The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-25

is obtained in this province close to the
copper mines. In Benguet the gravels
Of the river =Agno carry gold. There IS
also gold in the province of Bontoc
ant of the auriferous provinces is
Camarines Norte. Here the townships
of Mambuiao, Paracale and Labo are
especially known as gold producing To-
calities. Mr. Drasche, well known
German geologist, says that there were
zoo natives at work on the rich quartz
veins of this place at the time of his
visit about twenty-five years ago. AT
Paracale there are parallel quartz
veins IL granite, one of which is
twenty feet in width and contains
chute in which the ore is said to assay
thirty eight ounces of gold to the ton
One may suspect that this assay hard
" represented an average sample. Be
sides the localities mentioned, many
others in this province have been
worked by the natives.
The islands Of Mindoro, Catanduanes,
SibuDan, Samar, Panay, Cebu and
Bohol are reported to contain gold, but
no exact data, are accessible.
AT the south end Of the small island
Of Panaon, which is just TO the south
Of Leyte, there are gold quartz veins.
one Of which has been worked TO some
extent. It is six feet in thickness and
has yielded from Sc to 81 per ton.
In the island of Mindanao there are
two known gold-bearing districts. One
of these is in the province of Surigao,
where Placer and other townships
show gravels and veins. The second
district is in the province of Mlsamls.
Near the settlement of IlNoonan, on
the Gulf of Macajalar. there are said
to be many square kilometers OF
gravels carrying large quantities OF
sold with which is associated platinum.
The product of this district was estl-
mated some years since at $50 ounces
per month. all extracted by natives
with bateas or cocoanut-shell dishes.
Copper ores are reported from q great
number of localities in the Phlllp-
pines They are said to occur in the
following islands: Luzon provinces of
Lepanto, Benguet and CamarineS),
Mindoro, Capul, Masbate, Panay prov
ince of Antique), and Mindanao (prov-
ince of Surigao). Many Of these occur
rences are probably unimportant. The
great island of Mindanao, being prac-
tically unexplored, is full Of possibili-
ties. but as yet no important copper
deposit is known to exist there.
Data itself lies in the province OF
Lenanto. In this range copper ore has
! been smelted and before Magellan els
covered the Philippines. The process
is a complicated one, based on the
same principles as the method OF
smelling sulpho-salts Of this metal in
Europe and America. 1t consists in
alternate partial roasting and reduc-
| ton to matte" and eventually to
! black copper. 1t is generally believed
! that this process must have been in
! troduced from China or japan. 1t is
practiced only by one peculiar tribe of
natives. the Igorrotes, who are re-
markable in many ways.
OTHER MINERAL DEPOSITS.
A lead mine has been partially de-
veloped near the town of Cebu, on the
| island of the same name. The most i'm
| portant deposit of argentiferous galena
is said to be at Torrijos, on the small
island of Martinique latitude thirteen
| degrees thirty-four minutes.) A metric
ton, or l GOO Kilograms, is said to con-
J tain ninety-six grains of silver, six
grains of gold, and 5000 Kilograms of
lead. In Camarines, a province of Lu-
| Zon, lead ores occur but are worked
o,slv for the gold they contain.
There is an abundance of iron ore in
Luzon, Caraballo, Cebu, Panay and
doubtless in other islands. A small in
dustry exists there, wrought iron be-
ing produced in sort of bloomery and
manufactured into plowshares.
RumorS OF the occurrence of this
metal in Panay and Leyte have failed
of verification Accidental losses OF
this metal by prospectors or surveyors
lead to reports of the discovery of de-
posts, and other ochers are not sell
dom mistaken for impure cinnabar.
Sulphur deposits abound about active
and extinct volcanoes in the Philip
pines In Luzon the principal sulphur
deposits are at Daclan, in the province
of Genguet, and at Colast, in Cana
rines The finest deposit in the archi-
pelago is said to be on the little island
of Biliran, which lies to the northwest
| of nxrfn