The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-04-02
HIGHEST MINING CAMP
CERRO De PAsCO, PERU
AMERICAN COMPANY OPERATING
ON TOP OF ANDES OVER
$4,000 FEET HIGH.
Extract from letter Of Frank G. Car
penter).

penter).
want to give you some pictures of
Cerro de Pasco, the highest mining
town of the world. 1t is situated here
in the tops of the Andes on the very
roof of South America, at an altitude
Of 142OO feet above the sea. There
are snow capped mountains about 1t,
and the town lies in a valley which
runs north and south between two
mighty ranges. The mountains are
filed with minerals. There are cop
per and silver and vanadium within
a few miles, and right under the city
are great beds of ore which is almost
pure copper, but with slight mix
ture of silver and gold.
This great plateau. which runs
north and south through Peru. con-
tains a large part Of the population Of
the republic. 1t is divided up into
enormous haciendas and other lands
upon which are squatters who have
great herds of cattle and sheep. They
also raise some barley and in the deep
valleys that sink down into the pa-
teau are regions growing all kinds OF
temperate and tropical fruits We are
here Just about as far south OF, the
equator as Panama is north OF 1t, put
at this altitude of almost three miles
in the air, the climate is more like
Canada than that Of Jamaica. There
are frequent snowstorms in the VIM
ter and at night the thermometer then
goes down almost to zero. In the
summer it rains in the afternoon. but
the mornings are clear and for about
six months in the year the sun shines
all day through
Excavations Under the City.
Taking ponies in company with j.
T. Glidden, the assistant superintend-
ent Of the Ceror de Pasco mines.
rode through the city, visiting the out
skirts and some Of the native mines.
Cerro de Pasco is situated great
shell of rock from beneath which sew
eral hundred millions Of dollars worth
of silver and vast fortunes in copper
have been taken and from where they
are taking millions more now. Inc
streets and back yards are honey
comhed with mine holes, many OF
which belong to the natives. The
Americans have bought what they
could but some Of the miners would
not sell. They keep on burrowine
away, taking out the ore by the Old
fashioned methods and carrying 1t tc
the surface in rawhide sacks, laced
together with thongs There are mines
Of this kind in the midst Of the houses
with people living so close that
baby crawling out of doors might fal
into a mine and stay there until one
of the Indians brought up load. Here
and there are the remains OF INT
great mines of the past. There have
been frequent caveins, and If th'
buildings had anything like thu
weight of our houses, it is probapl'
that the whole town would drop dow
into the mining excavations below
American Money Basis Of Prosperity
Today the prosperity Of Cerro d
Pasco. and indeed of this mining re
gion, is dependent upon American
capita) The Americans have alread,
maid out millions and they are nov
spending thousands of dollars montl
for wages and native supplies. Inc
are EMPLOYING 5000 or 10000 people
and the money they spend goes frof
here out to the villages of the mig
Andes and down into the Chauch
Mayo valley, as we'll as to Oroyo Whic
is situated rs miles from here at IN
other end Of the Cerro de Pasco roa'
The freight supplied by these mine
Is the chief support of the Cen'rs
railway, which comes over the noun
tains TO Oroyo; and in fact the m'ne
have added largely to the prosperlt
Of all Peru Much of the millions
the original purchase went to Liml
and the present outlay affects man
people.
The American company pays high
or wages than any other institution
the republic, and it works its men 0
shorter time. At present the Workln
dav is eight hours; and the ordinai
wage for natives Is about IS cents pr
day 1t ranges from that up to w
nor month. which is the amount pa
to some Of the Peruvian foremen.
In addition the company is builolf
homes for it's native employees 1t NJ
two classes of houses, one of ado'
and another of, brick. The rent is
r,minal one Of 80 cents per mont
This is charged in order to keep no
of the property, for if it We're furnisl
ed rent free the native would think
owned It and would sue the compai
on the slightest pretext.
A cosmopoitan Population.
The foreign colony here is quite
interesting as that of the native. He
at a distance of more than 5000 NIL
south OF the United States. almo
three miles above the sea, is an Ar
erican industrial center. l call
American. for 1t is run by Amerlc'
money; but in fact the foreign er
rloyes come from ain over the wor
We have Australians, Germans, Au
TRANS. Irish and Danes. We ma
Graduates of the Boston Tech, Of NJ