The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-15

man, owing to the lack of transporta-
ton facilities to the seacoast.
The 'yaua," or lancetspar, grows by
the thousand acres, and so does the
!. llgnun vitae, so much sought, after for
the Manufacture Sof blocksheaves ard
of heavy balls used in bowling alleys.
Palm leaf in great quantities is ex-
ported TO Europe and the United States
for the manufacture of hats, and
palmich'' finds a ready market abroad
for the manufacture of OIL
Honey and beeswax are other very
important articles of export, and mod
! ern 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.
GREAT IRON MINES.
Next in importance to its agricul-
tural products. Santiago de Cubas iron
and manganese mines demand univer-
sal attention. The, great iron NOUN
tains and mines of Santiago are owned
ana operated by three companieS-the
Juragua Iron company, the Spanish
American company and the Sigua iron
company. The Juragua is the oldest
and largest company operating here.
This company. Of which Major Bent,
y,
president. was formed and the property
acquired in 1881. It's shipments of Bes-
semer ore so far exceed 5000, 900 tons
The total output of the Juragua mines
is controlled by the Bethlehem Iron
Works, the Pennsylvania Steel COM
pany and the Maryland Steel company
Its maximum monthly output is 10000
tons Siboney is the shipping point of
the Juragua Iron company'S mines.
The Spanish American Iron company.
of which Charles F. Rand of New York
is president, acquired its property in
1889. Its shipments so far have been
100000 tons-to Philadelphia, Balti-
more,' England, Scotland, Wales, Bel
gum and Germany, where it has been
SOLD IN the open market. It's maximum
monthly output is 10000 tons. Baiquiri
is the shipping port of the Spanish
American Iron company. Both these
mining companies shut down, owing to
the war, on April 81. $685. They will
resume work at once.
The Sigua Iron company, which
started with big boom in 1890, built
broadgauge railroad line nine miles
long and extensive buildings and sheds.
shipped four cargoes in 1894, aggregat-
ing 1900 tons. and have not been heard
from since, abandoning their property
and closing down their mines. Sigua,
about seven miles east of Baiquiri, was
their port of shipment. All their build
lngs. sheds and wharves, valued at ST.
100000. were burned down by the in
surgents. and their railroad beds ind
trestles, evidently very badly built,
have all been washed away in the last
three years by heavy rains. Their ma
chine shops have all been destroyed,
and were at one time used as salt works
by the Cubans.
IIRER AT. MINING laws
One thing must be said in favor of
the Spanish government IN this respect
Their mining laws have been exceed
ingly liberal encouraging and offering
every facility to the opening tup of this
new field. All the machinery received
by the mining companies was exempt
ed from duty and all the coal imported
and used by them was entered free.
Ba1quirf deserves special mention and
recollection as being the great slave
emporium of eastern Cuba in the DAYS
of slavery.
As is we'll known. the Santiago ore,
with its low percentage of PHOSPHORUS,
ranks together with the Swedish and
Spanish Demarara mineral as the
crack ORE Of the world
The entire iron district is parcelled
off clear UP to the "Granpiedra. the
highest peak of the Sierra Maest'A and
Wv AlCo ny UliNdlc A1OSC OIL
the titles are 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 Individual
As its name indicates, Eel Cobro."
about 40 miles from Santiago, is the
heart of the copper fields of Cuba.
These copper mines are extremely valu-
able. and have been worked since early
in the century
This rich and fertile soil, with its
wealth of agricultural and mineral re-
sources, where drouth. floods and frosts
are unknown. is practically undeveloD-
ed, owing. to the total absence of trans
portation facilities, either. by rail or
roads. =
Industrial Santiago is woefully be-
hind the times