The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-03
MINING IN CUBA IS
BUT LITTLE EXPLOITED
Island Resources Have Not
Been Explored in Intelli-
gent Way.

Cuba has had in the past, one copper
mine worthy of the name-El Cobre,
in the province of Santiago, on the
extreme eastern end of the island, says
the Mining and Scientific Press. The
history of this property is well-known
to those conversaat with the literature
of copper. Fifty years ago it was IA.
nous as producer Of copper ore, which
was shipped to England and to Balti-
more. II has record of production
which has been varIously estimated at
between twenty and thirty millions of
dollars, and ITS extensive workings
give evidence of large output. About
three years ago an American corpora
tion was organized for the purpose of
freeing this famous mine from water.
Owing TO many difficulties, due largely
To the fact that the old workings were
badly cavcd, the efforts to recover the
lower workings, which were at depth
of 1900 feet, failed, and the property
was once more allowed TO be flooded.
Sufficient work had been done, how
ever, to show that substantial bodies of
copper ore had been extracted from Il
mineralized zone comprising three or
four veins running parallel for n dis
tance of at least 5000 feet laterally,
and actually worked 10 depth of 1900
feet. About 100000 worth of copper
ore was shipped TO the United States
from the old workings of this property
before they were abandoned, The
occur in an andesite. brecciated. Many
old slopes were found 90 and 30 feet
in width.
The ore extracted from the surface
workings was for the most part oxi.
died and rich in chalcocite AT a
depth of about so TO so feet the oxides
were replaced by chalcopyrite accom-
panied by iron pyrite in silicious
gangue The sulphides showed an aver
age content of & per cent copper, The
ore contained neither silver nor gold
in paying quantity. The Mills adjacent
to Cobre give evidence Of the exist
ence of other veins, which are now be
ing prospcctod with view to opening
up virgin territory on this property.
On the extreme western end of the
island, in the province of Pinar del Rio,
there are substantial gossan outcrops
from $50 to 200 feet wide. Under this,
at n depth of 40 TO 80 feet, iron pyrite
containing black copper occurs. These
deposits promise TO he extensive, and
in some respects resemble the ore oc
currence at Ducktown In the province
of Santa Clara there are several cop
per showings of sufficient merit 10 in
vite the attention Of the miner. This
might also he said of other locations
in Cuba yet unexplored. The iron and
manganese mines Of the island are be-
ing developed by several American
companies,
1t seems quite evident that the min
cral resources of Cuba have not been
Systematically explored; especially is
this true of the mountains back from
the coast, where, owing to unsettled
conditions in the past, but little work
has been done. It has been the belief
Of n number Of engineers that Cuba
presents opportunities for intelligent
and it is much to be de-
plorcd that the Cubans have failed at
this time to maintain a stable govern
ment on the island. when it's resources
were beginning to attract the attention
of capital 1t is quite evident that
if its mineral is to be developed at all,
Uncle Sam must step in and take
hand in Strengthening things out. Many
Americans living in Cuba since the
Spanish war seem 10 be of the opinion
that until the United States takes con-
troll of the situation no substantial ad-
vance can be made in placing Cuba
where il should be-a producer of cop
per and iron ore. In Justice to the ad
of President Palma. it
may be said that Americans have re-
ceived every encouragement from the
Cuban Government; they have met
with uniform courtesy; they have been
protected in their rights, and have en-
joyed peaceful possession of their prop