| Show ALLS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS IN THE philippine ISLANDS prospecting in the philippines is somewhat of a difficult proposition my gold prospect that the native had found and concerning which I 1 wrote about in a previous letter was mica the vein I 1 discovered on the river was a large quartz vein highly impregnated with fine pyrites it crosses the river bed and extends under the hills on either side and is overlaid with about feet of volcanic scoria returns from samples I 1 sent to salt lake gave values in gold and silver too low to be of any value here I 1 followed this range of mountains for miles to the north and it is entirely composed of volcanic scoria and ash this is on the west coast of luzon so I 1 will have to hunt some other range where the formation is more favorable one gets discouraged on account of so many difficulties that he stops and wonders where he is at there are wild tribes inhabiting all of these mountains and we are warned by the authorities and press not to venture into the hills unless there is an organized party able to take care of themselves two weeks ago two men from the aviation corps here went out for a days hike and failed to return A searching party went out and found their bodies they had been killed by the hill tribes tribe s filipinos will not go into the mountains except in armed groups I 1 have not seen or heard of a prospector here and the filipinos do no prospect prospecting ing at all the board of health has instructed all people not to sleep on the ground or use any water except it has been boiled A party going out must carry a cot and a mosquito net everybody here sleeps in a mosquito net cage and uses only boiled water imagine meeting a prospector in the united states with a cot and a bundle of netting on his back we malke a frame over our cots with bamboo spread the net over and tuck it in all around to keep out the mosquitoes ants bugs of all sizes spiders from small to four inches lizards from two inches to four feet they tell me that the lizards are harmless if they are they deceive their looks terribly I 1 woke up one mornin morning t to see one three feet long standing up with his front feet on the cot peering through the screen at me there is only one season here and that is july it is unpleasant in the shade and hell in the sun all new arrivals here are subject to the Philipp it lasts about a month and makes one feel as if they dont know anything have not got anything and dont want anything there is some game here a small kind of deer and wild hogs they live in the cogon grass we have to hunt them in the night with a light when they co come me out in the opening they are of the razorback razor back species I 1 got one of them he was about three feet and a half long and two feet high with a narrow head and nd 16 long tig snout they have long legs and no hams or shoulders to fo speak of the body boddin in shape is like two pieces of slabs put together I 1 discarded the fore and hind quarters principally bone and split the body through the back all I 1 had left was two sides of spare ribs I 1 took a trip for one hundred and thirty miles and back through one of the most thickly settled sections here and only saw one white man the natives speak neither english or spanish nor more than one in a hundred can speak at all so that one can understand hirn him and then he dont know anything these natives all live in bamboo shacks with thatched roofs built on posts from three to six feet high they use the lower part for chickens pigs and other domestic animals they drive wooden wheeled carts drawn by one you never see a man and his wife walking on the street together she trails along about a rod behind all same as our american Irid indians ians if there is anything to carry she carries it on her head everything ng from a large bundle to a spool of thread is carried on the head I 1 saw two women going down to the river fishing they had their fish poles in their hands but each had a can of bait on their heads I 1 botic noticed e d an adoth nother her woman going along the street with a basket on he her hea something from the rear startled her and she turned half around so quick the basket kept on spinning they ardwon are wonderful at balancing the women go bareheaded barelegged and barefoot some drag a slipper sole along by their toes they thel do not wear their skirts as short as bur our salt lake tappers flappers I 1 read an article in one of the papers before I 1 left about our senator king boosting the cause for philippine independence if he was over here for awhile he would change h his mind they have an upper crust or aristocracy here of would be plutocrats they live in the principal towns they also have their politicians and legislatures they are almost as bad as ours at home they dont have any cl cigarette i g garette law the women here would buck for they all smoke well I 1 would not advise any one to come over here hereto to prospect unless they had time and money and then there should be a party of them and then I 1 would advise them to go to the islands to the south of here Mind anoa and mindoro the prospects are better there than they are here in luzon I 1 am told J S GROW Stats enburg P I 1 june 22 1923 |
