Peckham — Bituminous Deposits of Cuba. 33 



Akt. III. — On the Bituminous Deposits situated at the South 

 and East of Cardenas, Cuba ; by Herbert E. Peckham. 



It is a well known fact that different forms of bitumen 

 exist upon the Island of Cuba. Mention has been made of 

 their occurrence by several writers as long ago as the begin- 

 ning of the 19th century. In 1803, Alexander von Humboldt 

 visited the island and remained some two years, during which 

 time he studied the geology of the country around Havana and 

 to the eastward towards Matanzas. In 1837, we find Richard 

 C. Taylor, the noted geologist, making an investigation of a 

 so-called coal field at Guanabacoa, six miles east of Havana, 

 and a short report on the same. The same author also men- 

 tions the occurrence of springs of liquid bitumen upon the 

 shores of Havana Harbor, and also the fact that the chapapote 

 or maltha was used by the inhabitants for pitching the bottoms 

 of ships. These two references show that bitumen in Cuba 

 has been observed by travelers for over one hundred years. 

 The native population really know more than any one about 

 the location of these outcrops, as is quickly seen when a pros- 

 pector makes inquiries. While the Spanish Government held 

 control of Cuba there was very little incentive for any one, 

 foreigner or native, to investigate the mineral resources of the 

 island, because of the exorbitant royalties made payable to the 

 Crown ; consequently, it is a question whether any one pos- 

 sesses accurate knowledge upon the extent to which bitumen 

 occurs. However, I think enough has been done to show that 

 there can be no doubt that valuable deposits probably exist 

 over a very wide area. 



Before the outbreak of the Spanish-American war many 

 scientific travelers had visited the island, making observations 

 covering a much larger area than that mentioned by the earlier 

 writers. From the reports of these travelers, especially 

 Americans and Englishmen, we notice that, so far, the greater 

 number of these occurrences have been observed in Matanzas 

 and Santa Clara provinces. These are so situated geograph- 

 ically that we find solid bitumen extending along the northern 

 coast from Havana eastward as far as Cardenas. Inland to the 

 south of Cardenas and eastward the bitumen is more fluid until 

 at Motembo we find a well producing colorless naphtha ; while 

 still farther east in the vicinity of Sagua la Grande more 

 dense material reaches the surface. Still farther south and 

 east, at Santa Clara City and in the hills beyond, extensive 

 deposits of solid asphaltum again appear. Roughly estimated, 

 the tract of country exhibiting surface indications of fluid 



Am. Jour. Sci. — Fourth Series, Vol. XII, No. 67.— July, 1201 

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