Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-05

provinces. and I am told that large de-
posits have been recently discovered not
far from the northern coast. / met the
other day lawyer from Portland. Ore.
who claimed to have secured an option on
these mines, and who says he Will soon
start to the United States to organize a
company for their exploitation. There is
some coal not far from Zamboanga. but as
to Its quality or that in the north / naVo
not Yet been able 10 learn
The gold propositions are equally in
definite. There is no doubt but that there
is gold in the streams in many parts Of
Nindanaa, but whether it exists in paying
quantities has not yet been determined.
Foreman. a man who has written the best
book about the islands speaks of a
Frenchman who for long time washed
about four pounds of gold dust a month out
of the Surigao district. The Chinese have
been buying gold from the na5i'-eS. and
traces Of mines have been discovered in a
number of places near here by prosperous
There are a number OF Cahsornials and
Australians already in the mountains. but
as yet, owing to the savage conditions, but
few have ventured far.
a former hospital steward name.l Handy.
who came out here with the army I'm 1875,
has just registered five claims with the
judge advocate general ut tto headquar-
tiers here. There is as Vet no law = Ia re-
cording such claims, but he has left HIS
matters in this shape IN order that nv NAV
establish his claims when the laws rs TO
mining property settled. This man re
signed from the army some tine ago. and
has since devoted himself to prosnccring
He has gone with the Moros back into a
country where the man who enters IS sup
posed to take his life into his hands. He
interested the Moros with him. taking up
claims for them at the same time He
says he was well treated everywhere. and
that although he had $500 in his valise,
which was unlocked. it was not stolen.
His claims lie along river at a distance
of about forty miles inland from Zambo-
anga. He claims that he found color in
every pit he eXcavated. and that in many
places the gold found in paying guam
titles, although he did not go down to the
bedrock. He has brought some samples of
gold in with him. 1t is in fakes like bran
and is absolutely pure.
At one place the Moros took him to some
mines which had been worked by their
people forty years ago, but from which
they had been driven by the Spaniards.
The remains of the workings could be
plainly seen, although large trees had
grown up in the pits. One of the captains,
who is stationed at the Bay of Ilana.
about a hundred miles east of here, tells
mo he has found color in the sands OF the
Rio Grande river. and similar news comes
from the province of Davao.
Long before this letter is published the
soldiers will be well established along the
northern coast of the island. This has
been the source of the most of the gold
found here in the past, and 1t may be that
valuable gold discoveries will be made
there. Copper Is said to exist In Surigao
and other provinces. and there is also said
TO be mercury in Surigao.
The Land of Cocoanuts.
The real gold mines of Mindanao. how
ever. lie in its soil. 1 cannot describe the
wonderful vegetation which We have here
about Zamboanga. There are cocoanut
trees by the millions, and such cocoanut
trees, They are from fifty TO a hundred
feet high, and some of them bearing. 1t is
said, a cocoanut for every day of the year.
They wall the shore of eastern Mindanao
for miles. You might almost ride for days
here and not get out of sight of a cocoanut
grove. Many of the trees are notched so
that the men who gather the nuts walk, as
1t were, from the bottom of the tree TO the
top steps. They take the meat from
the nuts, chop it into little pieces and dry
it in the sun. 1t is then known copra,
and in this shape is shipped to Europe.
WHERE the oil is pressed from ii for use in
the making of soap and other such things.
Some cocoanuts are shipped in the shell and
in some parts of the island the shells are
dried and their fiber used for making rough
mating. Hogs are fattened on the cocoa
nuts and the people eat the nuts and drink
the milk.
What would you think of turning a splgot
and getting a glass of wine from tree?
Well, this very thing is done down here
from the cocoanut trees They cut off the
blossoms and fasten to them bamboo tubes
into which the sap runs. At intervals they
remove the tube and empty the liquid into
another bamboo After being left for six
hours it begins to ferment, and before the
day is over 1t is turned into a liquor which
as the Indians say, will make the drunk
come The stuff looks like cider and
smells to me somewhat like old butter1nilk
II is drunk by the natives both fresh and
fermented.
Coffee and bananas.
l see many coffee trees in my country
drives about Zamboanga. The trees grow
easily and produce excellent berries 1 un-
derstand that the soil of almost any part
Of the coast will raise coffee, and IL this is
SO it should be even better in the mountains
Some of the best coffee in the world comes
from Java, which is only a few hundred
miles TO the southwark, and it may be that
this island is destined to equal the great
Dutch colony in its coffee plantations IL
SO, 1t Will support an enormous population
1t is almost as large as Java and that is
about one-third as many as are in the
United States
Almost anything can be raised In Minda-
mao. | see banana trees here up to fifteen
tcet nigh They tower above you shading
the ground and producing the most delicious
fruit. L have visited large hemp plauta-
items and am told that some provinces
produce as much million dollars worth
of hemp every year. Cacao is also raised
and scattered here and there over the low
lands are sugar plantations. The most of
these are in the hands OF EiSayanS Fam
bcanguenians and Chinese the Moros own
ing practically nothing except their viii
lagos and cattle. The country is a rich
grazing country and numbers of cattle are
new being shipped north to the Manila
market. FRANK q. CARPENTER