New-York tribune., 1899-05-17
GOLD IN THE PHILIPPINES.
A MINERS EXPERIENCE WITH NATIVE
MINES AND MINERS - OTHER
MINERAL RESOURCES.

Philippines Resources" The next decade will
show what an honest and strong admInistra-
tion can make OF the rich and fertile Philippine
Islands. Should l be alive ten years hence I
would be exceedingly astonished II your people
were ready to exchange them for the British
West Indies
The Filipinos what three hundred years
OF misrule and oppression. Of oficial greed and
monkish rapacity, not to use stronger terms
have made them. They are good material
spoiled. But 1t is never too late to mend. You
will have no difficulty In ruling them when once
the farcical republic. which is the outcome Of
a financial rather than OF a freedom seeking
conspiracy. has been put down. 1t will be put
down soon. The Fpnos never expected such
fighting as your boys gave them and they are
now thoroughly cowed. They are quick learn
ers. The chief lessons. which they will aptly
learn and wach will make them trust and obey
you are these, that the fruit Of their labor Is
theirs: that they will have strict Justice in your
courts and fair dealings in your markets.
In your West Point, Annapolis and university
men you possess magnificent material for Just
such a civil ser vice as holds the British Empire
together. I have some experience in the ad-
ninistration OF semi-savage countries. and I
know something of your men. They will Just
climb to the top and make the Philippines the
richest archipelago In the Eastern Hemisphere
a stronghold Of Anglo-Saxon energy. teeming
with contented and happy brown men.
GOLD IN THE EARLIEST TINES.
I wish to say a few words regarding the oc>
cr,rrence of gold in the Philippines. a subject
Of which I possess some special knowledge.
Auriferous formations are very widely dstrbu-
ted throughout the islands, and they have been
worked by the natives in their simple but not
cir
centuries of the Christian era. DR.. Won Noel
lendorff, an expert snologist. Possesses Chinese
book which from internal evidence he ascribes
to the third century B. C. II is an account by
a Chinese merchant OF a trading voyage from
Annoy to Luzon Names Of localities in that
island which the Chinese author mentions are
still recognizable in their modern appeations.
He refers to gold as the principal article Of ex.
port from Luzon.
The chief motive of the Spanish adventurer
was greed Of the precious metals. 1t is matter
of course that he did not neglect them in the
Philippines. Ample evidence is to be found in
Spanish records. many of them buried In the
pigeonholes Of the defunct Colonial Office in
Madrid, that numerous mines were worked by
Spaniards. Very little Of this has come to public
knowledge. for books On the Philippines are
few. Indeed. until Admiral Dewey made the
islands the theatre OF his valiant deeds. even
educated persons, at least in this country. had
very hazy ideas their geographical position.
1 we'll remember that when a few years ago a
destructive earthquake overwhelmed some
islands In the Mediterranean a member Of a
learned profession. knowing had interests in
the Philippines. condoled with me on my sup
posed losses for. said he. Il believe your islands
are somewhere near the coast OF Asia Minor"
THE BEST KNOWN MINING DISTRICTS.
The best known gold mining districts are those
Of Mambuao and Paracale in the Province Of
Camarines. Luzon. Mambulao means in the
language Of the Bicols. who inhabit the dis
tricts the place Of Gold' and Ia to this day
the headquarters Of gold mining Within the last
two years an engineer in the employ Of the
syndicate which l represent saw gold washed
out of the mud OF the village road. The his
torical "veta Real (royal vein) OF Mambuao
was reported on by NJ. de Ste. Croix. the chief
OF a commercial expedition sent to Luzon in
1906 by Napoleon l. His report begins as fol-
lows: IF you had gold in your closed hand, you
would at least open It to use 1t. That is exactly
what the Spanish Government does not do"
Tie mineralogist OF the expedition found the
mines closed, but they were opened again a
decade or two later, and produced for some time
gold at the rate OF 1000 ounces Spanish per
week The mines closed down again and
opened some twenty years later by a Spanish
company, OF which the late Queen Christina was
one of the principal stockholders. solid ma
sonry adt. just above a-level. was begun and
carried few hundred feet. But the capital OF
the company was spent In mysterious way,
and the enterprise again collapsed This mine
is now in the possession of my syndicate, whose
engineers. guided by a plan made by an old
native miner, have reopened the mine. and found
the veta Real and two parallel veins. and
proved them for a distance of over 1000 yards
These mining districts are in certain places
riddled with adits and shafts. But shafts
were sunk below water level, for pumps were
not used. and the only means OF raising water
were small pals. OF plated palm-leaf fibre. Ths
only exception OF which am aware is a ssiah
mine with a narrow but very rich ven Here
the native miners drove adit Of considerable
length by which they drained their shafts down
to the 60-foot level. and were thus enabled TO
sink to the 100 foot level. In this mine small
brass pump was found. which had probably been
taken from a vessel wrecked in the Bay OF
Mambulao.
INTUITIvE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BICoLS
The Bcols are miners by atavsm. They In
tuitively know the contents Of gold or the quartz
they raise. and unerringly reject barren stone'
Using no tools besides crowbars and wedges. with
out explosives and pumps, without appliances
worth the name except rough copy OF the Mex
lean arrastrl, the natives have accomplished an
incredible amount Of work Near Paracale they
have levelled hill to few feet above sea-ievei
They win the gold by washing auriferous grave'
and sand and finely pounded quartz. and ther
women the cleverest gold-washers Where
the precious metal is particularly fine. they %
the last washing IL water to which the mucilas-
inous juice OF a native plant called gogo mas
been added This retains the sand. but allows
the gold to sink 10 the bottom OF the pan.
Quartz mines have not been worked below
water-level. even in cases where the water couia
have been kent down by pals. The reason Is