278 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS: GEOGRAPHY. 



Gold Mining. — For more than forty years gold has been known to 

 exist in the beach sands at Cape Virgin and at various places along the 

 shores of Tierra del Fuego and the adjoining islands, while the river 

 gravels in the Rio de las Minas at Sandy Point were worked for gold so 

 long ago as the early sixties and late seventies of the last century. It 

 was not, however, until 1884 that anything like extensive mining opera- 

 tions were undertaken in this region. Commencing with that year, these 

 gold fields began to attract more general attention and there was a con- 

 siderable influx of miners, chiefly from Austria, with a few also from 

 Canada, the United States, England, Germany, France, Spain and Por- 

 tugal. The result of this was the discovery of somewhat important de- 

 posits of gold at Cape Virgin, San Sebastian Bay, Sloggett Harbor, Len- 

 nox Island, Sandy Point and elsewhere. These gold fields were worked 

 with the usual energy and with much success for about ten years, when 

 the supply of gold became practically exhausted and the further prosecu- 

 tion of the work was gradually suspended, as it became more and more 

 unremunerative. As in other mining regions, there still remain a few 

 hopefuls from the original pioneers, who confidently await the discovery 

 of some new field with even greater riches than those of the past. How- 

 ever this may be, gold mining in this region has for the past ten years 

 declined very rapidly and to-day it is an industry of relatively very little 

 importance. 



Lmnbering. — The slopes of the lower Andes are very heavily wooded, 

 both on the mainland and on the more important islands. Already there 

 are a number of sawmills at Sandy Point, on Dawson Island and at 

 Lapataia, Ushuaia, and other points in Tierra del Fuego. These mills 

 are all, without exception, equipped with antiquated machinery and oper- 

 ated by incompetent men. It is needless to say that under such conditions, 

 the lumber turned out is of a uniformly inferior quality. Notwithstand- 

 ing this, however, there is a ready sale for all the lumber that the present 

 capacity of the mills is able to furnish and at ridiculously high prices. 

 The forests, principally beech, are doubtless not of the character best adapted 

 for the manufacture of lumber of a high grade and superior quality. 

 Nevertheless, with modern machinery and skilled workmen, the quality 

 and quantity of the output could be very materially increased. 



Wool Growing. — This at present is the chief industry of this region, 

 and for at least a long time in the future it is destined to remain such. 



