Arizona republican., 1898-07-31
CUBA FULL OF MINERALS.
Riches Locked Up in the Interior of
 the Island.

Cuba, according to Vice Consul Car los Fox. who has recently returned to his home in Baltimore from the op- pressed queen of the Antilles, has, locked up in it's interior, enormous wealth, which is awaiting those who have the courage and enterprise to take possession of it. The land is oc- cupied by primitive, industrious and hospitable people, who are, however, deprived of the opportunity Of devel- oping it's resources. When the war shall have at length ceased and the sword again shall have been sheathed and the islands opened again to cul- tivation Baltimoreans will have the same chance to take a hand in the de velopment of the land as any other people in the country.
 MT. Fox during his advent on the island took up his abode at Santiago de Cuba, in the eastern section. Iron ore and manganese are to be found here in abundance, he says; also cop per- The iron ore mines are yet un- developed; the best mines have not yet been worked. These are stretched along the coast of Santiago. Reports, !" says MT. Fox, 'come from other sec tiOns on the north coast, near Paracoa, to the effect that iron ore abounds there, but this has as yet never been inquired into. American possession of these mines would be of great advan- tage to the furnaces along the Ameri- can coast, especially to the furnaces at Sparrows Point. The tax On Cuban ore now is 40 cents per ton. It is su- periOr to the ore gotten at the lakes In other sections ochre and other min erals have been found on the surface but no one can tell what riches are hidden further down until the mines are developed. Around Santiago is the best coffee country in Cuba. Sugar cane is also raised. It is a fine coun- try for raising cattle. Here there is grazing the year round, because there is no winter. The business .4ould be carried on to great extent under fla vorable conditions, but heretofore ano at present all the cattle is consumed on the island. If conditions were fa- vorable Cuba could compete with any country in the raising of cattle.
 The interior is practically undevel- oped and what riches are hidden be- heath the soil are yet unknown to ths world. Much of the land is covered with fine cedar and mahogany, but lumber cannot be gotten out, because there are no railroad facilities nor highways. The people live in primi- tive way, but they are hospitable and peaceful. The intsricr is mere health ful and is miider than the coast. The city of Santiago, if it had the same fa- cilities that Baltimore enjoys, would be as healthful, if not mere so, than our own city. Cuba needs railroads more than anything else. If there is any immigration, it would be to the country in the interior, which is very fertile, so many as two crops a year, and sOmetimes three, being raised. The people in the country live on what they produce. They could supply the whole island and cher parts O. the world, but this is impossible because of the absence of railroads and highways All the eggs and chickens consumed in Santiago come from New York, and the people have to pay dsarly for them; whereas these articles can be supplied vsry cheaply by the people in the interior if they could in any way convey their products 10 the city.
 Along the coast is a fbrcus growth which is used for the manufacture of rope. The English have been cultivat- ing it on their Cwn smaller islands In Cuba there is Q great field for enter prise of all kinds. The island nesds money and business men. A railroad from Santiago to Havana would do more than any hing else toward de- velOping the country. The only way to, travel there now is by horseback. The horses are of the finest stock, but there are few of them left, most of them having Deen taken for use in the army. The horses there are small they would be regarded here as ponies, but they can stand twice as much ser vice as the best American horses. Many of the people have baen so hard pressed for food that they have tol eat their own horses, and the very poor who have no horses often steal the stock of travellers and others for food.
 OUR GOLD FIELDS.