The National tribune., 1900-09-20
THE PHILIPPINES.
American Miners Prospecting-Native
Methods of Extracting GoId-Minerai
Resources Of the Islands-The Friars
and the Colleges initiative Natives.

L
Resources of the Islands-The Friars
and the Colleges initiative Natives.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The pick
of the prospector is heard in the land
mostly not by white ears, however. There
| are about 100 men camped around in the
mountains of Luzon Island now, in pairs
and trios, placering and "gophering' for
| gold. Occasionally the gentle Filipino
man W two-oftener he tries it on and
| discovers that an American miner is a
good proposition to let alone. Many of
these men are encamped high up in the
hills and completely out of touch of the
| military, but they usually fortify THEN
base of supplies in way that makes it
hard to attack. All the islands show min
eral deposits of one kind or another, but
they are apt to be what Coloradoans call
specimen mines;" that is. places that will
yield plenty of pretty samples, but not
many carload lots of ore. There is gold
in many places, and the natives have ex
tracted it in a desultory way for CEN
| turtles. They have curious fashion of
breaking the ore. A big stone is chosen
as an anvil and another stone is sus
pended above it from the top of Il sapling
| aid in the crotch of low tree and fas
| tened down at the butt. The workman
seesaws this stone up and down until he
! breaks the rock into egg or nut size, when
It is transferred to an ''arrastra," the uni
yersal gold mill in Spanish countries. This
mill is simply another heavy stone drag
| ying from pivOted pole in n Stone-llned
ing shaped channel, the motive power be-
ing furnished by weary carabaO travel
| ing in circle. Primitive as it is, the
'arrastra' is one of the most effectual
gold saving contrtvances ever invented,
but it is no end slow.
| The trouble with any mining PROPOSE
ton in the islands is labor. The Filipino
is not to be depended on for heavy long
| continued effort. Chinese labor will have
10 be resorted to, probably. Then, trans
portaton is difficult. Philippine ri 5
are queer; in the mountains they ar"
| brooks and torrents, and, without any
| transition, they become estuaries. And
| there are too many If them. The noun
| aims are high and act as effectual CON
| lensers for the moisture of the air, which
| s usually saturated or superSaturated. So
| here are rills and streamlets in every
| direction. Roads are pretty much of n
minus quantity in the islands. and where
| they exist they are perpetually crossing
water courses 100 deep to ford, too wide
| 10 bridge, and not long enough to lead any
| where. Of course, this abundance of
water has its good features; it should be
easy to work hydraulics in most parts of
| he country without having to build long
iumcs.
Geographically, the country in many
| 1laces looks promising, and the Rocky
Mountain men among the volunteers ex-
| press great hopes of finding rich deposits
| If gold. There is plenty of copper in Lu
zon, ard the IgOIrOtes have worked de-
pOsits for years. Some kettles of their
manufacture exhibit considerable skill. !
have in mind one which is 81 feet in di-
imeter, though quite shallow. They
build primitive blast furnaces in which
the air is furnished by blowers consisting
g Ia,, -,
covered pistons. Quicksilver is said TO
exist in several places. There is an old
story that it was once discovered on the
coast of Luzon and reported TO the local
'riest, who told the finders that it was a
dangerous poison and scared them into
letting it alone.
Coal is mined in several places, but it is
mostly ignite. That of Cebu has been
worked off and on since 1927. The seams
are badly twisted and broken, which adds
to the difficulty of mining.
Lieut.. Charles III. Burritt, 18th u. S.
Cav, an old mining lawyer, is in charge
Of the Mining Bureau, and is endeavor-
ing to bring some order into the Spanish
laws. which, like everything Spanish, are
decidedly unsymmetrical and loaded down
with useless lumber. As affairs stand
now, there is no valid title to any of the
claims which have been staked out re-
Gently, since the law says that unless
no claim can be registered. And there are
no civil Governors.
There is peculiar hardwood here
called ''narrO," and the Pullman sleeping
ear people have placed an unlimited order
for all that can be had. As it grows in |
Isolated patches, procuring it is expensive |
and difficult.
There is a story floating about town of |
a plot to blow up the Maestranza Arsenal 1
Some of Aggie's men got into the sewer |
in front and ran Il 15-foot tunnel back. |
intending to enter the magazine, but made |
a characterization and came into a court |
yard instead. Being Filipinos they con
soled themselves by stealing the brass |
tops off a lot of empty powder cans which |
happened to be there. Brass is always a !
to the native, for some occult |
reason best known to himself.
The fight between the Filipinos and the |
friars is rapidly coming to focus The |
medical school, the hospitals and many
other public institutions were run by the
Spanish Government through the interme-
diacy of the friars, and the question is |
whether the title was in the former and
the latter merely employees, or the latter
were the owners and received a subsidy
as a gratuity. All Government property,
of course, passed to the United States by
the treaty Of Paris, and the Filipinos do
not want it turned over to the Church.
When Otis closed the medical college it
was III thC pooSeSolou III ne
and Judge Taft has therefore ruled that
Fiiipinos who argue that it belongs to the /
Government are in the position of parties
and endeayOring to GUST parties
in possession. This gives them the OPEN
ing and closing argument. Col. Crow
der's history of the institution, compiled |
from Spanish archives, has been accepted
as basis by both sides, Archbishop
Chapelle merely Directing to certain
verbal details. The Archbishop objected
to the credentials of young lawyer
named CalderOn, who represents the Fill
ipino people" asking that written author
ity for such representation be produced.
Taft sat down hard on this line of quib-
bling, saying that Calderon should be
heard, if he only represented a single Fill
ipino. This was new idea to the natives
and produced a good effect. The opening
speech was pretty good one, but flowery
to the last degree, naturally enough, that
being the Spanish fashion.
We are going to have a big celebration
of the amnesty proclamation tomorrow
and next day, regular lovefeast, with
man-and-brother .OratiOns by the score and
taify by the pQund.1e Also, incidentally,
there will be champagne and beer There
is nothing the average native likes so
much as chance to talk platitudes, and
he is going to have his way this time for
fair. Out in the suburbs somewhere Ag-
gle is lurking and cherishing bad thoughts
against his ex-eOmpanions, Buencamino.
n md thA rArk bod - I.x.v