COPPER, SILVER, AND GOLD IN LATIN AMERICA.

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In compliance with the request of the United States Geological Survey, a Department instruction was sent to consular officers. in Latin America, requesting reports on mining in their districts. The answers received are given below.

ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

Soon after the receipt of the Department circular, I prepared and forwarded a letter to the governor of each of the provinces in my district in which minerals exist, viz, Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman, Santiago del Estero, and Catamarca. I have had responses from but two of these-Santiago and Catamarca. The former frankly admits the lack of statistics on which he could base any report as to the mines of his province. From Catamarca, however, I had a prompt and quite full report.

There are located in the different districts of the Province of Catamarca 43 mines or groups of mines, yielding the following:

Each of these is owned and worked by private parties under governmental supervision, but they do not pay the owners, who simply work them to keep alive the concession under which they are held, in the hope that some day means may be found of transporting the product to a market at a less cost than is now possible with the primitive and expensive methods available.

Besides these smaller mines, there is a series of mines in the district of Andalgalá, formerly the property of Lafone & Quevedo, which,

ADVANCE SHEETS have been sent to the Director.

having been thoroughly examined by the agents of a syndicate of English capitalists, have been purchased, and the managers are proceeding systematically, by modern processes and with capital, to their development. The name of the company is the Capillitis Copper Company, Limited. In the mines they have secured there seems to be an unlimited supply of copper, with by-products, such as lead, silver, and, possibly, some gold.

From a recent report of Prof. H. D. Hoskold, director-general of the department of mines and geology of this Government, I learn that in this district are found the following:

Consul D. Mayer, of Buenos Ayres, reports that there are no mines of the metals mentioned in his consular district.

BRAZIL.

BAHIA.

Gold occurs in various places throughout this district. It is found chiefly as alluvial gold along rivers, but occurs sometimes in quartz.

At present no gold mines are being worked. There have been two companies organized to mine for gold-the Southern Gold Trust,

Limited, with head offices in London, and Companhia Minas da Jacobina, a local enterprise. The property of the first mentioned is located in the interior of the State of Bahia, about 25 miles west of the village of Rio de Contas, which is five days' journey by horse from Bandeira de Mello. The last-mentioned place is the western terminus of the Bahia Central Railroad, two days' journey from Bahia City.

According to the report of the engineer who was sent out to investigate this property, the geological formation is granitic, intersected by numerous small quartz stringers of irregular trend and short length. Through this runs a broad belt of mica and chloritic schist, tilted up on edge, dipping perpendicularly. In some places, the schist crops out, standing in huge sharp-edged slabs; in other localities it is even with the surface, while in still other sections it entirely disappears.

At this mine, the gold is found either as alluvial or in reefs. In the former, the mineral occurs either mixed with ocher-colored sand, silicious iron scinter and sand, or in gravel mixed with sand, all of which formations are said to contain the metal in paying quantities. In the reefs, the vein is chloritic schist and talc schist interbanded with quartz. The gold is principally in the former, which is quite. soft and can readily be sluiced or panned. There is no pyrite in connection with this formation.

The mine has been idle for more than a year, and it is impossible to find out what was the output when it was running, or when it will again be in operation.

The property of the Companhia Minas da Jacobina is located about 280 miles north of Bahia City, 24 miles from the Bahia and San Francisco Railroad. The gold occurs in quartz, and is extracted from the crushed rock by the cyanide process. This mine has not been working for some time. The latest available report of the company, for the year 1895, showed that from 4,792 tons of mineral there were obtained 28,077 grams of gold.

Copper is said to occur in paying quantities in various parts of this district. There has never been a mine worked, but I understand that the Bahia Exploration Company-an English concern which has recently acquired a large area of copper-bearing landintends shortly to commence active mining and smelting operations.

The copper is found as an impregnation of hornblende (altered granite) with carbonate of copper. Samples taken are said to contain from 2 to 40 per cent of copper, the average being about 4 per

cent.

The location of the mine is about 50 miles west of the station of Jaguarary, which is on the main line of the Bahia and San Francisco

Railroad. At present the company is busy making experimental borings, and it will doubtless be some time before copper from this mine will be ready for the market.

I can not find that there are any silver mines in this section of the country.

BAHIA, August 21, 1902.

H. W. FURNISS,

Consul.

PARA.

I inclose two reports from skilled miners who have spent years in this district exploring and prospecting, and are qualified to speak. authoritatively on the subject.

It will be seen in the accompanying statements that while nothing but alluvial mining has been carried on here, there are large areas of quartz-bearing country which only await a combination of capital. and energy to be remunerative.

There are many drawbacks to successful mining, such as climate, expense, difficulty of securing supplies and providing shelter, lack of competent labor, dangerous natives, etc.; but it may be doubted if these obstacles are any greater than are always met with in tropical countries.

The names of the mines are Alegre, Annel, and Serra de Piracaba. The Alegre and Annel mines are located between the Gurupy and Piria rivers, in the State of Para. The Serra de Piracaba is on the Tury-Assu River, in the State of Maranhão. The workings are all surface, or alluvial. None is now being operated. The ore is sulphide and oxide, and the rock ironstone, quartz, and sandstone., K. K. KENNEDAY,

PARA, July 19, 1902.

Consul.

REPORT BY RUDOLF SEYLER.

Few mines exist in this region of Brazil (Pára and the Amazon Valley) except alluvial workings deposited from some hitherto undiscovered source. These are undoubtedly very rich in some localities-in fact, enormously so-as in the districts of Amapa, Carsevenne, and Cassepore (formerly contested territory between French Guiana and Brazil). A French company obtained a concession in this district to open the workings and build a narrow-gauge railroad to the mines, but has recently been compelled to suspend work on account of financial difficulties.

All the country along the boundary between French Guiana and Brazil (in the Tumac Humac Mountain Range) is rich in alluvial gold deposits, but is very difficult of access. The rivers, which are the only roads to this region, are blocked by a constant succession of rapids and heavy falls, making exploration very expensive and difficult. The climate also is perhaps the worst in South America, rendering it practically impossible for white men to exist there.

The country between the Rio Negro and Amazon is no doubt also very rich in gold-alluvial as well as vein deposits-but it is likewise inaccessible because of

the impassable condition of the rivers, not to mention the danger from savage and untamable tribes of Indians.

The best part of the country, in my opinion, is undoubtedly the Gurupy River district, and from there south through the State of Maranhão. In this district, quantities of gold have been produced from alluvial workings, and very large pure nuggets have recently been found. These workings were discovered many years ago by escaped slaves, and the work was recently resumed with highly satisfactory results. One English company worked for ten years and had a stamp mill and made money, but failed just as it put up an enlarged plant of new machinery, owing to the fact that the managers could not secure a renewal of their concession from the Government, as they worked with escaped slaves and the slave owners had sufficient influence to prevent a new concession being granted. The property thus came into private hands. An American prospector now has a contract with the holders of this property, which is said to be valid, and he will endeavor to interest American capital to develop the mines.

The Pirocana district, also in Maranhão, is rich in gold. It lies directly on the coast, is easy of access, and was worked for four years by a French company with good results. However, this company also failed, owing to bad management. It worked only alluvial ground, and nuggets of 900 grams were found, besides great masses of drift quartz, showing free gold in great abundance. Lately, the Government has granted a concession for these mines, and representatives of an American syndicate are investigating the district. The mines are easy of access, and the companies are prospecting large tracts of ground, extending over thousands of acres. Specimens have recently been sent to the United States by American prospectors, who, however, keep their discoveries to themselves.

A'large amount of gold of a very coarse nature is brought in small lots to San Luiz da Maranhão and sold there regularly.

The geological formation of the country is very peculiar. It consists of granite and limonite, magnetic iron, trap rock, etc. There is also a formation of ironstone (limonite mixed with sandstone, apparently fused by volcanic force). This peculiar rock has been designated by Spicks and Martins as quatersandstone" (vide Dr. Agassiz, "Brazil"). Lately, however, the geologist and mineralogist employed for the Government by the Museo Paraense-Dr. Katzer and Dr. Kratz, respectivelyhave proposed the use of the name Para sandstone" for this formation.

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For full information concerning the geological and mineralogical features of Brazil, I would advise those interested to procure the Dictionario Geographico das Minas do Brazil, par Francisco Ignacio Ferreira, Rio de Janeiro, Emprensa Nacional, 1885. This fine work contains all the facts about Brazil and its mines, arranged by States, together with a complete list of all the mines ever known (except those recently discovered in the State of Para), as well as all the alluvial deposits, and a list of the concessions granted by the Government. This work is invaluable to all who are interested in this subject. It is a credit to the Brazilian nation and a monument of diligent research.

As regards the ores found in this region, they are of both kinds-sulphates and oxides. The ore is mostly found in quartz veins, traversing the country rock. These ores must be very rich in the true veins, as drift quartz showing free gold in large quantities is often sold by the natives living in these districts, who find it in the creeks below the quartz outcrops and on the hillsides, showing clearly that they have traveled only a short distance.

American prospectors are now at work in the consular district of Para, and, once they can induce substantial investigators to examine their discoveries, no doubt many rich quartz reefs will be opened up and a large and immensely wealthy mining district will be developed. The first comers will take all the prizes.