Rio Grande republican. (Las Cruces, N.M.) 1881-1914, 1889-05-25
COUNTY.
County
WEALTH OF TIE MINES.
A Comparison with other Industries.

TIE statistics Of tie mining of precious
metals IA Colorado during ias year 1881.
a. published in the report Of The director
OF the mint, furnishes Mining Industry the
foundation for an inSIFJciivs atticie. The
number st miues leyery claim winch bad
passed bsyond the coalition Of = ProspSo'l
in that slate, in the year 1851, is gwen al
1883. oftbese 75s were productive, and
yielded during the year S27,s359l2 in
metal, or an average gross Yield Of ,sS5.5oi-
II xe include all the mines in ths list, tie
average production would still be SlI,ssi
fer each property.
Carrying It's deductions further, Indus
Try reckons (taking the census Of 1880 for
basis) that LAY per cent Of the population
? Of Colorado was engaged in mining for the
precious metals, one-third Of whom were
employed in prospecting or developing
prospects, and therefore, we're DOB Pre-
dusers Deductiug these latter. it is esiim-
aicd that the number of producing miners
ID the state was 1854, each enc Of whom
contributed S7S2 to the production If the
mines during the year.
Passing from mining agriculture, Indus
Try snds thai 10 the year 1850, bat s. per
cent Of the farming lands il tbe UuiIed
states was productivs. On this basis each
farm Of lsl acres yielded SI,044 as sgaipst
$50, 100 for the each productive miaes. oE
comparing the total seEeage Of farming
lands, productive sad unproductiys with
The wbole Number Of mines in Colorsdo.
it Il found that while the farms produced
erOps 70 the value Of s552 each, the aver
age product of the mises was Sl7.s5o! a
esmpArison Of ths wealth produced by
each man employed IN agriculture aud by
each miner Is likewise Instructive. While
the farmer is credited with S.ss, the UincT's
Labor Jielded $4ss. Or il we deduct one
thifd from the total number employed IL
Z each Industry. who weru engaged in preii-
minsEy work which WAS nOt Ieaumetatiye,
it shown tha. while tie producing miner
IA Colorado added S132 to the wealth oi
the ration, the producing farmer added
oaiy SAL.
Lest ii should be Thought that the ex-
perisncs Of mining ia Colorado Is sxeep-
tional. OF that circumstances exist which
render il untAir 10 compare the rstalts Of
1887 with those of 1880, Industry presents
the following In 1850 tie total value .,
gold. silver, head and copper produced in
Arizoss, CalifOrniA, Colorado, Dako,a,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New MsXieo,
Oregon. U.ah. Washington and Wyoming,
$7T.ss2,5l2 AAd the total number OF people
engaged in mining Of all kinds in these
states and territories during the tame year
MAs 92.617. The average rnAnlt therofora
Of each miner iEtbur turing thEt year was
$1T5. without making any deduction what
ever for men engaged in preliminary work,
and without taxing inin account the fact
that these 99,6l7 miners include all ent sged
In operating the coal, iron and quicksilyer
mines In the territory between Denver and
ths Pacific, which that year produced values
sggregating nearly 100000. Il becomes
evident therefore that as compared with
agriculture the labor Of the preeious metal
miner i far more ronunferaiive In point Of
actual average produced for men engaged