The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-20
THE PHILIPPINES MINES.

Been Developed-To Disturb the
| Earth Sin Is the Belief of Many
Residents of the Philippines Rich
Coal and Iron Mines Abound.
While Spanish apathy and misrule
have done much to prevent the devel-
opment of the mineral resources of the
Philippines other causes have contrib
uted a powerful influence toward the
same end Many native tribes are cos
molators and believe it to be a mortal
sin to disturb the earth. Other tribes
are devil or spirit worshippers and fear
to incur ghostly wrath by opening the
ground. The Chinese come chiefly from
the Annoy and Canton districts, where
all the open country is graveyard In
which it is crime to injure grave,
not to speak of the vengeance of the
phantom dwellers Of the tombs. The
friars oppose mining in the view that 1t
would demoralize their parishioners.
Thus, although the evidences Of mineral
wealth are everywhere, practically and
almost literally nothing has been done
toward its utilization.
The rock formation Of the archipelago
Is volcanic, eedimentary and coraline.
| Among the volcanic class are basalt,
obsidan, lava. tufa sulphur and ar
senic. Not twenty-five years ago Sir
John Bowring examined the sulphur de-
posits of Taal, not far from Cavite, and
declared them of excellent quality, Dr.
| Kato pronounced them as capable Of
yielding 100000 tons of sulphur at a fair
profit. They are utilized by the natives
only, the Spanish authorities having re-
| fused any concession to open up the
property.
| Among valuable sedimentary rocks
| are marble, white, yellow and notified
gypsum and alabaster, iron ore, Ignite
| brown coal. cement rock, slate, lime
stone and sandstone, The gypsum is
| quite pure and yields a first-class plas-
| ter of paris. The alabaster varies in
color, ranging from white into several
pleasant tints. The iron ore is of va
rious kinds. A deposit at Zebu Is
largely pyrites and is well suited for
making sulphur and oil of vitrio In
Negroes and Southern Luzon are fine
beds of limonite, or bog iron ore, and
hematite, or red iron ore. They are
quite free from sulphur and phosphorus.
In Morong is wonderful bed of rich
iron ore resembling the magnetic of
Lake Champlain. At Angot is one of
the richest iron ores known. 1t APP
proaches the Juraguo ore of Eastern
Cuba, and is noted for it's purity. The
supply seems inexhauetible The mines
were once worked by an English con-
Germ, which figured out a profit of so
per cent. per annum upon a capital Of
not less than 100000. But they did not
know the country. What with cedulas
and special taxes, inspectors and asses-
sors, military commanders and half
caste politicians, transit duties and ex-
port taxes, the profit was turned to loss
Then when they closed their works tenn
porarily, hoping to obtain relief, the
workmen and soldiers stole all the
stock, the machinery and, piece by
piece, the buildings themselves. Com
plant was made to the governor gen
eral, who promptly and politely or
dered an investigation This was over
fifty years ago, and the investigation is
still going on. The mines are now
worked by natives, who make enough
in one day to support them week
Petroleum exists and is found at Lu-
ION and Mindanao 1t is utilized by
the natives for medical purposes and for
household use, but not industrially
A good cement rock is common. Tt
makes a brown cement equal to Rose
dale but inferior to Portland
Among the metals which have been
found are quicksilver, tin, zinc, lead,
copper aud platinum. These have been
discovered by mneralogists Whether
they exist in paying quantities is UNI
known
Gold is believed to exist in large guam
titles throughout the island Under any
ether administration it would be the
basis of Astonishing industry and in
every probability the source of vast
wealth. But the Spaniards will not
work themselves nor permit foreigners
to come in and carry off the profits. |
The Visayes are too intractable. the
Negritos too savage and the Tagals too
poor and indolent to engage in the hard
labor of mining. Chinese labor Is ex-
cluded by law. SO the mines remain |
The only men who profit !
by the mineral resources are the thrifty |
Chinese, who go about the archipelago |
and obtain gold dust and nuggets from
the natives, when no Spaniard is in |
sight. Yet even under these auspices a |
steady stream Of gold flows from the !
Philippines to Hong Kong and to Cam
ton. In Northern Luzon there is a
ledge of collaborating quartz which is
worked by the natives. They build a
fire on the rock, and when it is nearly
red hot they throw water upon the sur
face, which Immediately cracks and
crunhles The brittle Diecee secured in |
This way they pound between two stones
until reduced to dust, and then wash
the latter to obtain the finely divided
gold distributed in the powder. 1t is
very slow and laborious work. and yet
It supports several Tagal tribes and
number of Visaya communities. The
industry has been going on for at least
100 years, and, although constantly in
corrupted by soldiers and other inspec-