The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1869-03-12
Our Mineral Resources.


The inexhaustibe deposits of useful and
valuable metals underlying so much of our
country are among the most important of
its many sources of wealth and ever in
creasing material prosperity. Although
these mineral resources have been but par
tally developed, enough is known to es.
tablsh a richness of endowment which
transscends that of any other country. At
the beginning of the century isolated spots
only had been worked, and the fewest
number Of bankrupt companies We're scat.
tered here and there in out of-the way
places. The only coal mines were those on
the James river in Virginia. Preponder-
ating imports from England had stifled all
our iron interest, and virtually limited a
knowledge of our wealth in this mineral
to few localities From that time up to
1880, the date of the earliest scientific
surveys for the location of mineral de-
posits, even the most fertile imagination
had not more than rudely sketched the
outlines of our mineral chart.
The produce in 1910 was only $4,000
tons. In 1880 it had risen to 5000,
and in 1910 to $4,000 tons. During the
war the aggregate production reached l..
800 ,00O tons per aunum.
The deposits Of iron ore are very gener.
ally and evenly distributed over the coun.
try. Pennsylvania aud New York are
rich in iron, and some is found in nearly al
the Atlantic States but even these vast
beds Of the indispensable metal are trfing
compared with those of Missouri and the
mountain ranges of the West.
Nearly every State has more or less cop
per, but the Lake Superior mines are the
richest in the country-rivaling those of
Cornwall, Mansfeltd or the crystaling lodes
of Australia. This important element Of
our national resources, which is now seeke
ing the protection that should oe afforded
it, was worth to the country in 1860 tie
sum of 81 .631 ,59S.
The deposits of lead, though not so gen.
orally distributed, are rich enough to sup
ply all home demands, and up to 1913 our
exports of lead largely exceeded our i'm.
ports. Zinc also abounds in many quar-
ters, although enough has not yet
oeeD mined to make any considerable show
among the statistics OF our mineral yield.
Its discovery in workable quantities caught
science mapping, and until she comes up
with some economical method of freeing
the ore from sul phur this cement must,
to great extent, remain in its native bed.
Plantium, nickle, mercury aud cobalt are
found only in favorable localities Bich-
ness generally compensares for lack of
quantity, and more than enough of all
exist for trade purposes. The nature and
exteut of our coal deposits are probably
better understood than these of any ether
mineral, Almost every State has some
coal within its borders. In accordance
with Heavens economic laws, coal and iron
have been made twins in this country, end
they have been embossomed side by side
by earth. If the extent Of the latter is
wonderful, that Of the former is truly mar.
velous. We do not compare our coal area
with England, with France, or any other
country, but with all countries combined.
In this respect it is the United States against
the world and, for tha. matter against
eight worlds. The workable coal area outs
side Of this country is 10000 square
miles, while an imperfect development at
bone ascribes to US more than 200 coo
square miles, exclusive of the extensive
fields recently discovered in Alaska Our
annual production of the minerals exceeds
that Of any other country except Great
Britain. These figures do not set Us in a
more enviabIe light than those further re-
fined for, if the Tonnage Of deposits be es-
timated, we fnd the total outside Of the
United States amounts to 607,930 100000
tons, while that within makes the enormous
aggregate of 3,740,0OO,0O0,OOO tons
To the intelligent and appreciative read
er such an exhibit must be highly gratify-
ing ;aand yet we have only begun to ut.
lie our mineral resources. The statistics
Of the present yeai will continue.to multi.
ply in a ratio proportionata to our national
growth and rapidly increasing material
prosperity. What will be the annual yield
of the country in marketable minerals a
century heuce cannot be estimated.