Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-14
GOLD MINE Sailing
EXPOSED IN BOLIVIA
Americans Narrowly Escape
Being SwindIed Out of
Millions.
BY Radio to The Star.

| BY Radio to The Star.
LA PAZ. Bolivia. August 14ASeveral
American mining companies and other
American capitalists have narrowly
escaped being swindled out Of Snillions
OF dollars by, the discovery in BOLIVIA Of
one of the most daring and most elab-
crate gold mine Sailing" schemes Of
recent years.
For two years this plot has been
operating and several American mining
experts have been fooled" Had it re-
manned undiscovered another two weeks
the scheme would have been successful.
One large American company, which
had been deluded by sailed" samples
and had taken an option on a portion
of the property. is said to have agreed
to make a payment of several milliol
dollars September 1, which would have
brought in other investors.
Mining Claims Cover Large Area.
Little more than two years ago q
prominent Russian engineer and geolo-
gist moving in the best of society
circles of Buenos Aires, Argentina,
staked off mining claims along more
Bolivia. He then announced the dis
covery of rich placer deposits and
started to interest capitalists, princi-
pally American, because these are most
active in Bolivia just now.
Several Of the best known American
mining experts in La Paz and Oruro
went to the river and brought OUT
samples of sand. These samples in
variably showed a fabulous proportion
because the quantity of gold was too
rich, but every time they went luck
for other samples anywhere along the
river, there was invariably the same
proportion of gold.
Recently two hard-boiled Americans
who suspected sailing" sewed their
samples in leather bags which were
never out of sight of one of them day or
hight. When their samples were assayed
they showed no trace of gold. Investi-
CATION uncovered vast, elaborate or
ganization among Indian pack carriers,
mule drivers railway employees and any
one through whose hands the samples
must pass. Those in the organization
were furnished with small capsules of
fine gold and tiny tunnels by which
they introduced the gold dust into the
bags of sample sand
One American brought out one ton
Of sand as sample and found 3I3
grams of gold dust. This proportion
was found in all samples, small 3r large.
From 5 to 10 grams per ton is consid-
cred good gold discovery.
This organization worked so perfectly
that when the Indians were unable TO
salt" any particular bag Of samples
en- route to the railway, telegram to
certain railway employees insured that
the sack would have the same proper
ton Of gold as the others when assayed.
Thousands of Dollars in "Saltings."
Thousands of dollars worth Of gold
dust had been sailed into samples dur
ing two years. Gold found in the ton
sample already referred to cost 5000.
One assay Office in Oruro has $500
worth of gold dust taken from samples.
Investigation shows that the iRussian
engineer directing the plot bought out
Paz dealer two AIRS ago. This dealer
within the last fortnight has been of
fering huge prices for gold nuggets to
NIL an order from the same client. The
fact that the merchant told for whom
he was buying nuggets led to the belief
that he was ignorant of the use made
of the gold dust he sold.
Gold sailing plots usually fail, be-
cause the swindlers put in too much
gold. This plot undoubtedly would have
succeeded and the Russian would have
sold his rights along the river for sew
eral million dollars had ne used only
10 per cent as much gold dust In his
sailing operations.
Although some American capitalists
are reported to have advanced some
cash, these amounts are not large and
probably nothing, will be done about
in Bolivian territory and cannot be
prosecuted unless he is enticed here.
(Copyright, 1930.) ~