Parts marked by dots = Diluvial.]
deposits of Spain were believed to be exhausted. But Pliny records that
in 207 B.C., when the second Punic war ended in the Roman conquest of
Spain, “the Asturias, Galicia and Lusitania furnished 2,000 lbs. weight
of gold (4,427 lbs. English weight) annually; but Asturias supplies the
most, nor in any other part of the world during so many ages has so
great a quantity been obtained.”
[Illustration: THE OLD GOLD WORKINGS, PARAMO.]
In the case of other alluvial properties, water was brought in by the
Ancients from great distances by canals; and at Páramo, in Léon, the
ancient water channels are now used as country roads. Many of these
water-races are so substantially constructed that they could be repaired
at a comparatively small cost. Where these indications of previous
workings are observed, gold has always been found; and in the summer,
when the river channels narrow under the influence of the sun, the banks
of the Ouria, the Navia, the Sil and their tributaries, and all the
considerable rivers of these North-west provinces, are panned by the
country people, who get a very good return on their labours. Yet the
fact remains that while the existence of gold in highly-paying
quantities has been definitely proved, no systematic exploitation of
this rich source of auriferous supply has yet been attempted. In New
Zealand, scores of locally-floated gold dredging companies are reaping
rich and regular returns on a comparatively trifling outlay; in New
South Wales and Victoria, gold dredging has been carried on for years
with most satisfactory results; and in California, alluvial mines worked
by hydraulic sluicing methods give handsome profits from alluvial
carrying only about four grains of gold per cubic metre. Even in
Australia, where the water has to be pumped, the cost of treating the
alluvial does not exceed 6d. per ton.
In Spain, the conditions are immensely more favourable to profitable
working, while the gold-bearing alluvial is very much richer than that
of Australasia or America. The concessions are held direct from the
Spanish Government in perpetuity at a nominal yearly rental. The most
important properties that have as yet been acquired in Spain are
situated in the provinces of Lugo, Orense and Léon; and the nature,
value and depths of the alluvial is practically common to all. The
Romans, with the primitive apparatus that was employed in those days,
could only wash the sands down to the water level; but below the water
level in the rivers is a vast stretch of the rich deposits which have
not yet been touched. Of the thirty-three groups of properties that have
been secured by English capitalists, four are in the province of Léon,
and have a total area of 541 English acres. Of these, the Crones (153½
acres), and the Retorno (129 acres), are situated on the river Sil; and
the Flórez (180 acres), and the Bostarga (79 acres), are both on the
left bank of the river Cabrera. The twelve concessions in the province
of Orense comprise the Baño (190 acres), the Disco (160 acres), the
Alameiro (158½ acres), the Otero (148½ acres), the Casayo (272½ acres),
the Carvalleda (50 acres), the Bacelos (176 acres), the Gateira (233
acres), the Charca (228 acres), the Pedela (67 acres), the Vuelpozo (233
acres), and the Mouchinos (114 acres). All the foregoing properties,
with a combined area of 2,031 acres, are situate on the rivers Sil and
Miño and their tributaries, while the seventeen concessions in the
province of Lugo, which have an aggregate acreage of 2,148 acres, are in
the same geographical district, and are also located on the river Sil,
the river Miño and their
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE SAINTE-BARBE SHAFT, HUELVA.]
tributaries. The Lugo groups include the Arenas (203 acres), the
Subieros (121 acres), the Peuadolo (54½ acres), the Coba (74 acres), the
Corrego (74 acres), the Lor (101½ acres), the Lodeiras (196 acres), the
Reineite (79 acres), the Rosio (69 acres), the Baicela (76½ acres), the
Libedo (101½ acres), the Pesquiera (111½ acres), the Alban (116½ acres),
the Lis (109 acres), the Blanca (282½ acres), the Lloris (188 acres),
and the Ramamo (190½ acres). The Páramo Alluvial Gold Mines, in the
province of Léon, on which gold-washing machines are now working, are
giving satisfactory returns. The Kingston Gold Mines in Léon, and the
Moraleja Gold-bearing Alluvial Mines in the neighbouring province of
Orense, are being exploited on a steady scale, with good results.
[Illustration: SAN DIONISIO SHAFT, RIO TINTO.]
The geological features of all the foregoing groups present an almost
remarkable uniformity. The gold-bearing alluvial deposits cover
practically the whole of the entire area of each concession, and the
depth of the alluvial varies from ten feet, which is the minimum depth
on any of the properties, to twenty-five feet. In cubicating the
alluvial ground available for treatment, one-half may be deducted
(although that is a very high proportion, and one not likely to be
attained), on account of the stones and boulders which may be present in
the earth and sand. The average of the assays made of the alluvial
deposits of all these concessions give a minimum of five dwts. of gold
per cubic yard; but if the return is estimated at only one and a-half
dwts., the facilities for economically working and handling the ore are
so favourable that the profits will be seen to be enormous. The cost of
working the deposits varies from 3½d. to 6d. per cubic yard. The working
of these alluvials is being done by machines, especially adapted for
the purpose, which are capable of treating twenty-five cubic yards of
earth, at a cost of 5s. per day; and give, roughly, a return of £6 per
day per machine. The number of these machines, which cost £25 each, and
can be erected on the spot at a small additional expenditure, can be
increased indefinitely.
When the alluvial is exhausted, by means of these machines, down to
water level, the beds of the rivers will have to be dredged. Up to the
present time these river deposits have not been touched, and they will,
of course, be found to be considerably richer in gold than the exposed
alluvials. By many mining men the result of the dredging operations are
looked to, to complete the revival in Spanish mining that has been so
long coming. It is impossible to contemplate the probable--one might
almost say the assured--return from this dredger mining without a
feeling of amazement that such a source of wealth should have lain so
long untapped. Want of capital in Spain, and want of confidence in the
Spaniards, have hitherto been the chief obstacles to her progress; and
the fact that the country has never become a fashionable mining venue
has also to be taken into consideration in reviewing the causes that
have contributed to its backward position. It is, however, evident to
those who have been much in the country in recent times, that the
long-delayed interest in its mineral resources has set in; and it is
with considerable confidence that one predicts an enormous revival in
the industry as soon as some of these alluvial gold-bearing districts
are systematically exploited, and regular returns are forthcoming. But
the gold quartz mines of Spain are still almost entirely neglected, as
they have been since the days of the Romans; and despite the fact that
there are numberless prospects containing reefs that yield from
half-an-ounce to 1½ ozs. of gold per ton, only two or three companies
are engaged in gold quartz mining in the Peninsula. The miner and the
investor have generally confined their attention to iron, copper, and
lead--metals that occur in huge deposits--and have disregarded the less
assertive tin and gold-bearing alluvials which, when scientifically
developed and economically managed, will give larger returns than any
other mining in the world.
THE COPPER MINES OF ESCURIAL.
Some of the most prominent and promising of the newly-acquired copper
properties in Spain are those of the Escurial district, of which mention
has been made. Here, at a spot situated within thirty miles of Madrid,
at the end of an hour-and-a-quarter’s train journey, is a district which
promises to take rank among the leading copper-producing areas. Yet
until some two years ago the properties were practically being ruined by
the starvation policy of the Spanish owners, who obtained excellent
results by following the richest of the leaders until a little
expenditure was required to further prosecute the work, and then
abandoned them. The Romans, who would appear from the evidences of their
workings to have been the original miners at Escurial, carried out their
developments on a large scale; and judging from the immensity and
richness of the dumps of ore which they discarded as being too poor to
pay for treatment by the primitive methods at their commands, they must
have won enormous quantities of very high-grade copper ore. These huge
mounds of refuse ore have been assayed to yield about 4 per cent. of
copper; and with the modern system of concentration will all give
profitable returns. Some of the outhouses and walls on the property are
constructed of rich copper ore, and the purplish colour of the loose
stones of the road from Galapagar, and on the other roads about the
property, are everywhere indicative of the presence of the same mineral.
The Romans evidently recognised the value of their mine, for before they
vacated the country they carefully filled in all their workings, and
obliterated every trace of their activity. The openings to the galleries
and the mouths of their shafts were closed up with rubble, but they
could not remove the incriminating dumps--the monuments to their energy
and the witnesses to the richness of the property.
[Illustration: PORTION OF BUILDINGS, ESCURIAL.]
The Romans undoubtedly meant, at a more convenient season, to return to
the scene of their labours, as did the Carthaginians and Phœnicians
before them; but the fates which govern nations ruled it otherwise. The
Visigoths succeeded the Romans; and they in their turn were driven out
by the Moors, who dominated the Peninsula for over 800 years. The Moors
have left the marks of their greatness, their industry, and their love
of art over the entire face of the land; but they have contributed
comparatively little to the history of its mining. They certainly did
not undertake systematic researches into the mineral resources of the
country, and as certainly they did not happen upon the copper caverns
which the Ancients had quarried at Escurial.
[Illustration: A CUTTING, ESCURIAL.]
The present proprietary, upon taking possession of the property,
immediately set to work to have the mine cleared, and all the old
workings explored. These operations were attended with many remarkable
discoveries, and it seemed as if everything was revealed which had been
done by the original proprietors. But Señor Bárris, the modern
discoverer of this remarkable property, and a gentleman who combines the
erudition of the scholar with an unsurpassed practical knowledge of
Spanish mining, was not satisfied. He was convinced that there remained
further traces of more recent exploitation to be revealed; so the
research was resumed, with the result that during my visit I paid to the
property in 1902, some additional deeper workings of Spanish origin were
discovered. Only then was Señor Bárris convinced that the end was
reached; but even later, I have since learned, a falling-in in one of
the levels disclosed the existence of further large ancient workings,
and the presence of a mass of magnificent copper ore.
The Spaniards, whoever they were, who had worked the mine for a short
period some (approximately) 300 years ago, had been interrupted in their
labours by the lack of proper machinery, and had abandoned the pursuit.
The walls of the gallery they had excavated had fallen in, rubbish had
blocked up the entrance, and the mine had returned to the condition in
which it had been left by the Roman discoverers. And, curiously enough,
not a single document or record has come to light to reveal the identity
of these disappointed adventurers.
[Illustration: “DOLORES,” “JAIME,” AND MAIN SHAFT, ESCURIAL.]
The Escurial district is a network of copper lodes, which curve, and
zig-zag, and bisect one another in an extraordinary fashion, and would
appear to have their origin, or their ending, in a concession known as
the Antigua Pilar--one of four concessions which constitutes the
property of the Escurial Copper Mines, Limited, the principal company in
the neighbourhood. The mines are chiefly in the hands of three
companies--which are known as the Escurial, the Escurial Extended, and
the Georgia Mines and Development Company. The properties owned by the
premier company consists of the Antigua Pilar (103½ acres), the Gloria
(140 acres), the Jaime (49½ acres), and the Ramon (49½ acres). This
group, with a total area of 342½ acres, is held on perpetual tenure from
the Spanish Government, subject only to an annual payment of 6s. 5d. per
claim.
The mines are equi-distant from three railway stations, but Torrelodones
is the most convenient, as it is connected with Galapagar by a good cart
road. From this place, where are situated the Galapagar concentration
works, one travels over an excellent high-road built of stone, all of
which shows traces of copper. The weather is cool, clear, and
invigorating; and the manager of the Escurial Copper Mines, Limited,
informs me that the climate, though hot in summer and very cold in
winter (the mines are about 2,850 feet above the sea level), is
wonderfully healthy. I remarked upon the solidity of the buildings which
serve to protect the openings of the various shafts, and was informed
that such substantial structures were necessary as affording a shade
from the sun in the hot weather and a shelter from the snows in winter.
The Escurial Mines, unlike some others in Spain, are worked all the year
round; and, as many of the miners live on the property, a small barrack
has been constructed of masonry for their accommodation. These
buildings, which are of the most durable kind, having masonry walls
three feet thick and tiled roofs, include, in addition to the men’s
quarters and the manager’s dwelling, offices, &c., a small metallurgical
establishment, large stores for the storage of minerals, for coal, and
wood, and blasting powder, engine houses, and other buildings. “The mine
is our home,” explains one of the old watchmen--a phrase which I take to
be equivalent to the Englishman’s expression: “We’ve come to stay!”
If you happen to entertain any doubts as to the capacity
[Illustration: “JAIME,” “DOLORES,” AND MAIN SHAFTS, ESCURIAL COPPER
MINES.]
[Illustration: GALAPAGAR SMELTING WORKS, ESCURIAL.]
and general excellence of the Spanish miner, I would advise you not to
ventilate your opinion of the subject in the presence of the manager of
the Escurial Mines, or of Señor Bárris, the Company’s local director.
Nor indeed can one be long among these men without recognising their
sterling good qualities. They work well, and they lighten their labours
with an enthusiasm which I have not remarked in any miners outside
Spain. Every man and boy has a personal interest in the mine and its
development; his talk is about its progress and prospects: his joy is a
rich strike or a satisfactory return; his sorrow is a blank day. And
with the characteristic independence of the Spaniard, each man keeps to
his own drive, or shaft, or gallery, which he is convinced is the best,
and richest, and most promising portion of the whole property.
[Illustration: ENGINE HOUSE AND BLACKSMITH’S SHOP, ESCURIAL.]
It will be seen from a glance at the accompanying plan that the
northernmost claim, the Ramon, is situated at a little distance from the
rest of the group, and it is here that the principal buildings and
concentration works are located. Two lodes have been proved on this
property. No development work had been done on the Ramon at the time of
my last visit, nearly the whole of the labour having been concentrated
on the Antigua Pilar concession, which carries eight proved reefs, and
is undoubtedly the most valuable claim of the entire group. The
developments on this, and on the adjoining Jaime lease, have
demonstrated that both these claims are of very great value, and the
manager declares in his report that with proper management “they will
yield incalculable profit.”
The Antigua Pilar claim has been exploited in a masterly manner, and the
results reflect the greatest credit upon the management. All the work
proceeds under the unremitting personal supervision of the manager, and
his very full and luminous reports reveal his intimate knowledge of
every detail. “It is a pleasure,” he said to me, “to work such a mine.
Every week brings its work, and the work brings its recompense in the
consistently and thoroughly satisfactory nature of the progress made.
The property has never, as mothers say of good children, given me an
uneasy moment, and I am only too delighted to show visitors over it.” As
we proceed, he explains to me his theory of the property and of its
prospects. The Antigua Pilar he believes to be the centre of a network
of reefs, and the eight lodes he has already proved are only a few that
he expects to discover as the work progresses. “It is a large property,”
he says, “and it must be developed by degrees. I have proved to my
entire satisfaction that the lodes in the Ramon and the Jaime leases
will pay handsomely when we get to work on them. I have also traced two
of the Antigua Pilar reefs into the Gloria lease, and six others are
also making in that direction. This naturally led me to make a special
study of the lodes in Antigua Pilar, and I am convinced that in
formation and structure the reefs are the same in all. Everything
pointed to satisfactory results, and, indeed, the results have exceeded
our expectations.”
[Illustration: A CUTTING, ESCURIAL.]
In the manager’s office I was permitted to examine the figures and
measurements on which he had based his estimates of the value of the
mine, and they are calculated on so moderate a scale that he is
convinced the net profits will be much greater. To give an idea of the
value and sizes of the lodes on the property, I may mention that by
cubing the lodes of Nos. 2, 3, and 4 on Antigua Pilar alone, and
calculating the yield of copper at the very low return of 5 per cent.
per ton, he estimates the value of the ore at £155,532. By the present
methods of exploitation, the daily output of ore will shortly be twenty
tons per day; and this ore, with proper plant for concentration, could
be brought up to 33 per cent. of copper, worth £16 10s. per ton. The
carbonates of copper which the ore carries could, by proper treatment,
be made to yield from sixty per cent. to eighty per cent. of copper
suitable for smelting. But there is an alternative scheme for the
complete exploitation of the property, by which 100 tons of copper ore,
of a value of £550, could be raised and treated per diem. This plan
would, of course, involve a larger outlay, but it has been forwarded to
London for the consideration of the directors. Such figures and
prospects justify the manager in his high opinion of the mine, which is
shared by the miners and the local shareholders.
[Illustration: SNAPSHOT SHOWING CUTTING, ESCURIAL.]
When I was at Escurial I visited two other groups of properties in the
neighbourhood which had been acquired by British capitalists. The
successful developments in the Escurial property proper--especially on
the Jaime and Antigua Pilar leases--attracted a good deal of attention
to the district, which subsequent prospecting work shows to have been
thoroughly warranted. One of these groups comprises the Recompensa, the
Pepitanga, and the San Antonio leases, which have a combined area of 437
acres. The local theory is that the nature of the country and the
constitution of the lodes is the same throughout the district, and the
work done on these mines bears out that belief. The lodes and veins are
numerous, varying in thickness from seven inches to three feet; and the
ores have yielded, as the result of assays, from eleven per cent. to
thirty per cent. of copper. Seven lodes, which are distinct and well
defined, have been followed for a distance of over 6,000 feet through
the property, and five separate workings have been undertaken to test
the value of the mineral deposits. As the workings are 750 feet above
sea level, at which depths the lodes usually improve, the quantity of
ore in the property must consequently be very considerable. The ore also
yields both silver and gold, but it is not possible to estimate the
profit likely to be made from this source. Only one assay has been made
from this ore, but it disclosed the existence of nearly thirteen ozs. of
silver and over nine dwts. of gold. The other group that is now the
property of English capitalists, consists of five concessions, called
the Clarisa, the Morena, Natividad, Mitry, and the Mercedes, having a
total area of 2,111 acres.
THE HUERCAL COPPER COBALT MINES.
A railway journey of 20 hours’ duration, over three railroad systems,
transports the visitor from Madrid to the little mining town of Huercal
(pronounced Whercal) Overa. We leave the capital by the express train
for Alicante, and travel _via_ Alcázar and Albacete to Chinchilla, which
is reached at some unearthly hour in the middle of the night. From
Chinchilla the line runs through the beautiful province of Murcia to
Lorca, where we change onto a small English railroad which takes us to
Huercal. We had left Madrid in our winter overcoats and rugs; when we
stepped out into the soft sunshine of Almeria we could have dispensed
with our under coats and waistcoats. We are in the land of the spring
roses and early oranges, and the nipping and eager air of the capital is
forgotten. Our visit is regarded by the community with general interest,
for the townsfolk look to _El Monte Minado_, as the copper mines are
known locally, to make the fortunes of Huercal-Overa. Many of the
leading people here are shareholders in the mines, and all the labour
employed on the property is drawn from the town. There is not a child
in the neighbourhood who is unacquainted with the personality of the
Spanish representative of the English proprietors, who acts as our
cicerone, and the word goes round that he is come to town. The mine
captain, and several prominent people of the district, are at the
station to meet us; and in the sitting-room that has been reserved for
our use in the comfortable hotel we find the table laid, not for dinner,
but
[Illustration: BÁRRIS CUTTING, HUERCAL.]
with an array of valuable specimens taken from the mine. Here is copper
in practically every form--green carbonate of copper (malachite), blue
carbonate of copper (azurite), red oxide of copper (cuprite), copper
pyrites (yellow sulphuret of copper), and native copper. Added to this,
the abundant association of cobalt--cobalt steel-gray, and pinkish
purple, like the hue of peach-blossom in colour--and of bright emerald
green tinted nickel, give the specimens an extremely beautiful
appearance. The _Monte Minado_ property comprises a copper hill not
unlike the celebrated Mount Morgan in conformation, and has an area of
111½ acres. There are indications that point to Phœnician industry in
the Huercal Mine, but the traces of later workmanship demonstrate
conclusively that the Romans were the last of the Ancients who exploited
this copper mountain on a large scale. It was the Romans who
obliterated so carefully all traces of their handiwork, and filled up
with rubbish the openings of their levels and other workings.
[Illustration: AGUILAS--THE RAILWAY.]