Evening star., 1901-02-19


Puerto Principe province there are between
six hundred and seven hundred Americans
established In small colonies Their aggre-
CRATE investments are not large, yet most
they are more important than some of the
corporations which are engaged in heavy
financial undertakings. d
Misinformation About Timber.
With reference to timber lands a great
amount of misinformation and deplorable
want OF real information still exists. The
forests OF Cuba are yet quoted as though
they were the source of inexhaustible
wealth. Nobody seems to have reduced
the subject to Its commercial basis. The
forests In eastern Cuba are valuable,
.noush tnere Is not and never will be the
opportunity Tor making the great fortunes
that were made in the pine lands of Michi-
gan and Wisconsin.
Few Cubans are able to give satisfactory
with which the forests abound. and they
nave the most vague ideas of the uses to
Whicn these woods can be put. There is
mahogany. ebony and other varieties of
oaa onat sort as well as the roble or Cuban
OAK, ana the Jucara, which is harder than
Tue American hickory. There is also some
nsnum vitae left, and the red cedar, which
are are used IN making cigar boxes, and for
n%uilolng; % In the swamps there are dye woods.
lHe ralIWay companies probably will be
aoie 70 get what ties they need from native
woods, and in clearing the wild lands some
commercial utility may be found in the
Mines in Cuba are reaching the stage
Wnicn is attractive to the speculator and
,i miIici also offers some inducement to the
senulne nVester. The iron ore and man
samess mines In Santiago. which were
owned by American capitalists and which
partlaiIy suspended during the insurrection
are now oelng worked, though there Is still
e r. aH,o pack from the lack of steady labor.
q
neSe mines In Santiago have been taken up
ana considerable American money has been
pui itauiI ineo Them at venture. The wise cap
!tafsts spent their first money In estab-
iiShing title S' III e'''o
ne manganese mines themselves are as
souu safnole as gold mines. When the
maaes naneahes s is located and there is the
means OF getting it out and having it shin
ped, and when few other details arc
cleared up the return on the money invest
ed is very large. Lately not much has
!n neen heard about the lead deposits in San
uago. though some experienced miners and
also some capitalists are positive that thev
nave made secure for themselves valuable
properties
Copper Mining Is Promising.
Inc copper deposits are not confined to
santiago. There is a copper mine within
ooZen miles of Havana, on which two
courageous American capitalists have spent
S4o'ooV. Now they feel sure that their
money Is coming back, and coming back
with heavy additions. Near Matanzas a
copper deposit Is being worked in a small
way, ana Is said to be promising good re-
SUITS. A year and a half ago some PENN
syIVahla prospectors got control of the old
copper mines in Puerto Principe and also
secured the title to a good deal of other
Iaho winch 1t was thought might have cop
per under the surface. They are taking
ore out Of some of the old mines in what
Is said to be paying quantities, and later
they will open up the newer tracts.
The American military authority has
given full force to the old Spanish laws
and at the same time has recognized the
right to acquire mining lands by Ameri-
cans who may locate them and denounce
them, as the term is in accordance with
the Spanish laws. No question exists that
all such claims will be recognized and vail
dated by any future Cuban government
Yet mining titles are surrounded with SO
many uncertainties that whoever contem-
plates buying Cuban mine would do well
to spend part of his money In a thorough
investigation of the title.
AT present there Is no means of telling
how much actually has been invested by
Americans In Cuban mines, yet the amount
Is larger than is commonly supposed. In
spite of the absolute certainty of good
profit on money invested in land which will
grow sugar cane. tobacco, fruits and vege-
tables, many Americans prefer to take
their chances in mines, Where they have
invested well in time something will be
heard of their properties. Where they have
they will say nothing but
they will have the satisfaction of knowing
that they have helped to reconstruct the
island because their money remains In
Cuba. CHARLES NJ PEPPER.