CUBA’S MINERAL RESOURCES
The possession of gold ornaments by the natives of Cuba at the time of
Columbus’ discovery of the Island gave it a reputation for mineral
wealth which was maintained for centuries on a somewhat slender basis.
The precious metals have never been found in considerable quantities,
and it was only in comparatively recent years that any serious mining
enterprises were established. The Spanish Government, for some
incomprehensible reason, discouraged the exploitation and even the
investigation of the mineral resources of Cuba, and practically nothing
was definitely known about them until the United States Geological
Survey made a geological reconnaissance shortly after the
Spanish-American War.
With the exception of asphalt, which is produced on a commercial scale
in the provinces of Habana, Matanzas, Santa Clara, and Puerto Principe,
the mineral development, and perhaps the mineral resources of Cuba are
restricted to the mountainous region at the eastern end of the Island,
occupied mainly by the Province of Oriente. There is no doubt but that
this region is extremely rich in many valuable minerals. The present
development is insignificant as compared with the future possibilities.
Lack of labor is a bar to the extension of mining, and several deposits
of ascertained value are not worked on account of the absence of
transportation facilities. With improvement in these conditions it is
certain that the mineral output of the Island will take an important
place in its commerce.
To the east and west of Santiago de Cuba are many deposits of iron ore,
most of them denounced, but none of them developed. Among these is a
group of mines, chief of which is the Camaroncids, fifty-six miles from
Santiago de Cuba, the ore of which is said to average sixty-eight per
cent. iron.
In part, it is widely believed that iron ore of the finest quality
abounds throughout the Sierra Maestra region. A mining engineer of
experience is responsible for the statement that, in the vicinity of
Mayari, near Nipe Bay, deposits of high grade ore have been discovered
“of sufficient extent to supply the demands of the whole world for the
next century.”
Iron is the chief mineral product of Cuba. The first “denouncement” of
an iron mine in the Island was made in the year 1861, but it was not
until 1883 that the investment of capital made the exploitation of the
deposits of the Sierra Maestra possible. In the following year, the
Juragua Iron Company, an American concern, made the first shipment of
iron ore from the Island. At this time the Spanish authorities granted a
number of concessions favorable to foreign corporations engaged in
mining. Under this encouragement the pioneer company extended its
operations and a few years later the Spanish-American Iron Company,
organized in the United States, entered the field. The Sigua Iron
Company and the Cuban Steel Ore Company followed. The operations of all
these concerns were carried on in the vicinity of Santiago de Cuba until
a few years ago, when the Spanish-American Iron Company established a
large plant at Felton, in the Nipe Bay district.
The most important recent development in the industry is the acquisition
by the Bethlehem Steel Company of an iron ore deposit occupying an area
of about 900 acres, lying twelve miles to the east of Santiago. This is
regarded by experts as one of the most important mineral discoveries
ever made in Cuba. Measurements by mining engineers give the contents of
the ore-beds as 75,000,000 tons.
The ore obtained from the Sierra Maestra is both hematite and magnetite,
rich in iron and low in phosphorus and sulphur. It is especially adapted
to the Bessemer process of manufacture. An average analysis shows more
than sixty-two per cent. metallic iron.
These properties are not mines in the strict sense of the word. The ore
is found in small irregular bodies, near the tops of the hills, and it
is extracted by quarrying, so that the workings are entirely exposed to
view. Explosives and steam shovels are used in taking out the ore, which
is unusually hard. As it does not lie in seams, with definite walls, one
of the chief difficulties of operation consists in sorting it from the
ordinary rock.
The first shipment of iron ore from Cuba, made by the Juragua Iron
Company in 1884, amounted to somewhat more than 25,000 tons. Since that
time there has been an almost steady increase in the output of Oriente.
The annual production is now in excess of a million tons, approximating
$5,000,000 in value. It is probable that the American investments in
iron mines in Cuba amount to at least $20,000,000. The large operating
companies, with one exception, originated in Philadelphia, and have now
affiliated interests.
The labor problem has been a constant difficulty with the mining
companies. They find the native whites quite unequal to the arduous work
of the mines, and the blacks are not satisfactory on account of their
irregularity and difficulty of control. Despite the cost, the greater
part of the labor employed is imported from the provinces of Spain.
These men are strong, steady workers, and orderly. The companies take
great pains to secure their comfort and health, with the result that
there are practically no desertions and little difficulty in recruiting
the force.
In this connection it will be of interest to describe the measures by
which the Spanish-American Mining Company has almost banished malaria
from its settlement at Daiquiri, especially as their experience should
be significant and suggestive to every corporation largely employing
labor in Cuba.
An outbreak of yellow fever in 1908 led to the thorough sanitation of
Daiquiri by the United States Army Medical Corps. The Company fully
appreciated the condition in which the camps were left, and decided to
maintain it. A sanitary department was organized and has been since kept
up at a monthly expense of a thousand or more dollars. A corps of
experienced men make frequent inspections of the dwellings, see that
they are kept clean and that all water barrels are covered with netting.
A determined and systematic campaign has been waged against the
anopheles, or malaria mosquito. As a result, malaria, which Cubans look
upon as a necessary evil, has been reduced to a negligible quantity, and
the general efficiency of the force has been greatly increased.
The total number of malaria cases in the year 1909 were 234. For the
last five months of the year the number was only 48, and on December 31,
there was not a single case in the hospital. The improvement has been
maintained. The following table shows how the present condition compares
with that of former years:
Year Average number Total cases of Percentage of labor force sick with
on pay roll malaria malaria at some time of the year
1901 920 1,131 123
1902 1,312 1,362 104
1903 1,348 1,116 83
1904 858 394 46
1905 941 436 46
1906 1,309 746 57
1907 1,315 689 52
1908 1,292 632 49
1909 1,391 234 17
In 1909, with 1,391 men on the pay roll, the average number of patients
in the hospital daily was fourteen. In other words, there was only one
per cent. of the force on the sick list.
The men themselves, who at first looked upon the sanitary campaign as a
combination of joke and nuisance, now fully appreciate the effects of
it, and lend their hearty aid to the sanitary corps in their efforts.
The work of the sanitary force consists of the daily collection and
burning of all household rubbish, the care and cleaning of the barracks,
a house to house inspection of sanitary conditions, care of water tanks
and water barrels in the mine cuts, petrolization of standing water,
general cleaning of the villages and camps, and constant war on the
mosquitoes. The villages, camps, and settlements under the Company’s
control are free from mosquitoes, and the diseases which they transmit
have no chance of propagation. Care is taken to inspect all newcomers
and any found to be malarial are sent away.
The cost of the sanitary work for a year is about $12,000, but the full
value of it can not be estimated in figures. Its chief benefits are
contingent, and appear in general cleanliness, health, cheerfulness, and
efficiency. Whilst these results would warrant the expenditure, if there
were no financial return for it whatever, the fact is that the outlay is
fully justified if measured solely on the basis of dollars and cents.
Under present conditions there are at least ten men fewer in hospital
each day than there were formerly. Instead of being a charge on the
work, these ten men produce during the year 8,000 to 9,000 tons of ore,
which far more than repay the expense of sanitation.
Manganese, a material essential to the manufacture of Bessemer steel, is
found in large quantities in the mountain range running between Santiago
de Cuba and Manzanillo. Attention was first called to the deposits
shortly before the Spanish-American War, and several companies were
formed to exploit them. One of these, the Ponupo Mining and
Transportation Company, is responsible for by far the greater part of
the operations in this mineral. It has its headquarters in Santiago de
Cuba, but is controlled by American capital. The equipment of this
company includes a sixteen-mile railroad, enabling it to ship its
product to Santiago. The output of the Ponupo Company’s mines averages
forty-seven per cent. metallic manganese.
Several other companies are in possession of good yielding properties
and are well equipped for operation, but the development of the business
seems to have been checked. The reason for this is not apparent.
Conditions appear to be favorable to profitable operation. The demand in
the United States is constant at prices that should be satisfactory to
the miners. To quote Mr. Robert P. Porter: “Whatever conditions of
taxation, duties, and other expenses on the production of manganese
existed previously have been changed by the war, and entirely new
conditions are presented now for the continuance of the work. It is
believed that the mines are practically inexhaustible, and that the
metal, while varying considerably in quantity, is in the main high grade
and can be mined and shipped at prices that will extend the industry
until the United States steel
[Illustration: SANTIAGO DE CUBA.]
manufacturers will get their entire manganese supply from this nearest
known manganese district.”
On the other hand, the report of the geological survey, referred to
above, presents an entirely different view of the matter. From this
report it is gathered that the manganese deposits of Cuba usually occur
in limestone and sandstone, associated with a secondary silica, called
jasper. The ore is not in large bodies, but in small pockets,
irregularly scattered, deposits varying in size from a pebble to masses
that weigh several hundred tons. Manganese is also found in the form of
wash dirt, which is the result of decomposition of the original
ore-bearing rock. Most of the Cuban ore is in this form.
“The concensus of opinion of various experts who have looked into the
matter seems to be that the Cuban deposits of manganese ore are not
likely to be very valuable, as they are too scattered, too irregular,
too small, and too inaccessible to be profitably worked. The fact that
there is undoubtedly a considerable quantity of manganese in the
Province of Santiago de Cuba seems to be more than offset by the
peculiarities of its occurrence. If, however, the world’s supply of
manganese should run short, these deposits would undoubtedly be thought
considerable and important. With the new facilities for concentration
that have recently been installed in the plants already in operation,
some of the deposits may, indeed, be very profitably worked.”
The first mines worked in the Island of Cuba were at the place now
called El Cobre, situated about twelve miles west of the City of
Santiago de Cuba, and celebrated for its shrine and miracle-working
image of the Virgin. These mines were opened in the year 1530, and were
worked as Crown property for more than two centuries, and then
abandoned. Following a century of disuse, the mines were re-opened by a
British corporation, exactly five hundred years after work was first
started in them. The venture proved highly successful. The official
records show that between fifty and sixty million dollars’ worth of ore
was taken from El Cobre between the years 1830 and 1868. About the close
of this period the mine-owners encountered various difficulties. They
became involved in a long and costly lawsuit, which they lost, with the
railroad upon which they were dependent for the transportation of their
product. This was followed by a fall in the price of copper, and
unsettled political conditions. As a result, the mines were shut down,
and in the succeeding wars the plant was destroyed and the workings
flooded to such an extent that it was not even possible to inspect them.
After the last war, an American company, styled the San José Copper
Mining Company, took over the property and revived it. This concern and
a few others are now actively at work in the El Cobre district, with
good prospects of success.
Previous to the year 1830, the only copper properties in Cuba that were
developed were those at El Cobre. But about that time, deposits were
discovered in numerous parts of the Provinces of Puerto Principe, Santa
Clara, and Matanzas. The most notable of these that were worked in days
past are near the town of Las Minas, which is about twenty-seven miles
east of the City of Puerto Principe, on the Puerto Principe and Nuevitas
Railroad. Some of the many old shafts at this place show signs of
considerable productiveness at one time. About ten years ago these
properties were taken in hand by an American corporation, called the
Cuban Copper Company, which in 1909 exported 59,430 tons of copper.
It seems to be the general opinion of experts, who have investigated the
conditions, that Cuba will never produce gold in large quantities,
although her silver mines may be profitably developed to a considerable
extent. Nevertheless, gold mining enterprises are started every few
years in the Island. The sole basis for these appears to be the
traditions and questionable records of the past production of the old
mine at Holguin, in the Province of Oriente. The group of workings at
this point are said to have been known since the discovery of the
Island. They were operated by a native in 1856, and it is claimed that
one shaft produced ore bearing sixty-seven ounces of gold and
twenty-three ounces of silver per ton of 2,000 pounds, making a value of
$1,407 a ton at the time. In the same district, a native is said to have
discovered a pocket that yielded $15,000 in fifteen days, the ore being
worth one thousand dollars for every hundred pounds of mineral. Samples
taken from the same place, and expertly assayed, showed a maximum of
thirty-two ounces of gold to the ton of 2,240 pounds, and four ounces of
silver.
Frequent rumors of rich finds in Cuba reach New York and London, but at
present there is not a gold or silver mine in profitable operation in
the Island.
Bituminous deposits are found in every province of Cuba. They vary from
a clear translucent oil resembling petroleum to hard grahamite and
substances that closely resemble lignite coal. The report of the
Geological Survey’s reconnaissance says: “Every sugar planter claims to
have an asphalt property on his estate, and every other man knows where
there is one in which is a fortune for his friend. Many of these
deposits have been worked, more or less extensively, in past years. Oil
has been found in Cuba which has been successfully refined in the island
and used as a luminant, also as a fuel; asphalt is mined there which is
being employed as an enricher in the manufacture of gas, and is also
doing duty as a material for roofing and street paving; grahamite and
pitch are found there, which sell in this country and abroad to
manufacturers of varnish and paint; and on at least one plantation a
substance is being mined which performs the functions of coal in the
kitchen _brasero_, although experts have frequently declared that there
is no coal in Cuba. Whatever the exact and proper titles for these
various forms of bitumen, their uses would seem to be sufficiently
varied and the deposits extensive enough to be of some commercial
interest. There is, however, only a limited demand for the kind of
bitumens most frequently found in Cuba, the class which is most suitable
for varnishes; and, on the other hand, no convincing evidence has been
offered that great supplies exist of the asphalt suitable for roofing
and paving, the uses to which the largest quantities of asphalt are
applied. By large supplies we mean supplies similar to those of the
asphalt lake in Trinidad. It should be remembered, however, that the
asphalt deposits of Cuba have not yet been scientifically exploited, and
it is impossible for anyone to say definitely that the supply is not
sufficient to be commercially important.”
One of the greatest needs of Cuba’s industrial development is a domestic
fuel supply. The discovery of a coal mine might be more profitable than
that of a gold mine. This fact has led to extensive prospecting and to
frequent declarations of the presence of coal, which turned out to be
lignite or grahamite.
[Illustration: A STREET IN JIGUANI.]
The British Consul at Santiago de Cuba, in 1895, reported the discovery
of a coal deposit within fifty miles of that City. The analyses claimed
for samples seemed to indicate commercial possibilities, but no
operation of the deposit has followed.
The extent and richness of the deposits of iron ore in Cuba are beyond
question, and, although their operation has become an important
industry, development in that direction has hardly more than commenced.
As to other mineral resources, there is a decided probability of their
proving great in the future. At present little is definitely known about
the matter. With the exception of the geological reconnaissance to which
reference has been made, and which was necessarily somewhat cursory, no
scientific investigation of the Island’s mineral wealth has ever been
made. The Government might profitably devote some of the money which it
is wasting on needless consulates abroad to such a useful purpose.