Cotton & Western Mining, Inc.
Volume I Edition I
Manila, the Philippines
September 30, 2006
Posted By Robert L. Cotton, President & C.E.O.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES SEPTEMBER 30, 2006:
I THINK WE HAVE ALL AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER HAD ONE OF THOSE WEEKS WE WOULD LIKE TO FORGET; THE PAST WEEK WAS ONE OF THOSE FOR ME. ON WEDNESDAY A TYPHOON MOVED INTO THE PHILIPPINES, I, TOGETHER WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS FROM THE BUREAU OF MINES AND SOME 15 MANGYANS WERE CAUGHT FLAT FOOTED IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS OF MINDORO ISLAND.
WE WERE MOVING UP THE MAMBURAO RIVER TOWARDS THE DAYAP IRON DEPOSIT, WHEN IT SUDDENLY BEGAN TO RAIN. BEFORE WE COULD PUT UP A TENT, THE RAIN INTENSIFIED AND WE FOUND OURSELVES SOAKED TO THE BONES. FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS, WE WERE TRAPPED IN A TENT, WET, TIRED AND FRUSTRATED, EATING CRACKERS AND SARDINES. ODDLY ENOUGH IT BROUGHT MEMORIES BACK TO ME OF A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE SOME 36 YEARS AGO, WHEN TYPHOON HESTER HIT VIETNAM, AT THAT TIME I WAS TRAPPED IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, SOCKED IN AS IT WERE.
SATURDAY MORNING BROUGHT WITH IT, SUNSHINE, CLEAR SKIES AND HAPPY FACES. AT 9:00AM, I FIRST HEARD THE CHOPPER BLADES POUNDING THE AIR AS IT MADE ITS WAY UP THE RIVER, LANDING NEAR OUT EMERGENCY CAMP SITE. FROM THERE I MADE QUICK STOPS AND LZ DAYAP, NAGSABONGAN AND LAPA-AO IRON DEPOSITS BEFORE HEADING BACK TO MANILA.
I’M ALWAYS THE OPTIMISTIC, AND AS SADLY AS IT MAY BE, I HAVE TO SURRENDER ANY IDEAS OF MAKING A SHIPMENT OF MINDORO ISLAND IRON ORE BEFORE THE END OF 2006. THERE SIMPLY IS NOT ENOUGH TIME LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT I SO DEARLY WANTED TO DO. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW AND WHAT HAS TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO BEGIN ANY MINING OPERATIONS ON MINDORO ISLAND.
AT THIS TIME, WE ARE CONDUCTING MINI DIAMOND CORE DRILLING (WE CANNOT GET BIG EQUIPMENT INTO THESE REMOTE AREAS) OF THE FOUR MAIN IRON DEPOSITS OF DAYAP, NAGSABONGAN, LAPA-AO AND LASALA IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH WHICH DEPOSITS HAVE THE GREATEST QUANTITY OF MAGNETITE THAT IS 65% FE AND GREATER CRUDE IRON ORE AND WHICH DEPOSITS WILL BE LESS COSTLY TO BUILD AN ACCESS ROAD INTO. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT HERE THAT THIS IS SOME OF THE ROUGHEST MOUNTAIN TERRAIN I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED. AND TO MAKE MATTERS MORE COMPLICATED, WE HAVE THREE MAIN ROUTES TO CHOOSE FROM, DEPENDING ON WHICH DEPOSIT WE OPEN FIRST. FOR THE MOST PART THE FIRST 15 KILOMETERS FROM EACH DIRECTION WILL BE SIMILAR IN CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS; HOWEVER, ONCE THE ROUTE REACHES NEAR THE MINING SITES, SOME STEEP CANYONS ARE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE RIVERS. I HAVE FLOWN OVER ALL THREE ROUTES, AND WE ARE CONSIDERING BUILDING THE ROAD DOWN THE NORTH SIDE BACK TOWARD WAWA, WHICH WILL BE THE SITE OF OUR SHIP LOADING FACILITIES. THIS IS ALSO THE NEAREST DIRECT ROUTE TO NAGSABONGAN IRON DEPOSIT. IT APPEARS THAT NAGSABONGAN AND DAYAP HOLD THE BEST QUALITY OF MAGNETITE IRON MINERALS.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE MANGYAN TRIBES THAT LIVE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF MINDORO ISLAND.. THESE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AT ALL. ABOUT ONCE A MONTH OR SO, THEY GO DOWN TO MAMBURAO AND TRADE SOME BASKETS AND A LITTLE JADE..
Magnet Sticking to High-Grade Magnetite Lump at Dayap Iron Deposit 09.30.2006
Saturday Morning at LZ Dayap, from left to right: Rummy (Core-driller) Bob (CWRN) Jun (Chief Geologist Bureau of Mines) Boy (Staff Geologist Bureau of Mines) 09.30.2006
Cotton & Western Mining, Inc.
WE WILL TAKE GREAT CARE IN BUILDING A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MANGYANS, AND I HAVE MADE A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT TO HELP SUPPORT AND RESERVE THEIR WAY OF LIVE, BY FORMING A JOINT JADE MINING OPERATION. THE MANGYANS HAVE FOR CENTURIES LIVED UNDISTURBED BY THE OUTSIDE. ONCE WE BUILD A ROAD INTO THEIR HOMELANDS, THIS COULD CHANGE. WE INTEND TO BLOCK USAGE OF THE ROAD TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE MANGYAN PEOPLE AND OUR EMPLOYEES.
THE CHINESE HAVE TRADED FOR MINDORO JADE FOR EONS. THE WORLDS MOST SOUGHT AFTER JADE COMES FROM TWO LOCATIONS, THEY ARE THE MOGOK JADE MINES OF NORTHERN BURMA AND THE MINDORO JADE. THE MANGYANS HAVE USED PRIMITIVE MINING TECHNIQUES FOR CENTURIES TO CHIP AND DIG OUT SMALL QUANTITIES OF MINDORO JADE AND PACK IT 30 KILOMETERS DOWN THE MOUNTAINS TO MAMBURAO TO TRADE WITH BROKERS WHO IN TURN SALE TO THE CHINESE TRADERS. MOST OF THE JADE JEWELRY AND JADE CARVINGS BOTH MODERN AND ANCIENT THAT ARE CRAFTED IN CHINA IS MADE FROM JADE MATERIALS IMPORTED FROM BURMA AND MINDORO ISLAND. COTTON & WESTERN MINING’S MINERAL LEASES HOLD ONE OF THE LARGEST DEPOSITS OF QUALITY JADE IN THE WORLD. THESE DEPOSITS HAVE NEVER BEEN EXPLOITED BY MODERN MINING TECHNIQUES. ONCE WE HAVE FINISHED THE DIAMOND CORE DRILLING OF THE IRON DEPOSITS, WE WILL DO SOME DRILLING INTO THE JADE DEPOSITS.. WE DO NOT KNOW THE SIZE OF OUR JADE AND MARBLE RESERVES; HOWEVER, WE HAVE ABOUT TWO MOUNTAINS OF IT, MOST LIKELY IN THE HUNDREDS OR MILLIONS OF TONS. THE CURRENT MARKET VALUE OF MINDORO JADE IS $1,000.00 PER METRIC TON, 20 TIMES THE VALUE OF THE MAGNETITE IRON ORE; HOWEVER, WE DO NOT WISH TO OVER-MINE IT AND DRIVE THE PRICING DOWN, RATHER A SMALL SCALE MINING OPERATION ON A REVENUE SHARING BASIS WITH THE MANGYAN TRIBES, SUPPORTED BY AND WORKED BY THE MANGYANS. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT TAKE SHAPE UNTIL AFTER WE HAVE OPENED ONE OF THE IRON DEPOSITS. MAYBE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF 500 TO A 1000 METRIC TONS PER MONTH. DARK GREEN JADE IS THE MOST COMMON COLOR; ALTHOUGH JADE CAN BE BANDED AND MULTI-COLORED, WE ALL COLORS AND VERY LARGE DEPOSITS OF THE WHITE AND LIGHT CREAM GREEN JADE THAT IS USED FOR CARVINGS AND JEWELRY.
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF MINDORO JADE TO THE RIGHT, IS FROM OUR DAYAP MINERAL LEASE. THE JADE IS SURFACE CONNECTED AND MINING OPERATIONS WILL NOT REQUIRE CRUSHING EQUIPMENT. DIAMOND DUST BAND SAWS AND ROCK SAWS WILL BE USED TO CUT BLOCKS INTO 1 X 1 METER CUBES AND LARGER BLOCKS FOR SCULPTURE ART AND TABLE TOPS. THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF OUR JADE IS 3.2 METRIC TONS PER CUBIC METER. THE VALUE OF EACH CUBIC METER BLOCK IS $3,200.00. INITIAL CONTACT WITH JADE TRADERS IN HONG KONG AND JADE FACTORIES IN CHINA AND TAIWAN HAS BEEN MADE. LONG TERM SALES AGREEMENTS FOR MINDORO JADE WILL NEGOTIATED BEFORE THE END OF 2006.
SINCE THE MAIN BUSINESS OF COTTON & WESTERN MINING IS IRON ORE, WE WILL PURSUE THE JADE AND MARBLE MINING OPERATIONS AS BY-PRODUCTS. IT IS OUR INTENTION TO USE THE JADE DEPOSITS TO THE BETTERMENT OF THE MANGYAN COMMUNITY, GIVING THEM AN INDUSTRY NOT ONLY TO WORK IN, BUT SHARE IN AS WELL.
I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF INTERNET POSTINGS BY VARIOUS ANTHROPOLOGISTS, USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY A FEW PHOTOGRAPHS OF MANGYANS, THEY GO THERE, LOOK AROUND TAKE NOTES AND LEAVE. WITH ALL THE FUNDING THAT IS GIVEN TO VARIOUS CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD I FIND IT LACKING THAT THESE DOMICILE PEOPLE HAVE MORE OR LESS BEEN FORGOTTEN ABOUT. THE NEAREST MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE LOCATED IN MAMBURAO, A FULL TWO DAY WALK FROM THE UPPER REACHES OF THE MAMBURAO RIVER.
The Moss Covered Rocks and Boulders are Magnetite, the Dayap Iron Deposit Runs up both sides of this Creek. Water is Run off from the Recent Heavy Rains. This Iron Ore Deposit is 10,000,000 Metric Tons. 09..30.2006
Typical High Grade Mindoro Island Jade, Medium Green to Light-green in Color. The Most Sought after Colors for Chinese Craftsman. 09.30.2006
Cotton & Western Mining, Inc.
WELL, GETTING BACK TO OUR MAIN TOPIC FOR THIS NEWS LETTER IS OUR IRON ORE DEVELOPMENT. I’M NOW HOPING THAT WE CAN COMPLETE ALL THE CONFORMATION DIAMOND CORE DRILLING OF THE FOUR MAIN IRON DEPOSITS BY OCTOBER 15, AND RECEIVE THE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS REPORTS BY THE END OF OCTOBER. BETWEEN NOW AND THEN WE WILL FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE MOST FEASIBLE ROUTE TO BUILD THE HEAVY HAUL ACCESS ROAD. AND IF WE CAN KEEP ON SCHEDULE, CONSTRUCTION OF THE ACCESS ROADS WILL BEGIN AROUND THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER.
FINANCING FOR THE PROJECT IS NOT YET COMPLETED; HOWEVER, WE ARE HOPING TO CONCLUDE THAT WITHIN THE NEXT 45 TO 60 DAYS. IN THE MEAN TIME, WE HAVE LIMITED FUNDS TO WORK WITH, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO GOING AS FAR AS WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE.
I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE REGISTERED ON OUR WEBSITE TO RECEIVE NEWS LETTERS FOR NOT STARTING THIS SOONER. I WAS NOT AWARE OF HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD SIGNED UP. SEEMS THE SYSTEM WAS NOT SENDING THE INFORMATION TO ME, THEN ALL OF SUDDEN I GET A LIST OF 300 NAMES AND E-MAILS ADDRESSES. I WILL DO MY UP-MOST TO MAKE A NEWS LETTER ONCE A MONTH TO KEEP YOU INFORMED OF WHAT IS GOING ON AT COTTON & WESTERN MINING.
YOU MAY LOOK FOR THE NEXT NEWS LETTER TO BE COMING BETWEEN THE 15 AND 20TH OF OCTOBER.
UNTIL THEN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EACH OF YOU THAT HAVE INVESTED IN OUR VENTURE AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO MAKE THIS A COMPANY THAT WILL BE A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE.
RESPECTFULLY,
ROBERT L. COTTON
PRESIDENT & C.E.O.
COTTON & WESTERN MINING, INC.
www.cottonwestern.com
Bob Cotton at Dayap Iron Deposit Checking Outcrops and Various Loose Iron Rocks with a Magnet to Confirm they are indeed Magnetite. 09.30.2006
THIS NEWS LETTER IS POSTED ON THE COMPANY WEB-SITE AND ELECTRONICALLY MAILED TO THOSE WHO HAVE REGISTERED TO RECEIVE COMPANY NEWS AND DIRECTED FROM THE E-MAIL ADDRESS BOOK OF BOB COTTON. READER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOMED AND MAY BE DIRECTED TO bobcotton@cottonwestern.com
THIS NEWS LETTER IS MEANT TO INFORM INVESTORS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF RECENT ACTIVITIES AND PROGRESS OF THE COMPANY; IT IS NOT INTENDED OR MEANT TO SOLICIT INVESTMENT. COTTON & WESTERN MINING, INC. IS A REGISTERED NEVADA CORPORATION, ENGAGED IN THE EXPLORATION, DEVELOPMENT AND MINING OPERATIONS OF SELECTED MINERALS.
COTTON & WESTERN MINING, INC. IS A NON-SEC REPORTING COMPANY, THE COMPANY’S STOCK IS QUOTED THROUGH THE PINKSHEETS UNDER THE TICKER SYMBOL: CWRN
