THECUBAREVIEW 18 



or how they succeeded in recovermg their gold and silver contents from them. As the "El 

 Cobre" mines mineral never carried any gold or silver values, and it has been conclusively 

 proven that the mines had been worked previous to the discovery of America, and besides, that 

 the Indians had communication with the Continent, a distinguished American mining engineer 

 has advanced the theory that for years, and perhaps centuries before the discovery, these 

 Cuban mines had supplied this Continent with all the copper needed by its inhabitants. 



The next mineral to make its appearance in the mining history of Cuba, appears to be 

 iron. At the Daiquiri and Juragua mines in the Province of Oriente, and only a few miles from 

 Santiago de Cuba, miUions of tons of excellent, low phosphorous, iron ore have been mined, and 

 there are many more miUions available. These mines began to be actively worked in 1883. 



In later years, the wonderful nickelif erous iron ores of Mayari, Moa and Cubitas, have been 

 discovered and there are hundreds of millions of tons of ore proved by extensive boring, con- 

 stituting the biggest ore-body of high grade iron known in the world, which, in spite of active 

 mining since 1908, can be said to be hardly touched yet. 



Ashphalt comes, probably, next, chronologically speaking, in the hst of minerals of economi- 

 cal importance in Cuba. It is very widely disseminated all over the island, and it occurs in 

 really remarkable quantities, being in all cases of a high grade and purity; its analysis compares 

 favorably with the best world asphalts. To give an idea of the vastness of the Cuban asphalt 

 supply, it need only be said that the w^hole of Cardenas Bay, a sheet of water over 10 kilo- 

 metres wide and 20 ui length, is completely underlaid by soUd asphalt, which has been mined 

 for years in crude and primitive fashion. 



Manganese has been the source of great mining activity at different periods and when- 

 ever active warfare has been waged in any of the quarters of the world affecting the great man- 

 ganese producing countries, like the Russo-Japanese war, and the present world-war. While 

 for years the Ponupo Group, northeast of Santiago, were the sole source of manganese, today 

 work is actively carried on in about two hundred mmes and prospects, and the tonnage has 

 been raised to a monthly output of at least 50,000 tons of both chemical and lower grade man- 

 ganese. 



War is directly responsible for the great activity in chrome ore mining which had but a 

 mineralogical mterest in Cuba. The vast serpentine areas of Cuba are being carefully pros- 

 pected and hundreds of new claims and all the known deposits are bemg feverishly worked 

 to the extent that it is safe to say that Cuba is in the race as a chrome producmg country to 

 stay, for even when after the war prices are readjusted, the big chrome mines now being devel- 

 oped will be in a position to brmg profits to their operators, as the initial cost of development 

 has been made while high prices prevailed. At Camaguey and Matanzas Provinces, immense 

 deposits of high and medium grade chrome have been located within from one to six kilometres 

 from the railroad. 



Lead in payable quantities is now being mined at Pinar del Rio in the form of argen- 

 tiferous galena. 



Zinc as high as 14% has been sampled from a mine near Bueycito in the Province of 



Oriente. 



Cinnabar is reported m Santa Clara Province at a mine worked years ago by a Spaniard. 



A soft bituminous coal is now being mmed at Placetas and Santa Maria del Rosario, in 

 Santa Clara and Havana Provinces, respectively. 



But none of the above-mentioned minerals has been so welcome or its discovery 

 the source of such interest and speculation as the cUscovery of coal oil at Bacuranao, 15 kilo- 

 Tnetres northeast of Havana, and near the north coast of Cuba. 



'iu.:, i-Jiriefly outhning the principal minerals being mined in Cuba, it is well to make a 

 its wealth of oil sdvia(5e-Vi'icncandns,''specTaiiy m its central portion. ''At-feacuranao,'' about 23 

 kilometres east of Havana, oil in paying amounts was first struck in a well 540 feet deep by 

 the Union Oil Company, a concern organized with Spanish and Cuban capital. 



It is very interesting to note that the country rock is serpentine, although a few miles to 

 the north, the formation is flanked by limestones which form a low range of hills. To many ob- 

 servers the presence of serpentine was the best proof that oil would never be found, based on 

 the generaUty that oil could not be found near, or in, igneous rocks. In spite of all prejudices 

 and predictions, about 100 barrels of oil have been coming from three wells in this camp, while 



