422 FERGUSON. 



Other metals. — Several manganese claims have been staked in the 

 areas of red slates to the east of Balangting Creek and west of Moimt 

 Yil-lon, but no development work, and hardly even assessment work, 

 has been done. As far as can be seen, the manganese ore, psilomelane, 

 occurs in lens-shaped bodies lying parallel to the slaty cleavage. Pros- 

 pecting alone will show whether any of these lenses may prove to be 

 of sufficient size for profitable exploitation. 



Pebbles and boulders of a hard, massive hematite are often found 

 in Aroroy Creek, northeast of Aroroy ilountain, but the outcrop from 

 which these are derived lias not yet been discovered. As this is near 

 the southern boiondary of the diorite intrusion, it is possible that the 

 hematite may be a contact deposit on the border of the diorite. 



An outcrop of a small vein of iron-stained quartz which shows small 

 specks of chalcopjTite with malachite and azurite, occurs on the Have 

 Got claim, of the Svndicate Mining Company, on the southeastern slope 

 of Mount Kalakbao. This is of no commercial importance, and is 

 interesting only as being the sole occurrence of copper minerals known 

 in this district. 



On the eastern flank of Mount Bagadilla, east of the property of 

 the Colorado Company, is a vein in which small specks of galena have 

 been found. 



irixixG co^^)ITIOxs. 



Location. — ^Xatural conditions are extremely favorable for cheap 

 mining in this district. All the more important veins outcrop near 

 the summits of steep hills, making possible a large amount of preliminary 

 development work by means of adit^. The ground, whether country 

 rock or ore, stands well, and comparatively little timber is necessary. 

 The deep zone of oxidation is, of course, a very favorable point and 

 even if the ore bodies should not be found to be of workable grade in the 

 sulphide zone, there is undoubtedly enough oxidized ore available to 

 make mining profitable. 



Transportation. — The more important mines are situated from 2 to 

 5 kilometei's eastward from Port Barrera, which is as perfect a harbor 

 as can be desired. At present the steamers anchor off the village of 

 Aroroy and the freight is landed in small boats. From Aroroy a good 

 provincial road rune to the Gold Bug mine, a distance of 7 kilometers, 

 and is continued by private companies up the cafion of the Guinobatan. 

 It is planned eventually to build a dock near Maguilanguilan Island 

 and a road from there to the mines. Tliis will make lightering unneces- 

 sary and will shorten by half the distance to the mines and wiU offer 

 a much more sheltered harbor. Transportation is at present furnished 

 by a fortnightly steamer from Manila, with occasional extra boats, 

 and the run is made in about twenty-four hours. 



Timber. — The greater part of the mining district and, indeed, the 



