St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1919-08-09

motor boat" said Mr.. Ham at the st.
Charles Hotel Sunday afternoon.
From Cristobal, C. o., we started on
the voyage to Colombia in the cruiser
towing the smaller boat. We sailed
through the Caribbean sea 265 miles
to the Gulf Of Darien, and then up
the Atrator river in Colombia some 80
miles to atown called Quibido, which
we made u headquarters.
The Choco District, which lies be-
tween the Andes and the Coast range,
is the biggest platinum field in South
American an at present, since the
closing of the Russian mines, it is the
largest producing field in the World.
There is also the greatest amour of
placer gold there to be found on the
continent. But in spite of its min
eral richness, few Americans aver go
there on account of the danger of con
tracing fever, and because it is al
most inaccessible.
There are twenty-four mouths to
the Atrato river and in the dry sea-
son they are only two feet deep. We
left in the wet season and found our
exit through n of the mouths which
was six feet deep. The captain of a
steamer told us he had been caught
in n of the mouths of the river for
three months before it was possible
for him to float his vessel on into the
stream. On account of this difficulty
of access, the country is little known
to foreigner.
ITO give you an idea of the mineral
wealth of the country, l will mention
that we saw one boat which in two
weeks time had picked up $105, 900
WORTH of gold and platinum. The big.
gest gold buyer Is an Arabian named
Felix Meluk. He has n pair of
scales on which, since 1894, he has
weighed more than ten tons of gold
and three quarters of a ton of platinum
All this gold in the district is washed
by hand by native women mostly, ex-
cept for n small dredge on the Con-
doto river.
Mr.. Ham had with him a native
wooden gold-pan, a "batea," such az
is used In washing all of the gold of
the district, and a collection of gold
ornaments found in the graves of the
Indians. One gold nose-ring is so
heavy one Immediately feels his sym
going out to it's former wearer
Notwithstanding it's value. In the col
are several solid gold fish
hooks, formerly in common use.
But perhaps the most interesting
souvenirs Mr.. Ham brought with him
are a number of silver coins which
circulate in the Choco district, where
the natives value a coin according to
It's size only. Another popularity lies
in the fact that coins which come from
various parts of the world and which
are completely of circulation else
are in ommon use there. Most
Of the foreign silver money is of
French and Spaniard origin. The old
Spanish pieces of eight, so commonly
mentioned in pirate stories, abound.
Mr.. Ham had one with him dated
He also showed an old French
Napoleon of 1906 which, because of its
size. is valued at the same
rate, although it is really worth al
nest three times as much in silver.
The oldest piece in the collection is
4 Spaniard coin of 1924, which still
circulates in the Choco district. None
If this money has any value in other
of Colombia, however. Another
interesting coin is the first piece made
the country. This consists of sew
eral silver nuggets pounded together
and impressed with an iron stamp.
.he date on Mr.. Hams sample was
1880. According to Mr.. Ham, the sill
yer pieces Of nearly every country in