3 i8 



The National Geographic Magazine 



Both the production and the exporta- 

 tion of gold in Peru are on the increase. 

 Sir Martin Conway, the explorer, an- 

 nounces that placers have been dis- 

 covered, or, rather, rediscovered, in 

 Peru, the sands of which are so rich in 

 gold that they will in the future seri- 

 ouslj' compete with the gold fields of 

 the Transvaal, Alaska, and Australia. 

 In the province of Sandia alone 290 im- 

 portant deposits have been discovered, 

 and there are at least as many more in 

 the province of Carabaya. This region 

 of the Andes is the richest in gold of 

 the whole world. 



The department of Junin, from its 

 central position, its cereal resources, its 

 iron roads, and its navigable waters, 

 which flow toward the Atlantic, is 

 surety destined to be the scene of great 

 development in the early future. We 

 do not exaggerate when we state that 

 its chief town and its silver mines of in- 

 calculable richness will suffice to attract 

 the attention of the entire world, as 

 formerly did Potosi, California, and 

 Australia. 



It is calculated that this mineral dis- 

 trict produced between 1784 and 1889 

 about ten milliard francs of silver 

 ($200,000,000). Today (1890) only 

 the tailings abandoned by the old miners 

 are being worked, but these produce an 

 annual amount of 34,000 kilos (68,960 

 pounds avoir.) of silver. 



This mining district, which for nearly 

 three centuries has been exploited for 

 its richness in silver ores, is to be in the 

 near future one of the principal copper- 

 producing centers in the world. The 

 Haggin-Vanderbilt syndicate, organ- 

 ized by several New York millionaires, 

 purchased in igoi about two-thirds of 

 the mining claims in the district and 

 has built a railroad of about 100 miles 

 that connects the Oroya terminal with 

 the mines. The total investment up to 

 the present is estimated at $10,000,000. 

 A smelting plant is being built for the 

 syndicate, that will have a working 



capacity of 1,000 tons a day. The en- 

 gineers in charge roughly estimate a 

 yearly output of 50,000 tons, represent- 

 ing $12,000,000. The plant, to. be 

 worked by electricity generated by 

 water power, is expected to be com- 

 pleted before 1906. 



At Yauli, which lies to the south of 

 Cerro de Pasco, 225 silver mines are in 

 operation ; in the province of Hauro- 

 chiri, 117 ; in Huancavelica and Castro- 

 virreyna, 54 ; in Caylloma, 24, and at 

 Puno over 50. 



Mr E. C. Lane, C. E., writes: "Sil- 

 ver is found almost everywhere in the 

 Cordillera and in various combinations 

 with different metals. ' ' 



The chief districts in which copper is 

 found are Pisco, lea, Lomas, Chimbote, 

 Cerro de Pasco, Yauli, Cajamarca, 

 Huancayo, Andahuaylas, Cuzco, and 

 Moqeugua. 



Iron is found in various parts of 

 Peru. The best known are the Tambo 

 Grande mines (Department of Piura). 



Coal is found in many parts of Peru, 

 both in the Sierra and on the coast, be- 

 ing used in considerable quantities in 

 the smelting plants. It is not exported 

 because of lack of transportation facili- 

 ties. 



Petroleum is obtained exclusively, so 

 far, in the Province of Tumbes and in 

 the Department of Piura. There are 

 two companies working these mines, 

 viz., the London and Pacific Petroleum 

 Company and the Establicimiento In- 

 dustrial de Zorritos. 



The total output of these companies 

 is worth $350,000 per annum. Some 

 of the wells at Tumbes have been sunk 

 to a depth of 900 feet. The kerosene 

 is consumed in Peru, and a considerable 

 quantity of crude oil is used as fuel by 

 factories, trades, and other industrial 

 undertakings. Petroleum is also found 

 in the Department of Puna, close to 

 Lake Titicaca. Another valuable sub- 

 stance extremely abundant is sulphur, 

 which is found in many provinces in 



