Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-01
OUR MINERAL RESOURCES.

Mining Statistics, David T. Day, has sub
mitted his report of the mineral resource
Of the United States for 1887 1t is
document of more than general value t
the Pacific coast, but of interest to the en-
tire country.
From it we learn that the United State
consumed in 1887, 100000 tons more O
domestic iron than in the preceding year
value of S5,900000. This was scarcel,
expected, Notwithstanding the great ad
vance in industries consuming iron. w,
imported, it appears, some 1,194b3O1 Ions
tons of iron. Of pig iron the increase WA
1889 tons, the increase in steel 776, ,56!
tons.
The gold yield fell off $19,OOO,OOO from
| 1886, and it cannot be said that it wa!
unexpected. Our total product wa:
$33, 100000. But the silver increase was
from $5l, 100000 in 1886 to S53, Al 300 il
1887. We gained IA per cent. in copper
consumption in the year, and 42, 2,641 short
tons of zinc with price increase of A
cents per pound. Lead productions
greatly increased, the product being 160,-
700 short tons at $50 per ton, or Sl4,
$4,000. The heavy increase of "desil-
verized" lead from 114,S29 short tons in
1886 to 155, ,552 in 1887 was probably due
to the importation of Mexican lead silver
ores. The large product of argentif-
erous lead, %, l4S short tons, is due chiefly
to the development of the Saint Joe dis
trict in Missouri. The production of white
lead and the several oxides fr, m pig lie,
increased to total of about $4,000 short
tons
Quicksilver production and value in
creased from 29,9S1 TASKS, valued at ST.
100000, to SO, ,S25 TASKS, valued at 81 ,429,
900, and, except IS TASKS from Oregon, the
total supply came from California. All
the antimony produced came from our
own State, and was IS tons, vail. ! at Sl5,-
600. This is an increase from 50 tons in
1886, Valued at $1,000. The production
of ;luminum bronze containing 10 per
cent. Of aluminium increased to 144764
pounds in 1887, valued at $57, ,9O5. Other
alloys, principally of iron and aluminium,
amounted to 1857 pounds, worth ST., 900
OF coal, the total production of all
kinds in 1887 was 123, 1865, ,255 short tons,
an increase over 1886 of 1928, ,046 tons,
valued at the mines at S173,530, ,996, an
increase of S26, ,418,241. This NAV be di-
vided into Pennsylvania anthracite, &c.
506,255 short tons, increase 2,809,7S0 short
tons, or 1928, 442 long tons, increase 3
sos, ,732 long tons, valued at $79,365, ,244
increase 1907 ,118; all other Goals incIud-
ing bituminous, brown coal, Ignite, small
lots of anthracite produced in Colorado
and Arkansas, and 5000 tons of graphite
coal mined in Rhode Island, amounting in
the aggregate to 81, $4,000 short tons, in
crease 13,473,266 tons, valued at S94,-
165,752, increase $1S,611,123. The
colliery consumption at the indi-
vidual mines varies from nothing
to s per cent. of the total output of the
mines, being greatest at special Pennsylva-
MIA anthracite mines and lowest at those
bituminous mines where the coal bed lies
nearly horizontal, and where no steam
power or ventilating furnaces are used.
The averages ior the different States are
given as varying from 81 to 81 per cent,
the minimum average being in the Penn
sylvania bituminous and the maximum
average being in the Pennsylvania anthra-
cite region. The total output of the mines
including colliery consumption-was
Pennsylvania anthracite, 37,57S,747 long
tons, increase over 1856 2,725670 long
tons, or 42,0SS, 1877 short tons-increase,
S,052,751 short tons all other Goals, 81
S37 1860 short tons increase 14,129, ,403
tons-making the total output of all Goals
from mines in the United States, exclusive
of slack coal thrown on the dumps, 129.-
925,557 short tons-inorease, 17,1S2, 2,154
tons, valued as follows: Anthracite, SS4,-
552, increase SS,4S3O61 bituminous,
S97 ,939, $50. increase S19,45S,600 total
value, S1s2, ,49l, ,S37-increase, S27, ,S91 Sol.
These figures show notable increase in
1887 over 1886 in the aggregate output
and value of both anthracite and bitumin-
ous coal.
There was but very slight increase in
the petroleum yield over 1886, while the
price fell off III cents per barrel in the
average, showing that the declination of
production was due to oyerproduction.
An interesting item and new one in
statistics is that of natural gas. Mr.. Day
shows that it was in 1887 equivalent to
9055,000 short tons of coal displaced.
This, at an average value of 81 so ton,
would make the value of coal displaced by
natural gas (which is the measure of the
value Of the gas, Sl3,5s2, 500. In 1886
the corresponding quantity was 6,35S,o 900
tons, worth s9,s47, $50.
There was marked increase in the pre-
duction of building stone, brick, tiles, ce-
ment, salt (but the value of salt has de-
clined, being less in 1887 than in 1884,
borax (all from California and Nevada, and
the total value being s550.oeo), harytes