102 



DRAINAGE OF THE MINES. 



A few years ago it was determined to try steam again, for the pur- 

 pose of carrying on the mining below the great drain, and the gremio 

 contracted with Mr. Jump to undertake it. He bound himself to put up 

 four sets of engines, to work those engines for a year at his own expense, 

 and then turn them over to the gremio; the gremio, on the other hand, 

 binding itself to sink the shafts and to pay weekly twelve and a half 

 cents on every mark of silver produced by the mines for a certain length 

 of time, then twenty-five, and then fifty cents, till six hundred thousand 

 dollars were paid. 



The work is carried on with unexampled despatch on the part of Mr. 

 Jump, so that now two sets of engines are at work, a third is going up, 

 and the fourth has arrived from England, though the shaft is not yet 

 ready for it. But there are two parties in the gremio, representing 

 distinct interests. One party, of which General Bermudez (at the time 

 of making the contract prefect of the department and ex-officio president 

 of the gremio) is the leader, represents the speculative men, who look 

 for " boyas," and think that great and sudden riches are to be had by 

 draining the mines below the socabon. The other party (and the 

 majority) represents the men who, content with moderate and certain 

 gain, work the cascajos which are generally above the drain, and there- 

 fore need no machinery. These men were probably borne down by 

 the influence of Bermudez during his prefecture, and a majority was 

 obtained for the contract; but since his retirement they rise up and say, 

 " It is a hard case that we should contribute to pay for machines that 

 do us no good ;" and they seek for means to avoid this. They find it in 

 the wording of the contract; and although they see that the machines 

 are doing, and more than doing, the work required, they take advantage 

 of the wording, and raise the question now under consideration. The 

 words of the contract are, that "he, the contractor, shall bind himself to 

 put up four sets of engines, each set to consist of two engines of fifteen- 

 horse power each, and to drive three pumps ; each engine to be entirely 

 independent of the other in such a manner that, if an accident happen 

 to one engine, the other shall be able to drive two pumps." 



I thought, from examination of the engines, that a case might occur 

 whereby the wording of the contract would fail to be fulfilled; but it 

 seemed to me that this arose from the nature of the contract, and was 

 not at all chargeable on Mr. Jump ; for it appears to me that, for two 

 engines to drive three pumps, and in such a manner that if one breaks 

 the other may drive two, it is necessary to have a connexion between 

 those engines, which connexion breaking, although either engine may 

 be intact and able to drive its own pump, (thus keeping two pumps 



