12 THE CUBA REVIEW 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 nickeliferous 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 14 THE CUBA REVIEW Scene along the road from Pinar del Rio to Vinales, in the Manganese district. their extent appears to be of considerable importance, they have not been systematically explored or actively mined. At Sabalo, south of the railroad, there are some very extensive deposits of perfectly white siliceous sand 98% pure, which have been very actively mined for the manufacture of bottles for the Havana breweries and general bottle making, and a new company has just been organized to install a complete glass factory to produce all kinds of glassware. Just a few kilometres to the northwest, at a point known as Narajo, there are some highly interesting lead prospects which are being carefully explored by a Philadelphia concern which has already shipped, via Havana, its first 30 tons of first-class galena. From just about this point to a point 50 kilometre^ to the north, and from here in a north- easterly direction for about 7 5 kilometres there is a belt of various sedimentary rocks intruded at places by highly serpentinized rocks, often flanked by limestone formations, rich in all manner of copper indications. Many hundreds of claims have been made on this land and there is hardly a square kilometre without some prospect holes, an addit, an active or deserted camp, or, in a word, some evidence of mining activities. Of the many prospects of the zone, one has become one of the most important copper mines of the continent. "Minas de Matahambre," 14 kilometres south of the harbor of Santa Lucia, was discovered in 1913, prospected and explored in 1914, the ore located, blocked and prepared for intensive mining in 1915, until in 1916, 33 ships left Santa Lucia carrying a total cargo of 65,000 tons of excellent grade ore. "Minas de Matahambre" is a real mine today, producing over twenty million tons of copper and seventy thousand ounces of silver per year. To mention just a few of the more promising prospects of this copper belt. Mono, Vivero, Catalina, and Nieves are near the great Matahambre and their exploration goes on with varyino' success. Francisco and Cdndida that shipped some six thousand tons of high gra^lr^„__,.,^concern- , , ' iiwiii Dii- - - . ,-•-'" ^ ^^v* t . — _ , »T. old workings left by the native Indians. iTg thTfact that their discovery was due to the relative proficiency of the Indians in the metallurgy of We all admit and recognize the of that metal are numerous; but it is not so copper, as the utensils and rehcs of articles made copper was known or practised by them. In the easily accepted that the process of refining relics found in dwelhngs and tombs from all analyses of over two thousand samples of copper been found. When we remember that prac- over the continent, not a trace of;gold or silver has America bears gold and silver, often in paying amounts, tically all the copper from Continental their copper by a process which we have failed to determine. we wonder if the Indians refined THE CUBA REVIEW 15 South of Bahfa Honda, and extending some 50 kilometres in a south-easterly direction, begins an important belt of sedimentary' rocks, rich in all manner of oil indications. Import- visible in many localities porous rocks are often found saturated in an excellent ant seepages are ; grade of oil which flows out upon breaking the specimen under the hammer; the geological features of the land from a structural point of view are of the highest interest and just the type that would interest petroleum experts. Quite recently an American concern took a lease on a claim covering over 100,000 acres of this land. Some of the best indications are apparent at Artemisa, while at Candelaria, a man drilled a shallow well with a small four-inch rig and obtained a few barrels a day which he used about his farm. The future of Pinar del Rio as a mining district is no longer a source of speculation; intelli- gent mining is only needed. Occurrence of Chromite at the Elena Mine. PROVINCE OF HAVANA The northern half of the Province of Havana is very interesting to the petrologist.dueto its wealth of oil surface-indications, specially in its central portion. At Bacuranao, 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 generality that oil could not be found near, or in, igneous rocks.