The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-15


shipped to Germany. the rest to the Span
ish reggie Guiea produces the best leaf, al
though. of course. of an inferior grade as
compared with Vuelta or Partidos tobacco.
Baracoa, on the north coast, is the home
of the cocoanut and plantain in it's wild
luxuriant state. The shipments of these
fruits north has for many years warranted
two steamship lines exclusively engaged fin
the fruit trade to run between Cape Bara-
coa and New York. The plantains and
bananas are extensively used in the manu-
facture of vinegar.
The woods and forests of eastern Cuba
abound in every variety of hard woods, the
principal being mahogany, cedar, rosewood
and majagua, wood known the world over
the strongest and most durable of all
woods of = greenish ashy hue and an ex-
ceedingly close grain. Most of them. in fact
nine-tenths of the woodlands are virgin
forests which it would take years and years
to decimate and which have so far escaped
the destructive hand of man owing to the
lack of transportation facilities to the sea
coast. The "yaya,'' or lancet spar. grows by
the thousand acres, and so does the lignum
vitae. so much sought after for the manu-
faeture of block sheaves and of heavy balls
used in bowling alleys. Palm leaf in great
United States for the manufacture of hats,
and ''palmiche" finds ready market
abroad for the manufacture of oil.
Honey and beeswax are other very i'm
portant articles of export and modern hives
on the plan of the French and Dutch hives
would amply repay the investment.
Some parcels of tortoise shell find their
way weekly into the market and as a rule
are shipped to Paris.
Next In Importance to its agricultural
products Santiago de Cuba's iron and man.
ganese mines demand universal attention.
The great iron mountains and mines of
Santiago are owned and operated by three
comprehensive Juragua Iron Company, the
Standardization Company and the Sigua
Iron Company. The Juragua is the oldest
and largest company operating here. This
company, of which Major Bent, of the Penn
sylyania Steel Company. is president, was
formed and the property acquired in 1881.
Its shipments of bessemer ore so far exceed
100000 TINS. The total output of the
Juragua mines is controlled by the Bethle-
hem iron works. the Pennsylvania Steel
Company and the Maryland Steel Company.
Its maximum monthly output is 10000 tons.
Siboney is the shipping port of the Juragua
Iron Companys mines. The Spanish-Ameri-
can Iron Company of which Charles F.
Band, of New York. is president, acquired
it's property jnC1Ss9. It's shipments so far
have been 100000 tons-to Philadelphia, Bal
timore, England. Scotland Wales, Belgium
and Germany, where it has been sold in the
open market. Its maximum monthly OUTPUT
is $1,000 tons. Baiquri is the shipping port
Of the Spanish-American Iron Company.
Both thesemfning companies shut down ow-
on mil ;11
resume work at once.s
MILLIONS WASTED.
The Sigua Iron Company which started
with big boom in 1890, built a broad gauge
railroad nineniles long and extensive build
ings and Sheds, shipped four cargoes in 1894.
aggregating 1900 tons and has not been
heard from since, abandoning its property
and closing down the mines Sigua, about
seven miles east of Baiquiri was the port of
shipment. All the buildings, sheds and
wharves, valued at $1,000 900, were burned
down by the insurgents, and their railroads
beds and trestles, evidently very badly
built, have all been washed away in the last
three years by the heavy rains. Their ma
chine shops have all been destroyed and
were at one time used as salt works by the
Cubans.
One thing must be said in favor of the
Spanish government in this respect Their
mining laws have been exceedingly liberal,
encouraging and offering every facility 10
the opening up of this new field. All the
machinery received by the mining COM
pany exempted from duty and all the
coal imported and used by them was en-
tered free. Baiquiri deserves special men
ton and recollection as being the great
slave emporium of eastern Cuba in the days
Of Ac &c
ore, with its low percentage of phosphorus
ranks. together with the Swedish and the
Spanish Demerara mineral as the crack
ore" of the world.
The Pompo Mining Company. producing
manganese ore, il a relatively new concern.
and shipped before the war only about 400
tons of ore.
The entire iron district is parcelled off
clear up to the Grand Piedra, the highest
peak of the Sierra Maestro, and owned by
private individuals The titles are mostly
held by Spaniards and some small parcels
by Frenchmen. A curious feature is that
the land fee is separate from the mining
rights, both titles rarely being held by. the
same individuals.
AS its name indicates, Ell Cobro. about fif-
teen miles from Santiago, is the heart of the
copper fields of Cuba. These copper mines
are extremely valuable and have been
worked since early in the century They are
owned by two companies, one English the
other American, but have been abandoned
now for almost thirty years. They were
forced to shut down by the Cobro Railroad
Company. that held the charter rights, and
with which they got into litigation. The
mines are exceedingly deep and very damp.
One of the features of these mines is gil
gantic Cornish pump, put up at tremen-
dous expense, but which never quite sue
ceeded in pumping the mines dry or in work
ing up to expectations. The mines are in no
wise exhausted and still possess a rich
treasure of buried wealth.
GREAT CHANCE FOR WEALTH
This rich and fertile SOIL with its wealth
OF agricultural and mineral resources. where
droughts. floods and frosts are unknown is
practically undeveloped. owing to the total
absence of transportation facilities either
by rail or by roads. In the whole province
of Santiago de Cuba there are eighty miles
of railroad, and not mile of road deselv
ing the name between any two towns or viii
lagos, excepting narrow paths scarce al
lowing horse mule to pass through
the woods across streams and over the
mountains. Telegraphic commune alton ex-
lists between the different interior towns and
principal villages over Spanish government
lines, put up in the rudest fashion, many
wires resting on. trees without the Yestise
of an insulator.