The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-11
Romance of the Lost Mines of Mexico
Vast I reasure Houses
Hidden for Centur-
les Still Lure Many
to M axe Frantic
Searches

+ legends and well authenticated stories
L are to be believed there are more lost
mines of vast richness in Mexico than In
any other country in the world. Condi-
tions since the earlier history of that
country have contributed to efface the
location of mines as well as of buried
Treasure.
Tradition locates most of the lost mines
or mirds topadas-in northern Chihua-
hua and Sonora. IN the Sierra Madre.
This area was until twenty-five years ago
subject to periodical raids from Apaches,
and miners were often forced TO fy for
their lives to the interior, and shafts and
tunnels were concealed and frequently all
surface improvements DESTROYED by the
miners themselves to prevent discovery
until they could safely return That many
never returned and that many mines are
still tdpcdd no one acquainted with the
history of mining in Mexico can doubt.
In many instances the trails leading to old
mines have been totally destroyed during
the rainy seasons, when the face of ma
ture is sometimes altered beyond recognl-
tion by storms
Closely Woven With Fiction.
AT any peon jacai one hears stories of
lost mines intellectually rich in gold ore or
bullion, and fiction is so interviewer witt.
fact that the most logical mind finds it
difficult to tell where one leaves off and
the other begins. Ii is no e1aggeration to
say that millions of dollars have been
spent i'll pumping out old shafts and re-
moving debris from ancient tunnels. many
of which, no doubt, were Abandoned by
the Spaniards themselves as worthless
A few old mines have proved rich. a
few more of sufficient value to work at a
fair profit, but 90 per cent. of them arc
said to b. worthless under present eondi-
tons, and none of them contained buried
treasure In bullion, though considering
the remoteness of the mines and the fact
that shipments OF bullion were made to the
ports only once or twice year it may
well be that much metal was left buried
when hegira took place before the fero-
cious Apaches.
The Spaniards obtained vast amounts
of silver in Mexico, but little gold outside
the ancient temples. The patient Indians,
content to work for few centavos day,
never disclosed the location of the sup
posed rich placers from which they OBJ
tanned the gold that adorned the temples
or the few grains they traded for food
and clothing Brides and tortures were
equally unavaiing to disclose the source
Of the coveted metal except where it was
found in small quantities. The Indians
insisted that the gold images were the
accumulation of ages, and time has proved
this true, for no large gold nuggets nor
any rich placers, compared with Cali
fornia, South Africa, Australia or the
Klondike, have ever been found in
Mexico.
Beautiful Gold Nuggets Found.
The largest gold nugget was found IN
Guerrero about twenty years ago by an
Indian who sold it for $500, about half
its value. A beautiful nugget was found
in Sonora that so strikingly resembied
the sacred picture of "Our Lady of
Guadalupe as to inspire great awe
among the Pima and Yaqui Indians. An
other, smaller but equally beautiful, re-
sembles tiny cluster of grapes so per
fectly that one can scarcely believe thai
nature was the sole artIficer.
Some of the most beautiful wire silver
in the world comes from the famous Bato-
pilas mines which were worked by the
early Spaniards and recently rehabili-
tated by the noted BOSS" Shepherd, once
II ~ A.