The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-10-21

The MINER acknowledges the receipt
from Assayer Harrison OF a copy OF the re-
port OF the Director of the Mint Upon the
production OF precious metals in the United
States during the calendar year 1884. 1t
is a bulky volume Of nearly 700 pages and
| appears TO be very exhaustive. Assayer
! Harrison's report on Montana is very COM
! plete and decidedly interesting. It appears
to do full justice to all the regions. Speak
ing OF Silver Bow county, he says: "The
smallest in area OF any of the counties in
the Territory, exceeds all combined in
the value OF it's mines and the amount OF
capital invested in them. 1t has for it's
chief mineral districts Summit Valley and
Independence, the former of which includes
the city of Butte with a population Of from
1 O,OOOto $4,000 and the county seat OF
Silver Bow county. The Importance OF
this small district, embracing an area OF
mineral-bearing ground scarcely 3 miles
square, in the aggregate OF silver and cop
per production of the country at large,
merits more than a brief notice. For three
years, from 1854 to 1867, mining in Sum-
nit Valley district was confined exclusively
to placer working along Silver Bow creek.
Some few quartz locations had been made
during this period, where the city of Butte
now stands, but it was some years later
before the value, character and extent OF
these great quartz lodges were ascertained.
Their Importance originally was derived
from the silver properties OF the ore ex-
tracted, but as capital lent aid to develop
ment. many OF hose mines changed in char
acter, and as depth was attained they be-
came distinctly silver-copper mines. The
unusually large number of new properties
which have been developed the past year is
a marked indication of the progress OF this
district. This is in partd due to the increased
amount Of foreign capital seeking invest
ment, but more largely to the increased and
improved milling facilities afforded for
trea ting custom ore. OF the 1000 lode
locations made in the district contiguous
to Butte, the land Office records show that
1857 have already been patented. while
orders for survey have been issued for many
others.'
The report then gives the output OF the
CIlup lOI -ptc III SOiu, po1s Sc3
$50 in silver, a total OF SC, PA, 700. The
output OF copper is not given.
Director Burchard, in his general report,
places the precious metal output OF Mon
Jana for last year at the following figures:
Gold, $2.17O,OOO; silver, $7,OOO,OOO; to-
tai, SO, 100000. 1t gives to Montana eight
dividend paying mines, with 38 dividends,
aggregating 1925 OO. These figures are
evidently taken from the New York stock
market reports and only the mines there
listed are thus shown. This is unfair and
misleading. The report places the total
output of gold and silver OF the country at
$40, 100000, of which $4S, 800, 600 was
silver and $50, 800, 900 gold. Montana is
third in the list OF precious m~ineral-bearing
States and Territories, with SO, O,OOO,
Colorado leading with $2O,25O,O 900, Cali
fornia second with SIG, O0O. Nevada
is below Montana by just $4,000. The
report is very interesting and quite instruc-
tive and there will be a general demand
upon the Department for copies.