﻿384 SMITH. 



Xo. .i. — Betis (?) post, in good condition. 



Xo. 3. — Guijo cap, badly rotted at the ends. 



Xo. -'/. — Pagsagon post, fairly sound but weakened. 



Xo. ').— Tindalo post, affected in spots but fairly sound. 



Xo. 6. — Bogo post, affected in spots so as to be useless. 



Xo. 7. — Molave post, slightly affected so as to be weakened. 



Xo S. — Molave cap, fairly sound with hollow at the heart which was probably 

 there originally. 



Xo. 9. — Tindalo cap, still useful. 



Xo. 10. — Nipot-nipot cap, badly rotted. 



Xo. 11. — Putian ( ?) post, Slightly affected at heart. 



Xo. 12. — Taguilumboy post, still fairly sound and could serve for some time 

 longer. 



Xo. 13. — Nancaon post, in fair condition. 



The above timbers have seen ten to twelve years' service. In general, the caps 

 are affected by decay sooner than the posts. 



A large proportion of the inferior or little known woods of the locality were 

 used in the Camansi mines. Some of them have proved to be very durable, almost 

 as much so for the purpose as molave. Inese are most notably taguilumboy and 

 hambabse. Putian, camungayon, nancaon, mata-mata, tunguatingan, and ama- 

 huyan have shown themselves to be fairly satisfactory. 



The conditions affecting the durability of the mine timbers are different from 

 those influencing an harigue (house post) or other timber exposed to light and 

 air; they are in almost complete darkness, are constantly dripping with moisture 

 and are covered with slime. The air inside the tunnels is heavy, hot, laden with 

 moisture and it varies but little in temperature. The white ant is said not to 

 work, except at the entrance to the tunnels, and no injurious work of insects 

 was observed in the old timbers. Consequently, conditions are not such as to 

 cause the most rapid decay, although favorable to the growth of destructive fungi. 



Present use of timber. — The wood used in the mines is in the form of posts, 

 caps and lagging. For 100 meters of tunnel 170 caps, about 7,000 short stakes 

 for lagging and 340 posts are used, having an approximate volume for posts and 

 caps of about 20 cubic meters. The lagging used is formed of the small stems of 

 the datilis or caballero, a brushwood growing in thickets near streams, which 

 does not make a timber tree. 



The caps are about 1.35 meters in length and 0.50 in circumference; the posts 

 about 2.35 by 0.55 meters. They are entire, round logs, cut from small trees 

 and are not treated in any way to preserve them from decay. A coal-mining 

 operation on a fairly large scale would run about 1,500 meters of tunnels a year, 

 which would require about 300 meters of timber for posts and caps, exclusive 

 of that used for the tramway and for general construction. This would mean 

 about 2,000 small trees to be cut to about the size now being used. 



Since work is now progressing only on a small scale, old tunnels being cleared 

 and a few new ones started, at present but a small amount of timber is required. 

 This demand can be supplied for a time by the neighboring forests, but as soon 

 as the operations are greatly extended it will be necessary to secure material 

 from other sources. 



Possible sources. — It is probable that rejected railroad ties can be obtained 

 which should make good mining timbers. The dungula growing on the tract of 

 the Insular Lumber Company should be a most excellent mine timber. This is 

 now being cut and doubtless, from time to time, a steamer load could be secured. 

 The better forested islands, such as Mindanao, Samar, Paragua, and Mindoro, 

 should be a source for mine timbers of the first group. Only further experience 



