San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-06-21
The Precious Metals.
GlobeDemocrat.

Mint director Burchard's repor
upon the production of gold and silve
during the calendar year 1882 ma
some interesting features. Not tn
least of these is the evidenc
which it affords of the increasing i'm
portance of agriculture as compare'
with mining in California. 1t wa
once supposed that California coul'
not produce enough food for her min
ing population. But twenty year
have changed all of that. The Paci
fic coast is now a regular exporter O.
food products. So, too, there was
time when farmers had no rights
which minors were bound to respect
The detritus of hydraulic mines wal
allowed to fill up streams and SWEEP
over meadows, with none to molesl
or make afraid those who permitted
the stuff to destroy crops and ruin
homesteads. But this state of affairs
has also been, in a measure, changed
by the lapse of time and several "anti'
siickens" wars. The farmers are as.
serting themselves; the Legislature
has taken hand; even Congress, In
the notorious river and harbor bill Of
1882, undertook to help the miners
out of the ditch into which they had
fallen, through a grant of money fol
deepening the Sacramento and other
rivers.
Litigation between the agricultural
and mining interests has been in pro-
eress for two or three years. One
result of it has been a considerable
falling off in the States yield of gold.
In 1881, according to Mr.. Burchard' s
report rendered year ago, the Cali
fornia mines produced SIS, 100000 IN
gold; the new report shows that the
output last yearwas only SIG, 00O,00o.
Here is a loss of 81, 100000, account
able for on no other ground than this,
that the farmers have got the upper
hand, at least to the extent of sup
the most damaging hydraulic
pending determination in the
courts of the respective rights of the
two industries. There is gold enough
in California still. Mines will be &C
lively worked for many wears to come.
But their owners must see to it that
they do not recklessly trsmple on the
rights of farmers in the valleys. This
issue is at this moment about to be
settled finally.
The yield Of silver in Colorado1s al
most exactly equal to that of gold In
California--$16, 100000 of the for
mer last year to $16,9OO,000 of the
latter. But adding the silver to the
gold in each case, Colorado takes the
lead, with an output of the precious
metals in 1882 amounting to $19,-
100000, as against CALIFORNIA; yield
of S17,645,O0O. Nevertheless, even
Colorado shows decline-and that,
too, in it's chief industry, silver. In
1881 the silver output of the Centen-
NAL State amounted to $17, 100000,
Oh 100000 more than last year.
The Weld of the Leadville mines be-
gan to diminish before 1881. And
vet Colorado, with characteristic as
surance, lays claim to a largerproduc-
ton in 1882 than in 1981-as if lead
and dross were pure gold or fine sill
YER! Mr.. Burchard remarks that
Nevada has suffered probably more
than any other mining section from
stock speculation and mismanagement
in the mining" In these respects
Colorado is a good section.
The returns from New Mexico,
Montana and Arizona are significant
of the rapid development of those
Territories. Arizona ranks below only
Colorado, California and Nevada in
it's total outpout, which, however,
amounted to $S,565,000 last year,
but little exceeding the output Of
1881. But New Mexico jumped from
q silver product to $275,0OO in 1881
to 81, 100000 in 1882. Montana. in
like manner, shows an increase of
nearly $4,000, 900 in the yield of its
silver mines. The gold product of
the entire country, which was estimat-
cd at S26, 100000 in 1880, dropped
to S34,7OO,OOO in 1881, and to $780,.
last year.
BEFORE the war Island No. 10 con-
tanned 400 acres of cultivated land-a
fine residence, spleAdid orchard and