Show IS RICH IN MINERALS GREAT undeveloped WEALTH IN THE CONGO copper deposits estimated to be worth discovered in katanga district trans por tation the need ashington consul general james jamea A smith of dorna doma congo reports that the bulletin official do de inde pendent du congo contains sonie some in te resting information in regard to the mineral resources of 0 tho the state and tte 0 results ot of the efforts made by geologists explorers and B Fol following loNIng a technical description of the geological formation of the rocks etc the article gives some borne details of the discoveries thus far made in the katanga district atthe at the south eastern corner of the state bordering on rhodesia Rho deela and in the 11 antema nasal kasal vele uele and districts enormous beds ot of copper and lion have bave bea discovered A number of deposits of tin have been revealed in Kan tanga and indications point to the existence of others on the and uele rivers in the marlema Man lema and basin of the kasal kasai gold and platinum and their satellites are found in the ka tanga mercury has been found on the it is principally in the southern part of the katanga district that de of the mineral properties has been going on for a number of years prospecting has revealed the existence of copper deposits through out a zone extending for or a length of miles east and west and 60 miles north and south more than a hun dred different bids have been dincov ered in this zone the work of development has been undertaken on only about a dozen of these up to the present time and in no case lias bas a depth of more than 40 meters feet been attained but even this comparatively speaking prell preliminary work has it la Is claimed revealed the certain existence of about 2 tons of copper with an estimated es value at the present market price of four milliards billiards milli ards of francs SOO it Is claimed that these deposits of copper can be exploited without the necessity neres sity of deep shafts tunnel bor ins ing etc the propof kioa of pure metal to the ton of ore shows an average of 13 per cent A competent american mining engineer who visited these mines expressed th opinion so it Is id stated that it 11 was possible to produce a ton of copper in the katanga at a lower cost than in any other mines he had examined and added I 1 do not hesitate hes heni 1 tate to say that so BO far as aa con cerns cerna the quality and quant quantity lip the mines of katanga Katan fea have a capacity of production equal to all the american mines put together the dep deposits obits of tin extend along the below the falls of asilo for a distance of miles and explorations thus fir far made assure the possibility of extracting e x tr acting 20 tons of an estl mated value of 16 BF sides the mines of pre precious precyous clous metals gold platinum and palladium which aye aie being exploited in this favored dis erict rich mines of iron and deposits of limestone substances notably useful in the treatment treat went of popper ores are known to exist the conditions for the exploitation of these mines of katanga K tanga according to the report of engineers and prospectors prospect ois are notably favor favorable able the climate of the region given the relatively reNt ively high altitude la Is temperate and healthful and adapted to colonization numerous waterfalls existing on the rivers throughout the zone offer a ro resen e of hydraulic force for use in tu fu ture treatment of the ores by electric elec ity in tact fact nothing appears to be lacking but adequate transportation facilities and these if the projects at al ready decreed are carried out will III be realized within a very few years A belgian royal decree of june 3 1908 1906 authorizes the increase of the public del t to the extent of francs franca 10 for the construction of a railway from stanley pool to the ka tanga traversing the kasal district en route and another branch from the katanga to apet the portuguese line now building inland from banguela Ben guela on the west coat coast an additional outlet Is to be provided by the rail and river route loute south from stanley falls one section of oc the former between stan levville and being now in operation |