The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-02-22
Mining al Potosi, Bolivia Worlds Rich
est Silver Mines--Work Under Old Laws

IMAM precipitation occurs, nluCn o
, which falls as snow, while the re
: mainder of the year is dry and cold
The annual precipitation, according t,
the project of Potosi, is about 2,
inches. The low temperature and ligh
rainfall are responsible for the tree.
less character of the region and the
visitor to the old mint marvels at tn,
\ efforts and expense that must have
been put forth to bring from the dis
tant eastern slopes of the mountains
the massive timbers used in the con
struction of this interesting and his
toric old building.
During the most flourishins days
the region was remote from main
lines of transportation and reached
only by long and difficult trips on mule
back from Buenos Aires or some OF
the distant Pacific ports Not unit
May Is, 1912, was it connected by rail
road, and even now there is little con
tact with the outside world. There is
but one passenger train each way a
week, coming from Rio Mulato on the
main line of the Antofagasta- La Pa2
line each Saturday and returning the
following Tuesday. The branch line
is los miles in length and reaches an
elevation of 1854 feet above sea level.
! The train does not attempt to break
any speed records, for it takes nine
4 n na triY
of II miles per hour. The railroad
has done much to revive the mining
industry of Potosi, however, as we'll as
of other districts along the route.
Primitive Mining Conducted for 372
Years.
The mining in Potosi is primitive
and is carried on with little system,
ewing to the unintelligent Cholo min
ers and also on account of the thous-
ands of tunnels, drifts slopes and
wines that honeycomb the mountain
1t is said that 5000 mines have been
worked on the mountain, operations
extending over 1872 years Therefore
one can readily appreciate why the
present companies are working in a
small way in numerous places, min
ing the tin ore which the Spaniards
entirely disregarded as we'll as the
punches of silver ore that were over
looked. 1t is an interesting experience
to go through the mountain, although
not altogether pleasant on account OF
the narrow, ancient connecting drifts.
Should one lose his way, he might
wander about for days through a
labyrinth of drifts before reaching the
surface.
All mining is done through tunnels,
side and run south, with numerous
crosscuts to the different veins. Drifts
and slopes are driven where the ore
values are sufficiently high Practic-
ally no timber Is used in the mines
and very little rock filing il done al
though some stone walls and arches
have been constructed. There are
numerous stairways connecting diff
carried in rawhide bags up and down
these passages to the cars, which are
trammed by hand.
In Potos the old Spanish mining
Bolivian mining districts, still per-
sists. Under this law any person on
the payment of small sum can OBJ
tain a permit to start tunnel into
appropriated. Through this tunnel the
work can be extended to any part of
the mountain as long as there is no
interference with the work of other
to the workings of another. work must
be stopped and a stone wall con-
structed. No company can obtain any
reserve ore body, and all ore belongs to
the first party to reach it. The law
was framed to aid the poor miner by
supposedly giving him an equal OPP
portunity with the large operator; but,
in it's present application, the largest
companies have practically monop-
oily and no new companies could hope
to get much ore.
Attempts We're made a few years
ago to drive a long tunnel near the
base of the mountain to cut the ore
bodies at lower level than they have
yet been worked The project was
abandoned, however when it became
apparent that one of the companies
then operating was preparing to sink
shaft and cut the first ore body in
front of the advancing tunnel. One
of the present companies operating in
the mountain is engaged in trying to
reach and cut certain ore bodies in
advance of the company now working
them. 1t can readily be seen that the
most powerful company with the
greatest network of tunnels and the
ability to drive drifts most rapidly
may eventually confine the other COM
panies to very restricted areas.
An operator owns all openings that
he makes and also the dumps on the
surface, and both of these are bought
and sold. Thus the purchaser of
mine does not buy a pound of ore In
,looo 1,,t on1u Tho onapi,, IN tho