Year: 1873




to be glad enough to reach Qmbd0. Here they were
well received by Senior Don Matthias Baldric who
furnished them with comfortable quarters that
seemed quite luXurl0uS alter their recent eXpe-
riences


Quibdo, the capital OF the province OF the Atrato
is a town Or city of some two or three thousand
inhabitants, OF whom q considerable number are
OF Spanish descent but by far the greater portion
are negroes 1t Is quite prettiy situated on bluf
on the right bank OF the Atrato Just below its con-
fluence with the Cuta but It's cane houses, with
their clumsy, thatched roofs give it mean and
clean, but It is by no means free from the dis
agreeable smells common to all Spanish Ameri.
,,, can cities: The e Span spaniards OF the place are
show stock OF goods that is by no means small or
badly selected. They supply the region round
ceiving in payment the gold dust that is attained
from all OF the tributaries OF the Atrato that now
in from the eastward.


for this gold dust Is carried on in rude and lazy
way by all the inhabitants OF this region, and the
support In spite OF the unskIful means employed
the amount Of golG obtained Is far from insignin-
can't The greater part OF Il finds its way to Quibd6
where from TWO to three hundred thousand dollars
worth is frequently collected In the course OF
single year. Mining proper Is carried on only to
limited extent, and then only with machinery OF
the rudest possible nature. The greater part OF
the gold is obtained by washing the sands OF the
streams Immediately after the subsistence Of the
hoods OF the rainy season. Just after such a food
the gold washer repairs to some deep, quiet pool,
and, diving, with his shallow wooden bowl in his
uc ulls IL WIFI ule Sduu ITOu tne DOblOm.
He then returns to the surface and patiently
washes out what he has brought up, getting rid OF
the sand, little by little, and allowing the gold to
settle to the bottom. The results Of his venture
may vary rom two or three cents to a dollar, but
he seldom fails to obtain some reward for his
lasors In shallower water a similar operation Is
earned on by the women and children, who stand
all day In water up to ther knees. and wash the
sands OF the playas, considering fifteen or twenty
cents rich reward for days labor.


AMONG THE MOUNTAINS


where tnese streams rise there is rich field for
mining, in the proper sense OF the term, but ex-
pensive machinery Is needed and capital well as
labor required. The entire surface of this portion
OF the country Is overspread with the dry beds OF
streams that have now disappeared, and these
afford ample opportunities foLturning the present
streams into new channels and thus leaving the
richly Laden sands within easy reach. The results
Of such operations, judiciously conducted, could
hardly fall to be Of the most satisfactory nature
and there can be no doubt that, when the building
OF the canal shall have drawn capital and laborers
TO this litte-known region the Valley Of the Atrato
will annually contribute its millions to the worlds
wealth. Quibd6 itself is built upon an auriferous
stratum that yields q fair percentage, but Is now


ImmediateIy upon the arrival OF the party in the
cltz nc ysS ALslSip oS GQyeE9Qx q tne Q1str1ct,