Omaha daily bee., 1914-08-23
Former Us. M1n1ster Horace &.
K'O'Hle. and his golden bricks

which. | am told here is a branch of the
United States Steel company. 1t con-
trolls the product and uses it for making
vanadium steel. The chief mine was orig
inally owned by an Italian, named Fer
nandini, who still holds large interest.
1t has made Fernandini rich. and he is
now buying haciendas here and there in
the Andes and breeding fine stock.
This vanadium occurs in a carbonaceous
deposit, interstratified with sandstone.
The lower portion of the stone contains ,
or per cent of vanadlum. The ore is
roasted before it is brought down to the
smelter and the metal is shipped to
Pittsburgh. 1t is not sold in bulk, but is
kept by the company for the making of
steel Only so much is mined, the output
being regulated by the demand.
Peppered with Gold.
The Andes are peppered with gold from
one end to the other. Pi2arro carried
away from them 100000 900 worth of
that metal and there were other millions
which he failed to get. Among the latter
were the lost treasures of the lncas have
already described, including the gold
plates that they love from their tenn
pies in Cuzco and the mighty gold
is said that there is gold mixed with
the sands of Lake Titicaca 1t is still
being washed from the sands near La
Paz, and it is found in greater or less
quantities along almost ali the tribu-
taries of the Amazon. \ prospector
tells me that tie whole mountain range.
running from Mount soratl to Mount
Illimani, distance of $50 miles, shows
hut p1o
doubtedly veins of sold.
y large part OF the Bolivian plateau
consists of sedimentary deposits of gravel
and clay, and in many places upon it
coarse gold has been found The most
of this is IN small nuggets and very little
in dust.
, q There are extensive quartz mines on the
.Amazonian side Of the Andes. One of
these belongs to the Inca Mining COM
"a y, a Pennsylvania combination, which
! a-.ogether has taken out about $7,OOO,O0O,
and another is the Santo Domingo mine
that has produced half as much. During
my stay in Arequipa I met Mr.. 3. II. COL
Inns the manager of the Inca COMPANY
and had chat with MIN ABOUT his mines
and the difficulties with which the COM
/ pany had TO contend before they could
make them profitable. The mines are
! situated on the Madre de Dios river, not
! very far from the headwaters of the
! Amazon. They are on the Atlantic slope
of the Andes about $50 miles east OF the
| Pacific ocean. To reach them, one has
! to go by the railroad across the coast
/ range through a pass higher than the
top of Pixies Peak and then mp the
/ branch line which leads from Julliaca TO-
| Cuzco. Al Tirapata the miners leave the
/ railroad and go across the country by a
wagon road and mule trail for a distance
| of about 142 miles. The company had TO
build the road themselves, and that across
pass over 5000 feet high. The road has
! sixteen bridges and 1t goes through gorges
] GN feet tall \ mule trail that forms the
end OF the route winds It's way for thirty
eight miles up and down and along the
! sides Of the cliffs. IL cost s4O0 600, and the
| total expense of the entire route vas
enormous The mining company got a
concession of something like 100000 acres
OF lana for building the road, and has
! been exploiting this for rubber.
Machinery from United states.
The Inca Mining company has imported
( from the United States and carried over
this route stamps and mills and also a
reduction plant to take care OF 100 tons OF
ore daily Among It's other machinery IS
a steamer, made in Chicago, that was
| brought down to the coast OF the Pacific
and carried over the mountains In pieces,
700 mules being required for the trlns-
port.
Entirely separate ana apart from this
Inca company is the Incaroo Mining
rCv1rruy Tho former rpfDa ia in per,I.