Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-08-13

accepted the American government
and few American miners have pen.
etrated to the interior.
The IgOttotes, G. peaceful tribe dwell
ing in the hills, have since time i'm
mediately washed a little gold from
the streams, but Their only method has
been the washing of the gravel in
cocoanut shells and so the results OBJ
tanned by them cannot be taken as
truthful testimony as to the worth of
any deposits.
Free Milling Ore.
The really valuable gold deposits in
this section occur in the form of low
grade free milling ores, which VIII
never run higher than 81 to the ton.
These ores, however, occur in i'm.
mense quantities and are found in
numerous places in the hills. Some
gold quartz veins also exist. and these
are found in immense slides of blue
sulphide In these slides the Igor
rotes have followed the veins by bur
rowing in with primitive tunnels.
When one of these tunnels caves in
the mine is abandoned as the people
believe in a devil of the mountains
who expresses his displeasure in this
manner. The Igorrote miners have
discarded all rock that did not yield a
comparatively large amount of free
gold, as they were unable to handle it
with their primitive methods.
In the case of the free milling ores
the American prospectors in the Ben
guet region are very confident that
some great mines will be developed as
soon as transportation facilities are
such that the proper machinery can
be introduced. That these mines are
really valuable cannot be as yet said
decisively. But experienced pros
pectors who know gold when they see
| it, have had enough faith in this Ben
guet region to stake out their claims
and live there alone in the center Of
the island for over three years in the
face of great danger and privation.
In the provinces known as the Cam
arines the Spaniards seem to have
done more mining work than else,
where in the islands, probably because
of the proximity to the coast.
Here there are rich quartz veins
that several years ago were worked
by the Spaniards on a comparatively
large scale, 70 natives being en-
ployed. At Paracale, in this district
the veins run parallel in a bed Of
granite, and assume q width of twenty
feet. The pay streak has been re-
ported to run as high as $40 to the ton
but the average is much lower than
, this.
The Unknown WiIds.
The real interest in gold mining is in
the development Oh the unknown wids
of the islands of Mindoro and Minal.
dao. These islands have always been
considered very wealthy in mineral de-
posits, for the natives have from time
to time brought to the eyes of some
hopeful prospector fine qualities OF
placer gold.
In Mindanao the provinces OF
Misamis and Surigao have produced
small quantities of gold and these
two provinces are entirely unex.
plored IL these two provinces are
two distinct watersheds, separated by
low ranges of hills, and the supposi'
ton is that the gold comes from the
common source of these two river sys.
TENS in the mountains of the interior.
That this gold has been worked to
some degree is without doubt, for I
have talked with reliable prospectors,
who report the finding OF immense
trees growing on top of evident old
placer workings which are very large
in scale. The imagination cannot
but connect these reports with the old
stories of the marvelously rich king
dom of Cipango that was later sup.
posed to be identified with Japan.
In Mindoro a little gold has been
brought in by the natives, but this is.
land is one great forest of tropical
growth and almost nothing is known
about its interior.
Summing up what have been able
to learn of the exact situation and
present knowledge of the islands in
regard to their gold deposits, it mus,
be admitted that sold is found in
considerable quantity in several OF
the islands. The islands are apparent
ly in the same group or chain as Bor
ne0, Papua and Australia, in all OF
which great deposits of the yellow
e metal have been founG. so there Is
every reason to believe that further
exploration will bring to light some
great gold fields that will rival in ex
tent and value those of California art
Alaska,
The Philippines are easy for III,
prospector. OF course. there is sem,
danger from the climate, but among
the various men whom have met il
the islands who have prospected in al
of the great mining ceUters of IL,
i world. have not found one who doe
not say that prospecting in the Philip
pines is easier than in any other 'coun
try which they have tried