The farmer and mechanic., 1914-08-25
One of these belongs to the Inca Min


ing Company Pennsylvania COM
bination. which altogether has taken
out about $7.000,0O0. and anotner Is
the Santo Domingo mine, tnat mas
produced half as much During my
stay in Arequipa I met Mr.. B. H Col /
Inns the manager of the Inca Com |
pany, and had a chat with him about |
his mines and the difficulties with |
which the company had TO contend
before they could make them proht- |
able. The mines are situated on the
Madre de Dios river. not very ~faE
from the headwaters or 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 pass higher
than the top of Pixies Peak, and then
up the branch line which leads from
Julliaca to Cuzco. At Tirapata the
miners leave the railroad and go
across the country by wagon road
and mule trail for a distance OF about
142 miles. The company had to build
the road themselves, and that across
a pass over 5000 feet high. The road
has sixteen bridges. and it goes
through gorges 900 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 It cost 100000 and the
total expense Of the whole route was
enormous. The mining company got
a concession Of something like a mill
lion acres of land for building the
road, and has been exploiting this for
rubber.
The Inca Mining Company has i'm
ported from the United States and
carried over this route stamps and
mills and also a reduction plant suf-
ficient to take care Of 100 tons OF
ore daily. Among It's other machin-
cry 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 be-
| ins required for the transport.
| Entirely separate and apart from
| this Inca Company is the Incaoro
| Mining Company. Thesfermer mine
| is in Peru; the latter in Bolivia. Both
are largely owned by Americans, and
the first entirely SO. The Incaoro has,
! believe, some Bolivian capital in
vested in it, but the most Of it's stock
is held in the United States. and one
| Of the chief owners and president OF
/ the company is Mr.. Horace G..
Knowles, who was formerly United
States minister to Bolivia. The vice
president and manager is David G..
| Bricker, we'll known American
| miner, who discovered the famous
Ola de Orc mine, and the treasurer
is Thomas w. Miller, the Secretary Of
State Of Delaware. Mr.. Knowles tells
| me that this mine promises to pay
beyond the hopes Of it's owners. He
showed me four gold bricks that had
| been turned out last month, and al
lowed me to photograph him with two
of the bricks in his hands. Each Of
the bricks weighs. I should judge.
about thirty pounds and is worth in
the neighborhood OF $4,000. Mr.
Knowles says the mine is rapidly de-
I I yo1 l. - 1t -
within a short while produce 100
pounds Of fine gold per month. It is
| equipped with an American plant
and has one of the most modern and
efficient mining installations of al
, South America.
In addition to his work for this
mine, Mr. Knowles mas organized q
company for the general development
of the mineral resources of this par
OF the Andes. He thinks that Bo
, livia is the great unopened treasure
vault OF the world, and rightly says
! it has never been prospected. The
company, Of which he is the presi
dent, is known as the Bolivian De
2 velOpment and Exploitation Company
and its capital stock is held botf
E here in Bolivia and in the United
! cludes President Ismael Montes ex
| President Villazon, the president O.
e the Bolivian senate, most Of tn,
members Of the cabinet as we'll a.
e several other leading statesmen ane
commercial men of this country. H,
: tells me that a great deal OF the stool
\ is held in the United States, it's in
e vestors being scattered from Bostor
f to Los Angeles. The plan OF thi
e company is to send out engineers ant
;, prospectOrS over this vast minera
: territory. and to Investigate wha
G <f
g tent engineers. headed by Prof
e Francis Church Lincoln of Boston,
: well known geologist and metallur
gist If the mines stand the test O
d this examination they are then to b
o submitted to the American stockhold
0 ers, who will purchase or sell then
e at such prices that the parent com
t. pany will get back about four time
j. what it puts in, and at the same tim
: retaN 25 per cent OF the stock of tn