ii6 The National Geographic Magazine 



As earl}^ as 1 856-' 57 two concessions 

 were granted to the Cantabro Philippine 

 Mining Compan}', and an attempt was 

 made to exploit them and market their 

 product. Rude methods of mining, 

 ruder methods of extracting the metal, 

 and still more rude and primitive meth- 

 ods of transportation, combined with 

 lack of sufficient capital and suitable 

 labor, led to the abandonment of this 

 attempt, and for more than twenty years 

 the property, which in itself is a small 

 claim upon the immense ledge above re- 

 ferred to, has been occupied only to the 

 limited extent required by the Spanish 

 mining laws to prevent the cancellation 

 of the concession. The officer at present 

 in charge of the mining bureau charac- 

 terizes this deposit as an "undoubted 

 bonanza." The main thing necessar}^ 

 for its exploitation is the opening up of 

 a short line of communication with the 

 coast. 



lyignites are known to exist in Luzon, 

 Bataan (the island, not the province), 

 Mindoro, Masbate, Negros, Cebti, Min- 

 danao, and other islands. Some of the 

 deposits are very extensive. As yet the)^ 

 have been worked only at or near the 

 surface. 



Testimony is unanimous to the fact 

 that the Philippine coals do not clinker, 

 nor do they soil the boiler tubes to any 

 such extent as do Japanese and Austra- 

 lian coals. 



The extensive fields near Bulacacao, 

 in southern Mindoro, are within four to 

 six miles of a harbor which gives safe 

 anchorage throughout the year and 

 which has water deep enough for the 

 largest ocean-going vessels. Some of 

 the Cebii deposits are also conveniently 

 situated with reference to harbor facil- 

 ities. It is to be confidently expected 

 that the coal will play a very important 

 part in the future development of the 

 archipelago. 



The outlook as to gold mines grows 

 more favorable as the operations of pros- 

 pectors are extended. Modern gold- 



mining machinery has never been used 

 in the Philippines. Igorrote miners in 

 the Benguet - Lepanto - Bontoc district 

 discard all rock in which there is not 

 visible a considerable quantity of free 

 gold. Prospectors in this region claim 

 to have located very extensive deposits 

 of low-grade, free-milling ore, which will 

 yield large and certain returns as soon 

 as concessions can be secured and ma- 

 chinery put in place. Unless the state- 

 ments of those who have been working 

 in this region are utterlj^ false, it is true 

 that very valuable deposits have been 

 located, and that extensive operations 

 will be undertaken as soon as claims 

 can be granted and machinery placed. 

 At all events, it is certain that the men 

 who have located these deposits have 

 sufficient faith in them to camp on 

 them and wait month after month for 

 the time to come when they can estab- 

 lish their claims. 



Kxtensive deposits of high-grade iron 

 ore are known to exist, but it would seem 

 that their development must be pre- 

 ceded by the development of the coal 

 fields. 



But before any of the mineral re- 

 sources of the islands can be developed 

 mining laws must be enacted and exist- 

 ing claims settled. 



HARBORS AND HIGHWAYS. 



As may have been expected, centers 

 of population and comparative wealth 

 are to be found at the seaports and ter- 

 ritories contiguous thereto, which are 

 more or less accessible to markets b}'- 

 means of water communication ; but 

 these favored localities are limited, in • 

 area and their facilities for doing busi- 

 ness are, with few exceptions, inade- 

 quate and unsatisfactory. 



Although there are numerous harbors 

 dotting the coast line, there are but few 

 that admit vessels of heavy draft. As 

 a rule, they are not landlocked, and 

 are more or less exposed to the prcr 



