1 8 Oeoarapbical motes on 



smelters in the United States, very much at the same cost. La 

 Liona mine of this district is a very rich mine, its vein being almost 

 vertical, and is tapped from both sides of the mountain, with tunnels 

 at right angles to the vein. Where the tunnels intersect the vein, the 

 vein is driven on in both directions from the tunnels ; stopes are 

 opened, and chute's for ore are put in every seventy-five feet. The 

 vertical distance between the tunnels is 125 metres. This mine can 

 easily produce one thousand tons per month of clean galena, and 

 would produce that much metal if there was a market for it. 



There are other mines as large and perhaps better than La Liona, as, 

 for instance, La Madrugada mine, formerly owned by Santa F Railroad 

 employees, but now controlled by Mr. Charles Miller, of Franklin, Pa., 

 connected with the Standard Oil Company. Topia is a great dry-ore 

 camp as well. One thousand tons of dry ores can easily be mined 

 there per month, were there a market for them, such as a commercial 

 smelter located centrally to treat the ores of this and adjoining districts. 

 Such smelter would have the advantage of an inexhaustible supply of 

 good water the year round, fine iron ore, and limestone for fluxes. 



At Topia there are four mills for the treatment of zincy ores, and 

 dry ores assaying below one hundred ounces silver per ton. The 

 lixiviation process by hyposulphite of soda is employed in the four 

 mills or haciendas, two of them employ occasionally the patio process 

 as well. Two of the mills and two mines are lighted by electricity ; 

 the dynamo that furnishes light for one of the mills' and both of the 

 mines is driven by water power. Below the mills operated by water 

 power, there is sufficient fall and sufficient water to furnish the power 

 to operate compressed-air drills in all the large mines. 



The other mining camps of this district, although not so well devel- 

 oped as Topia, are also in process of development and in a very good 

 condition. Velardena is also in the State of Durango, but on the other 

 or eastern side of the mountains, and is located in a comparatively new 

 district, where the previous owners had failed. Mr. James F. Mathews 

 purchased the Velardena property, erected a smelter after the Interna- 

 tional Railroad Company had extended their main line from Torreon 

 to the city of Durango, passing near the mine, and from the beginning 

 has run five of the six furnaces almost continuously. During 1896 the 

 Velardena smelter smelted on an average 175 tons of ore per day. 



Li Hung Chang and the Mexican Silver Mines. When Li Hung 

 Chang, the Chinese Viceroy, was in Washington, in August, 1896, he 

 inquired of me about the production of the Mexican mines, and I, trying 

 to be conservative, informed him that they produced about $50,000,- 

 ooo a year. He then inquired how long they would continue yielding 

 that amount. I answered that it was uncertain, but that, judging from 

 present appearances, it could safely be said that it might be for one 



