Francis Rule

Francis Rule
Born	1835 Camborne, Cornwall, England
Died	24 June 1925 Mexico
Nationality	British
Occupation	Miner, businessman
Known for	El Rey de la Plata

Francis Rule (1835 – 24 June 1925) was a Cornish miner who moved to Mexico and became immensely wealthy. He used pumping equipment to explore abandoned mines that had been flooded, formed various mining companies, and found and exploited rich seams of silver. The town of Pachuca holds various public buildings and monuments financed by Rule.

Francis Rule was born in 1835 in Camborne, Cornwall. His parents were John Rule and Anne Mayne. At the age of 17 he decided to seek his fortune abroad and sailed from Penzance to Mexico. He reached the port of Veracruz in 1854, aged 18, and went on to the Pachuca mining district of Hidalgo where he first worked as a guard on the carriages that took the minerals to Mexico City. Rule's first job paid him 14 centavos a day. He was one of many Cornish miners who emigrated from England to other countries as the Cornish industry declined, taking with them their knowledge of modern techniques.

The mining industry in Mexico, which had once been strong, had stagnated. Miners who understood how to use pumping machinery to work flooded mines were in demand. Rule advanced in his profession, and became a mine captain, spending most of his spare time exploring abandoned mines in search of veins that might still be productive. In 1875 Rule joined with William Stoneman, also from Camborne, and Christopher Ludlow from Penzance to form the Cia. De Sta Gertrudis company to exploit the Santa Gertrudis Vein. After the company found ore that was rich in silver, shares shot up from $80 to $5,000. The company imported a Harvey & Co. pumping engine and steam hoist from Cornwall in 1879, making it possible to mine down to 240 metres (790 ft). In 1890 the company bought a second pump to raise water from lower levels to the first pump. Rule was made manager and a board member of the Santa Gertrudis company in 1893. Santa Gertrudis, entirely managed by Cornishmen, was wildly successful. The mine returned profits of over $1 million in 1903. It was sold in 1910 for more than $9 million, an immense sum at the time.

Rule took the Spanish form of his name, Francisco Rule, and became extremely wealthy and very influential. He was known as "El Rey de la Plata" (the Silver King). Mining shares could rise or fall when he gave an opinion. The list of mines and companies Rule became involved with is impressive. He was the last Cornish administrator of Real del Monte. Rule was also involved in the Maravillas Anexas Mining Company, which extracted gold, silver, lead and zinc, and the Santa Ana Mine. He bought the La Blanca y Anexas concession in 1876, and made a major strike there in 1903.

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