COLOMBIA. 



177 



a visit to-day to those localities affords proof 

 of the vast amount of labor that \vas ex- 

 pended to cut mountain -tunnels yet to be 

 seen, some of which are from 50 to 500 

 metres in length. These main tunnels, opened 

 in former days, measure about ten kilometres, 

 and when one remembers that the rock cut 

 through is granite and that the means of work- 

 ing were of a most primitive nature, it be- 

 comes evident that only rich returns would re- 

 pay the labor required to overcome such obsta- 

 cles. At Baya and Vetas thin quartz lodes 

 are found. Here the richest leads are situated 

 either horizontally or perpendicularly, a fact 

 with which the old miners were well ac- 

 quainted, as is proved by the manner in which 

 they followed the lodes. These Baya and 

 Yetas mine?, or " Pamplona " mines, were 

 abandoned after the declaration of independ- 

 ence, and although we know from periodical 

 inspection that they contain great wealth, they 

 are not worked any more than are the numer- 

 ous reefs that are everywhere observable, 

 which have never yet been touched by the 

 miner's pick. In this region there is the old 

 Santa Catalina mine, which was worked by an 

 English company up to 1850 and abandoned as 

 unprofitable simply because the process of 

 amalgamation was defective, and not from the 

 absence of good nietal. The company had also 

 at that time to contend against the decree 

 that was issued prohibiting the exportation 

 of the precious metals. At no great distance 

 from Baya and Yetas rich gold washings have 

 been formed by volcanic action and the wear 

 and tear of ages and climatic influences on the 

 sides of the mountains. Here the gold is found 

 in a detritus composed of quartz, gneiss, mica, 

 and iron : and from the beds of the Emata and 

 Giron, which wash through this formation, 

 gold has been found for centuries. In the Bu- 

 caramanga gold washings the precious metal is 

 found principally in scale and seldom as dust 

 or nuggets, and it is owing to miners not hav- 

 ing noted this fact that they have lost through 

 defective apparatus the gold that otherwise 

 would have well repaid them for their labors. 

 The gold-washing machinery of to-day would 

 save every grain that was then lost. Its 

 quality is the best known, showing only '02 of 

 silver to -98 pure gold. There are further- 

 more the Goajira and Rio Hacha alluvial de- 

 posits, the Tiqui quartz reefs, and the Force 

 Si mi, San Jorge, and Ure" sands. The reason 

 of the failure of the Siiiu company is clearly 

 explained by the tact that the apparatus was 

 inappropriate for working the kind of gold-ore 

 that is found there. In Antioquia the Porc 

 and Xeclin rivers may be mentioned as rich 

 in gold for a distance extending over twenty- 

 three leagues in length by fifteen leagues in 

 breadth, and here a cubic metre of earth has 

 produced one pound in weight of gold, while 

 at Dos Bocas on one occasion one pound in 

 weight of gold was obtained from only fifteen 

 pounds of sand. 



VOL. xxvni. 12 A 



The Panama Canal. Two important events 

 have occurred in the history of the Panama 

 Canal since the last annual meeting was held in 

 Paris on July 21, 1887 the change of the canal 

 from one at the sea-level to one with lock-, 

 and the issuing of a loan. M. Ferdinand de 

 Lesseps, president of the canal company, and 

 the board of managers during the latter part 

 of 1887 came to the conclusion that a total 

 change of system had become imperative, if 

 the canal was to be dug within a reasonable 

 time, thereby keeping the expense of accom- 

 plishing the work within certain limits. A 

 contract was consequently made on Dec. 10, 

 1887, with M. Gustave Eiffel, an engineer of 

 note, constructor of the gigantic tower for 

 the Paris Exhibition of 1889, who undertook 

 to construct such locks as the company would 

 approve, on his submission of plans, with their 

 working machinery, and to do such excavation 

 and like work as may be necessary for the 

 work of construction. It was expected that 

 ten locks would be required ; still the com- 

 pany reserved the right to postpone its decision 

 as to the number of locks till April, 1889, allow- 

 ing to M. Eiffel an extension of time for the 

 completion of the two upper locks if the decis- 

 ion thereupon be not announced by Jan. 1, 

 1889. M. Eiffel engages to finish all the work 

 stipulated for by June 30, 1890. His contract 

 does not include the control of the Chagres 

 river, nor any part of the canal work not im- 

 mediately connected with the building of the 

 locks and their operation when completed. 

 Allowances of 33,200,000 francs were made M. 

 Eiffel to enable him to get into a position to 

 build the first four locks, 6.000,000 frr.ncs. 

 however, being applicable to the second four. 

 An extraordinary meeting of shareholders was 

 held at Paris in March, and on this occasion 

 M. de Lesseps said: ''The direction of the 

 canal with locks does not differ from the direc- 

 'tion of the sea-level canal. This canal will 

 have, in all its length, in each lock the same 

 width and depth of water as the final canal. 

 The largest vessels those 150 metres long, 

 and having a draught of 8 metres will be able 

 to pass in 1890 from one ocean to another. 

 All our efforts are concentrated on the neces- 

 sity of opening the canal for universal naviga- 

 tion with the greatest rapidity by absolutely 

 sure means. After the inauguration, the yield 

 of the transit taxes alone being 125.21- 

 francs and all the expenses 103.926.260 francs, 

 there will be a margin in round numbers of 

 21. "00,000 francs to be distributed among 

 the shareholders after deducting the reserve 

 funds and the tenure to the Colombian Gov- 

 ernment." Over 1,000 shareholders were in 

 attendance at the meeting ; M. de Lesseps's re- 

 port was unanimously approved, together with 

 the resolution to make a loan of 340.0" 

 francs. The report estimated the amount req- 

 uisite for finishing the canal at 654.000.000 

 francs, 254,000.000 being necessary to pay for 

 excavation, 125,000,000 for locks and masonry. 



