OUR NEIGHBOR, MEXICO 



499 



A MOUNTAIN OF ORE 



Iron ores are found in large quantity 

 in many portions of the Republic, some 

 deposits being of phenomenal propor- 

 tions, as the Cerro de Mercado, just 

 without the city of Durango, concerning 

 which much that has been written as to 

 it being a meteorite or a mass of metal 

 must be qualified. 



My initial visit to Mexico in 1882 was 

 to examine and report upon this "moun- 

 tain of iron ore," for such it is, and 

 subsequent familiarity with the impor- 

 tant producers of this mineral elsewhere 

 give no reason to change the statement 

 then made that "the Cerro de Mercado is 

 the largest deposit of ore exposed above 

 ground of which I have knowledge." 

 The mineral is of non-Bessemer grade, 

 approximating an average yield of 60 

 per cent of metallic content, and is em- 

 ployed in making iron as well as for flux 

 in silver smelters. 



Notwithstanding the abundance of ex- 

 cellent ores from which to produce iron, 

 this metal may rank in cost close to 

 others upon which we place higher 

 values ; and a feature of market days 

 throughout much of the Republic is the 

 iron merchant, who has spread on the 

 pavement a heterogeneous display of old 

 spikes, nails, keys, locks, and odd pieces 

 of iron ; for the average daily wage rate 

 of the peon, equivalent to from 25 to 40 

 cents gold, will equal the cost of only a 

 few pounds of scrap iron. 



The domestic production of iron and 

 steel, which falls far short of Mexico's 

 requirement, is supplemented by liberal 

 importations from the United States and 

 Europe (the annual imports, exclusive 

 of machinery, averaging 10 million dol- 

 lars), but the processes used in Mexico 

 cover the range from the crude Catalan 

 forge to the modern blast furnace and 

 steel works. 



In the mountains of Oaxaca and ad- 

 jacent States "ferrerias" produce from 

 25 to 50 tons of "platina" each per an- 

 num, by treating iron ore in an open 

 charcoal fire, supplied with blast by a 

 "trompe," the resulting "blooms" being 

 wrought under helve hammers operated 



by water wheels. The fuel and ore are 

 brought to and the metals taken from 

 these ferrerias on the backs of men or 

 animals. Other plants produce charcoal 

 pig iron in cold or warm blast furnaces, 

 and supply superior merchant bar from 

 rolling mills whose puddling and heating 

 furnaces are wood-fired, or make excel- 

 lent castings in foundries. Others con- 

 vert pig iron and scrap iron into steel in 

 open-hearth furnaces, or melt scrap in 

 gas- or oil-fired furnaces, and fabricate 

 the product into various forms. 



At Monterey a modern plant costing 

 5 million dollars has a blast furnace fed 

 with coke, Bessemer converter, open- 

 hearth steel furnaces, and rolling mills, 

 manufacturing structural and merchant 

 steel and rails, etc., amounting to 60,000 

 tons per year. Eighty-pound steel rails, 

 made in the Monterey plant, are being 

 laid on some Mexican railroads — an im- 

 portant step toward industrial independ- 

 ence. 



THE MEXICAN PEON 



Opportunity to observe the Mexican 

 peons in cities and in various portions of 

 the Republic, some remote from estab- 

 lished avenues of travel, encourages 

 favorable opinion of their ability and 

 expectation of material advancement as 

 education becomes general and ambition 

 is encouraged. 



Most writers apply phrases such as 

 "dirty," "lazy," "thieving," to the peon. 

 As a class the peon does not conform to 

 our appreciation of cleanliness, although 

 at every water-course they are observed 

 making individual ablutions or launder- 

 ing, and the methods of preparing and 

 disposing of food fall short of our ac- 

 cepted standard. It is, however, possible 

 that if we investigated the slums of our 

 cities as tourists visit those of Mexican 

 municipalities, there would be found 

 many practices as offensive. 



A lazy man does not travel at a trot, 

 nor assume heavy burdens, nor does he 

 utilize the time when driving a pack-train 

 to add to his little store by braiding a 

 mat or other article from palmetto or 

 aguave leaves. 



