The Spanish-American Iron Company and the Juragua Iron Company remained in operation during the entire war between Spain and Cuba, and, although located at the extreme outpost of the Spanish troops, with Cuban forces in the immediate vicinity, maintained throughout a strict neutrality, and continued shipping ore until they were closed by order of the Spanish authorities, after the declaration of war between the United States and Spain.

The three companies, which are the only ones that have ever operated mines in the province, represent an investment of American capital of about $8,000,000, and the two still operating have paid into the Treasury of the United States more than $2,000,000 in import duties on iron ore. The following table shows the production of iron ore in the province from 1884 to 1897:

Years. Production.
Juragua
Company.		 Spanish-American
Iron Company.		 Sigua Iron
Company.		 Total Tons.
1884 23,977 .... .... 23,977
1885 80,095 .... .... 80,095
1886 110,880 .... .... 110,880
1887 94,810 .... .... 94,810
1888 204,475 .... .... 204,475
1889 255,406 .... .... 255,406
1890 356,060 .... .... 356,060
1891 261,620 .... .... 261,620
1892 320,859 .... .... 320,859
1893 334,341 .... 12,000[17] 346,341
1894 153,650 .... .... 153,650
1895 302,050 74,992 .... 377,041
1896 291,561 114,110 .... 405,671
1897 246,530 206,029 .... 452,559
Total 3,036,314 395,131 [17] 3,443,444

It is interesting to note that none of the mines are worked underground. The ore outcrops on the sidehills, and the mining is in the nature of quarrying. Daiquiri, the port of the Spanish-American Company, is the point at which General Shafter’s army landed; and the dock, pier, mooring, buoys, and water supply of the place were of great value to the army and to the vessels of the navy. The Spanish forces, who abandoned Daiquiri when the United States troops landed, set fire to the shops, roundhouse, docks, pier, warehouse, and cars of the company. Through the efforts of the company’s men, who were waiting in the hills and who returned as soon as the bombardment ceased, the fire was partly extinguished; but the locomotives, shops, some cars, and a number of buildings were a total loss. The hospital buildings and a number of dwellings at Daiquiri were afterwards burned by order of the United States officers commanding. At Siboney, the Juragua Company’s village, a number of buildings were also burned by order of the United States officers in command.

Rich deposits of iron ore of several varieties are found in the provinces of Santa Clara and Puerto Principe, and some work has been done in developing, but the war put an end to it.

The following list of the mining properties, all in the province of Santiago, with the number of acres, condition, etc., may be useful as reference:

Dorothea and Recrio4mines,300acresFor sale
Carpintero9“1300““
Bayamitas5“925“
Guama6“950“
Cuero6“760“For sale
De la Plata9“975“Sigua Company
Uvera and Jaqueca12“1557“10 for sale
Berracoe4“502“$150,000 refused
Cajobaba8“—— For sale
Economia19“2650““
Providencia3“—— “
Madalena8“1000“4 “
Demajobo1“150““
Juragua Group17“2500“11 “
Sevilla11“1300““

All these mining properties are from two hundred to fifteen hundred feet above the sea, and though the climate is hot, the region is not affected by fevers or malaria, and it may be said to be the most healthful section of the Island. This location is excellent for mining and shipping also, being from five to sixty miles from Santiago; and nearly all of the properties have excellent outlets to the sea or are conveniently located to rail facilities. Nature as usual in Cuba has done her share, except in the production of man, and the most serious drawback to mining is the want of proper labour. The whites, except of the Latin races, are not equal to the work, and the blacks are inefficient as compared with the same class of labour in higher latitudes. The labour problem here, as in all other Cuban industrial fields, is the most serious which confronts capital, and its solution is to be reached only after careful study and continued experiment. All kinds of suggestions have been offered and many of them acted upon; but so far the problem is unsolved, and now capital looks most to the Latin races of Europe and the black race of the United States for assistance out of its difficulties. What inducements new Cuba offers to these people remains to be seen, but it is apparent that capital must do more in Cuba for labour, if it will secure what is best, than is done for it in those parts of the world where climate, disease, and social environments do not lay additional burdens upon the “hewers of wood and the drawers of water.”