The daily gazette., 1879-11-17
FIRST EDITION.
The Precious Metals.

THEIR YIELD DURING TIE PAST YEAR
THE PROFIT ON COMING OF SILVER
$3,000,00O.
WASHINGTON, November 15.-The
report Of Hon. Horatio G. Burchard, Di-
rector OF the Mint, was submitted to the
Secretary OF the Treasury this afternoon,
showing the operations of the United
States Mints and Assay Offices during
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1879.
During the year the total deposits of
gold and silver, including silver pur-
chases, amounted to S7l, ,l73, ,654.65, IF
Which 42,254, 1850 were gold and $685.
925, 5,491.s5 were silver. The amounts of
gold and silver separated in the refiner-
les OF the Coinage MINIS aud the Assay
Offices at New York were $40, ,750 ,549,97
OF gold and $40, ,GS7 ,526.97 of silver, to-
tai Of $3l Al, ,07G.04. The coinage dur
ing the year amounted to sos, 1872 ,592.50
and consisted OF $50, 431 pieces of gold,
of the value OF S4O,0S6,9I2; 27,22S, $50
pieces Of silver, of the value of $27 ,227,-
$500, ard OF minor coins, 9,62U,2O0
pieces, of the value OF S07,79S. The sill
yer coinage has been aim, ST exclusively
of standard silver dollars, Of which S2T,-
227, 800 were coined during the year, and
the total coinage to November /, 1879,
has been 45,206,20O. There was no
coinage of trade dollars or subsidiary
coins, except The striking of specimen
pieces or proof sets at the Philadelphia
Mint. The total amount of subsidiary
coin issued since the passage of the re-
sumption act has been $42,y74,9 ,93l. The
full amount coined was $43, ,994 1881, but
Sl,020,00U in dimes was iecoined into
pieces of larger denomination at the
Mint at San Francisco. I he amount of
the specific appropriations made by Con
gress for the support of the several mints
and the assay offices of the United states
for the fiscal year was $l,243, $40, of
which the sum of 81, ,175, 5,249.50 was ex-
pended. The gain arising undsr section
1925, revised statutes, on the coinage of
silver during the fiscal year ended June
30, 1879, was S,2S7, ,446.09, from which
Sl7,430.47 was paid for wastage, S93,
474.22 for expenses of distribution, and
of the remainder the sum of S2,954,-
454 60 was paid into the Treasury. The
profits ON the minor coinage from July |,
1878, to June 30, 1870, were S3l ,202.33,
from which there was paid 1,299.97 for
transportation aud $775 for wasta,e.
The production Of the precious metals
in the United Ssates in 1879 was consld-
erably less than that OF the preceding
year. 1t has resulted from the dimiu-
shed yield ofthe mines of the Comstock
Lode. a depth has been reached 1000
feet below the Carson river, and impedi-
ments are encountered from accumula-
tions OF water and from the oppressive
temperature, which discourage aud have
retarded vertical exploration. This has
caused falling off in the total yield Of
the States, as officially reported, which,
in 1878, was $47,076, 1858, Of both gold
and silver, but which for 1870, J. F.Hal-
lock, the State Controller, reports to be-
only SIG, ,305, ,473.07 fron the production
of the preceding year.
After cartui inquiry and consideration
of the yield of different localities and
mines in the United States the Director
estimates the total production of the
precious metals in the country for the
fiscal year 1879 at $79,7l2,0O0, of which
$3s,00O,OOO was gold and $4O,Sl2,0OO
silver.