White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-18

ward into Yueatan. here III eoioh
;z;no a new and unfamiliar land the
remembrance of their homes gradu-
ally faded until Quirigua along with
many other southern cities became
only a memory, a tradition. During
the centuries which followed It's
~ndonm a dense tropical vege-
tation had overgrown the city. reduc-
ing its temples and palaces to shape
less mounds of fallen son n
Jungle. toe, won its way into the dill
ferent courts, and these public
squares. once teeming with human
life. became the infinite host of the
tropical forest. In 1909 the United
Fruit Co. acquired a title to the site
for banana growing. Later a study
of the ruins was undertaken under
the direction of Edgar l.. Hewett.
The civilization of the Mayas may
have been reared upon one more an
cient, but the life of that culture, OF
which the ruins are now visible, last
ed no llOIt ludH oVO 1td1o- ht h0NC
OF. its extinction is unknown. But in
certain places such as Mayapan ana
Chirchen liza the highest forms OF
development are found. Discoveries
and investigations carried on during
the 18th century have thrown much
light on the splendid past OF Central
America. The great buildings II
like anything known In the old world
testify to the high culture attained
in pre-Columbian days, by several ma
tive peoples differing greatly from
n another in speech and culture.
As the work of excavation proceeded
and the under growth was cleared
ava through the arches of the palms
there suddenly appeared a group of
mounds %overgrown with masses OF
folia ge, and beyond these an avenue
of carved m~onobiths. From each
pillar stares a gloomy, sullen gigan-
tic face. On the sides of the stones
are columns of glyphs still undisci-
phered but nearly all plain, and when
the clue shall have been found. easi-
ly legible. At the close of each 1900
day Period. at Quiriga, one of these
monuments was erected. The heiro-
glyphics carved on the sides probably
record principle events of the cores
ponding period in each case. Several
of these pillars show a remarkably
cruel strength, which lessons with
each set. to a weak, purposeless. de-
generate type, loose-lipped, chinless
and imbecilic.
Central America includes the five
small republics-Guatemala, Hon
duras, Salvador. Nicaragua, and Cos
ia Riea. All these republics except
Salvador border both on the Carri-
bean sea and the Pacific ocean. With
great mineral these coun-
tries await further development. The
oordilleras, or mountain chains of
Central America do not form a COM
rlete link between the western
ranges in the north and south OF the
continent. for their continuity is in
terrupted by various depressions.
They do not as a rule rise in sharp
ridges of volcanic erests, like The
Andes. but are arranged in a sue
cession of masses with many lesser
chains projecting from them. The
principle SUBMITS have an altitude OF
IL 900 and in a few cases $4,000 feet.
The general character of the ranges
Is volcanic, many craters being still
active. Large tracts of land remain
ed im%perfectly surveyed at the begin
ming of the twentieth century owing
to the un~healthiness of the tropical
climate and the dense under growth
which prevented exploration. TIT
main line of water shed is every
where nearer to the Pacific than tbs
Atlantic. In consequence the rivers
of the Pacific seaboard are mostl.
short and swift while those OF the AT
lantic descend more gradually and b,
longer channels. There are also man.
1 mountain lakes of exceptional beauty
In 1905 the population OF Contra
n America numbered about 4.950.00O
| and In 1910 was but very little more
; The vast majority of the inhabitant
are of mixed Spanish and India
. blood, and most of these are unedt
Gated and many are even uncivilizet
However, the Indian element predon
mates everywhere except in Cost
Rica where the whites are exception
ally numerous. The density of popl
lation throughout Central Amerie
is little more than twenty-five pc
square mile. 1t Is clear that sewers
iIoroa apaoc nnw fbfpIv paop1ad ouf