The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1898-12-30
Statistics Concerning Their Undeveoped Re-
sources and Mineral Wealth.
IT'S A SUPERVISING COUNTRY
Ihe Prevailing Customs and Commercial
Relations With Asia Require That
the Islands Remain on a Sill
Yer rBasis-Rich Placers.

to become part of the United States
1T will be opportune to mention a few
OF the most important facts bearins
upon the actual value of the islands.
The latest estimates place the area O.
the entire group at 114,256 square miles
The largest island is Luzon and con
talns 41,O0O square miles; the next il
size, Mindanao, about $1,000 square
miles. The soil of the Philippines is
very fertile, but agriculture as vet i.
but very imperfectly developed. Rice
is the staple food, but often not enough
is produced to supply the native de-
mand. Potatoes, peas and even wheat
are grown on the higher levels. Plan.
talns, mangoes jack fruit, and the va.
rlous Malayan fruits are plentiful The
bamboo, areca palm and the precious
cocoanut tree are abundant. All the
islands TEEN with valuable woods. in
cluding ebony, ironwood, sapanwood,
and cedar. Two woods, the banana
and the malave, will resist for centuries
the destructive action of water. Gum
trees abound and gutta percha is found
IN certain localities. One Of the most
important natural products of the arch
ipelago is hemp, the total exports of
which during the ten years ending in
1897 amounted to 914,O55, of which Al
per cent. went to the United States.
During the same decade the islands ex-
ported 1852, 904 tons of sugar, whereof
the United States took S75, $50 tons.
Deposits of valuable minerals are
found on most Of the islands, and coal,
petroleum and natural gas are known
TO exist IN many places throughout the
archipelago. On the island of Luzon
are found gold, copper, lead, iron, COAL
sulphur, marble and koalin; on Min
danao, gold, copper, platinum and coal;
on Catanduanes, gold; on Marinduuue
lead, silver; on Mindoro coal, gold.
copper; on Carraray, coal on Batan,
coal; on Rapu-kapu, coal; on Masbate,
coal, copper ); on Romblon marble:
on Samar, coal, gold; on Sibuyan, gold
on Semirara, coal; on Panay, coal, oil,
gas, gold, copper, iron mercury (D: on
Biliran, sulphur on Leyte, coal, oil,
mercury (0; on Cebu, coal, oil, gas,
god, lead, silver, iron; on Negros, coal:
on Bohol, gold; on Panaon, gold; on
oulu Archipelago pearls.
Gold is found at a vast number of To-
calltles In the archipelago, from north
ern Luzon to central Menandao. In
most cases the gold is detrital-that is.
worn of solid bodies by attrition-and
Is found either in existing water courses
or in stream deposits now deserted bv
the current. 1t is said in Mindanao
some OF the gravels are in an elevated
nIn >f,l %N
ing. There are no data at hand which |
indicate decisively the value of any of
the placers. They are washed by ma
tives, largely with cocoanut smells for
pans, though the batea IA conical
shaped wooden bowl, similar to chop
ping trays also in use.
In the province of Abra, at the north
ern end of Luzon, there are placers, and
the gravel of the river Abra is aurifer-
GUS. In Lepanto there are gold quartz
veins as well as gravels. Gold is OBJ
tained in this province close to the cop
per mines. In Benguet the gravels of
the river Agno carry gold. here is
also gold in the province of Bontoc and
III Neuva Ecija. The most important
Of the auriferous provinces is CANA
rines Norte. Here the townships of
Mambulao, Paracale and Lebo are es-
pecially well known as gold producing
localities Mr.. Drasche we'll known
German geologist, says that there were
700 natives at work on the rich quartz
veins of this place at the time of his
visit about 20 years ago. At Paracale
there are parallel quartz veins in gran
ite, one of which is twenty feet in ,
width and contains chute in which the ,
ore is said to assay 3S ounces in gold to
the ton. Besides the localities men
toned, many others in this province !
have been worked by the natives
At the south end of the small island
of Panaon, which is just to the south of
Leyte, there are gold-quartz veins, one 1
of which has been worked to some ex-
tent. Iti six feet in thickness and has
yielded from $6 to $7 per ton.
In the island of MindanaO there are {
two known gold bearing districts. One ,
Of these is in the province of Surigoa, I
where Placer and other townships show {
gravels and veins. The second dis {
trict is in the province of Miamis. Near {
the settlement of Imponan, of the Gulf {
of Macajalar, there are said to be many s
square kilometers of gravels carrying l
large quantities of gold with which is .
associated platinum. The product of {
this district was estimated some years c
Snce at 15O ounces per month all ex-
tracted by natives with bateas or cocoa /
nut shell dishes. {
A silver and iead mine had been par t
tally developed near the town of Cebu,
IN the island of the same name; but the G
most important deposit Of Galena is 7
aid to be at Torrijos, on the small isl 2
md Of Marinduque. A metric ton, or t
1000 Kilograms, is said to contain SO a
grams of silver, 6 grams of gold, and a
1855 kilograms of lead. +
In Camarines, province Of Luzon, {