Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1846-10-21

Russia was $500, 20l kilogrames, or 9,Q6C, Se3
lbs. Full one half of this was from the mines
of Gounoechifski, in the Ural mountains, which
only yields an ore of 3 or 4 per cent. The
Hungarian mines. yield about 100000 pounds
copper per annuul, from ores averaging about
per cent. The Hartz mountains furnish an
nually about 100000 pounds copper, from. 4
per cent ore. These are the only considerable
copper mines of Europe, whose product is relied
upon for the supply of the market. All the
mines of that quarter of the globe produce less
than 10000 tons of copper per annum.
China, India and Australia throw into. the
market perhaps 5000 tons more. There is nc
known mine in the Eastern continent whose ores
Weld an average of more than IL per cent Of
me alic copper.
The Spanish and Portuguese American prov
inces embrace all the valuable mines of South
America. Their political condition is unsettled
however, that they are all badly worked and no
satisfactory statistics of their productions can
be obtained. 1t is probable, however, that they
furnish to the world less copper than Europe,
perhaps by one-half.
From al this, it will appear that the Ameri-
can mines as far the richest of any in the world
/ have no extended reports of the mineral sur
veys of Lake Superior. The world presents nc
parallel to its development of native copper
| have annalyzed some specimens of the ores
from that region, but am unable to say whether
they were average specimens or not.
am more intimately acquainted with the
Missouri mines, SO far as they have been devel-
oped, and there l find the average of the copper
ores to yield about fourfold more than those Of
Europe.
The richest copper mines in the world are in
Chill, whose average we have seen is 20 per
cent. The principal of these lie in the neigh
borhood of Coquimbo, in the midst of a desert
destitute of both wood and water. The ores
are raised at great expense, and carried to the
sea on the backs of mules, and exported or.
smelted to rude pig, in their primitive furna-
ces. The whole produce of Gillian copper in
1929, since when it is saidnot to have increas-
ed, was 4,000, 200, or about $4,000, tons Of
pig copper, averaging about 80 per cent of.pure
metal. The product of Chill or Peru Fl ON nat
url causes win probably not increase. The
scarcity of timber for coal renders the smelling
very expensive and tedious. Their mode is to
erect their rude furnace near coppiue Of wood
generally sparse and Of humble growth, which,
they convert into coal, and continue their work
until the wood IS, exhausted, when they remove
to another wood. The coal bed found near
Conception may supply some means OF smell
ing near the coast, but cannot be carried inland,
to the mines, over the mountains for that pus-
pose. The copper mines of Brazil have nc.
been worked.
From al these facts it will appear that ouT
own country affords facilities for the proipstioa
o. metallic copper SURPRISING all others in the
world And what is of more importance, our
mines are all found in the vicinity Of our large
lakes and rivers, afording easy means of con-
veyance to all the world. They are found,too
in tn midst of heavy timbsred tracts, where,
with proper economy, the timber viii be es ex-
haustless as the mines.
Another question is frequently asked: Win
not the increased production of copper diminish
the price The answer to this will partly be
found in the mineral statistics of the world for
the last seyenty-fve years, from which, it ap-
pears that the product has increased nearly
fourfold, or quite and the price per pound adj
vanced about 20 per cent. Again, material
reduction of price will compel the operators in
the poorer European mines to abandon them
for those which are more productive, and their
competition being withdrawn, the price viii
naturally appreciate. But the increase of guam
'ity, and slight depreciation in price, will Gre
ate new demands for copper, and carry it into
more general use. ..