior Patino kept store in a little
silver mining town up in the Andes
not far from Oruro. He was active
energetic and progressive. Most 30
livians are slow. The mines were busy
his trade was increasing and the fu
ture looked bright.
There came change In the early
eos somewhere. The world had toe
much silver and the price Of the met
al declined. Gradually the production
of the mines Of Bolivia decreased and
as they decreased the business Of the
store of Senior Patino dwindled. The
good man was sad. He no longer could
buy jewels for his wife. Not only that
but 1t was a question whether he
could earn enough to provide well fol
his already large and growing fam
lily.
Tin Looked Good TO Him.
Most men, in such a situation, NOPE
and complain. Senior Patino is not that
kind. When the mine bosses gathered
at his store and INDUCED in bitter re
Elections upon the sorry state Of the
silver market, he listened to them
but did not agree with their direfu
predictions. It was true, he acknowl
edged, that the silver outlook was
very bad. but Bolivia was rich in 9th
er metals.
The mining men laughed at his rea
soning. For nearly four centuries Bo
livia had been working its silver and
gold mines. In silver the country was
particularly rich. That was the back
bone Of the nation. What could DO
livia look to when It could not sci
its silver?
Senior Patino suggested tin. There
was plenty Of tin in Bolivia.
His friends scoffed The idea thai
Bolivia, after all its centuries Of de
pendence upon silver, should turn tC
tin was too absurd to consider. Where
would 1t find a market? Even If there
were fair demand for tin, how could
Bolivia compete with the great tir
mines of the Straits Settlements
which produced more than half o.
the worlds supply, and which had the
benefit of good and cheap transporta
ton? Bolivia had too much Of 9
handicap, especially since Chile hat
robbed Bolivia Of all its seacoast ant
made it an inland country.
Senior Patino said that II Bolivia
could ship silver ore 1t could shiI
tin. The world had more use for tir
than for silver. Markets could BIZ
developed. Transportation charges
might be 80 heavy as to make 1t seem
impossible to realize a profit, but these
could be lessened II the business at
tanned considerable volume.
Wife's Jewels Paid for Mine.
Obstinacy Is one Of Patino's charac
teristics. The more the mine bosses
ridiculed his idea the more positive
he became in his belief. One Of those
who ridiculed him offered to sell 9
tin mine to him for $4,000 bolivianos
A boliviano is about 40 cents, SO that
meant $1,000. Patino did not have the
money. He tried to raise II and failed
Money was scarce, especially for sc
poor an undertaking as a tin mine.
Women have faith when men have
not. Whatever her husband believed
Sonora Patino believed. When hel
husband failed in all his efforts tc
raise money Sonora Patino deter
mined to get It herself. She sold hel
diamonds, rubies, sapphires and EN-
eralds and, turning the proceeds ovel
to him, insisted that he buy the mine
When he was reluctant, she argued
that its name, La Salvador, augured
we'll There could be no mistake.
Hard Struggle for Patino.
Patino bought La Salvador. He ha6
to proceed slowly with the mine, be
cause he had little money. but the
times were so hard in Bolivia Their
that he was able to get labor very
cheap. That helped. Mining tin is q
slow and burdensome process. After
the ore is taken out Of the earth II
has to be ground into small particles
Then II is washed to rid it of some Of
its impurities. Next 1t is roasted tC
expel the sulphur and arsenic it con
tains. Another and longer treatment
In q furnace Of tremendous heat Is
necessary to reduce the oxide tin tc