Mother Lode Syndicate in Surigao hits pay dirty

Title

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XVI (No. 1) January 1936

Year

1936

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

January, 1936 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 19 MOTHER LODE SYNDICATE IN SURIGAO HITS PAY DIRT The Mabuhay Group of mineral lode claims consists of 134 claims and were located by citi zens of the Philippine Islands, residents of the Municipality and Province of Surigao, during the early part of 1935. The area embraces between 4 and 5 square miles and is to the east of the provincial road running south from Surigao about midway between Surigao and Badas, distant 27 kilometers. These claims are about L. D. Hargis miles west of the East Mindanao Mining Company properties at Tinabingan. The ana is cut up by ridges, mountain peaks and small streams, the former having an elevation from 100 to 500 feet above the level of the principal streams, that intersect the claims, and about 1200 feet above sea level. The area is densely forested and is virgin country with practically no level areas and no agricultural land. The Mindanao Mother Lode Syndicate acquir ed the Mabuhay group of claims early in August of last year and immediately started extensive exploration and development work thereon, which is being carried on under the direction of L. J. Godbe, a man with 25 years mining experience on the West Coast of the United States, with Philippine experience as shift boss with Itogon, Balatoc, and East Mindanao. The first strike of commercial ore was found on the Jesus claim in the east-central part of the group on August 8; the next strike of con sequence was discovered on the Osloban claim to the northwest of the first strike about 3,000 feet distant. This latter strike, which was at the top of a ridge on the Tabon-Tabon River, is Alivays 1 Ounce Per Ton During Development Work — Wide Veins of Secondary Enrichment Discovered. designated as the Tabon-Tabon ridge, having an elevation of about 250 feet above the river, which flows south along the western border of the claim. Eight trenches of an average depth of 6 feet were dug across the top of this ridge from 50 to 75 feet apart, and the samples of ore taken from the vein uncovered by these eight trenches which at places was found to be 20 feet in width, carry an average value of considerably over 1 ounce per ton. One tunnel (No. 3) driven on the northerly side of the ridge and to the south east of the No. 1 trench, 30 feet below the top of the ridge, encountered the vein, which had somewhat changed direction to the south; an other tunnel cut the vein at a lower level and both carry the same values, the company reports^ The active development work on this particular claim now consists of the driving of 5 tunnels from the 230-foot and 100-foot levels, and the one on the 100-foot level has cut the vein. By reason of the backs and the ridge being of a narrow formation with little overburden, Tap- Tunnel Na. 3, 30 feet below the crest of the ridge and running in a northerly direction from the point where the first outcrop was discovered.—Center: Trench No. 5, typical of the series dug in prospecting the Mother Lode property.—Below: Trench across Tabon-Tabon ridge where ore samples taken show very high values. the company believes it will be able to develop this area at a very low cost. The engineer in charge believes that within the next six months commercial ore will be developed justifying the installation of a mill of at least 100 tons capacity. The ore so far encountered is of secondary enrichment. Explorations so far carried on, show an area of about 50 claims in the west central part of the group to be highly mineralized. Good transportation facilities to Surigao and as far as kilometer 17 on the highway will facil itate the development and operation of this property. A road will be constructed into the property, a distance of about 3 kilometers from the highway, at the beginning of the dry season. Up to the present time all supplies have been taken in by carriers. For these notes we are indebted to Lionel D. Hargis, well known Cebu lawyer, general man ager of the Mindanao Mother Lode Syndicate. Others in the syndicate are L. J. Godbe, Her nando J. C. Corvera, Ong Hing Lian, Captain C. J. Martin, C E. Olsen, Christian A. Larsen, Stanley W. G. Lahman, and Leonard L. Self. They have formed a cor]>oration to succeed to ownership of the property.

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