New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-21

his copper at them, $500 tons day. they m'u
to give up. In the first place, they had no sue"
mines as his. In the next place, they had no suon
machinery. His genius and the genius "
those he called around him had provided me'"o"s
and machines 10 which they were strangers ""u
they couldn't fight a man who was able 10 pay u"
his expenses with the silver in his ore ana
its principal metal for nothing. This incueh' y
one of several which have placed Montana III ','o
lead of all mineral producing countries, anu '''o
actual figures showing what it is aoins CIV
naturally OF the richest value and interest
The production of gold and silver in the oh''e'
States from 792 TO 1888, inclusive, mas - 49,.
s2,66s, 7O6,769, contribution TO the "o,
durable monetary wealth that is hard 70 re"nN'
The richest years. happily enough, were those ini-
mediatey succeeding the Rebellion FROM ioO'
to the date of the Resumption sSeo'ooV,Uoo ""'
Welded bv the mines Of this country. Inc priv
duction Of 1883 was 1891 5000 OF goiu anu
s5a1q5. 600 of silver This is the hrgeso Fieiu
Of silver vet realized, and with the eNcep.'o" Vi
one years product, that of s7S, u was 'he '
total Weld The figures upon winch d co"p'i's
NAV be instituted for sSs between 'his co"'''''
and others are not yet avallabIe, DuV 'io'e Va
1897. from which there will be no sups'"h''ai
change and none at all except IN America iaNor'
show that this country produces ABOUT ~ pr
cont of all the gold and silver mined. III produces
fully 80 per cent of the valuable meuais' iho
value OF the lead, copper, gold ana si'Ver lni.eu
milled and smeltcd in America last year reached
tbe enormous total Of 81 r. 665,52V ana moh-
toro,s shore was s32. 100000. This was nearly
-, r,;u;ons more than that of Colorado, and more
than six millions in excess of the combined prod
net Of California and Nevada. OF course the end
must sometime come TO this bewllderng WORK,
and vet it does not seem likely 10 come turing
the lifetime of any one now born. lhere are
Hundreds Of veins in these bills all untouched eX
oon, nv the prospector's drill, and in the mines
,ov, ho;ng worked the further down you go the
more abundant and the better does the ore be-
come The mines are unnumDefed Where ores
are found too low in grade to be probably worked
today while expenses are so extravagant, but
whom the cost of labor has fallen to the Eastern
level and when machinery is found TO reduce the
ore in vast quantities. all these mines VIII be
onerated The two Territories of Idaho and Utah
are now beginning to produce in a large measure,
and the end Is as yet nowhere in sight.
The forms in which gold manifests itself are
curious and beautiful Sometimes in placer dig
pings great Jumps are found Of absolutely pure
metal One collection of nuggets owned in
Helena numbers over 600 pieces, ranging from
the size Of a marble TO that of baseball One
lump, especially pure, weighs Az troy ounces
and is worth s0i5 So Others are worth over
$500 Many have been washed by the waters In
which they were found until they have as rich
polish as wcdding-ring. Perhaps the most in
teresting form voluntarily assumed by gold is in
CRYSTALS. These are conditions which heat could
not possibly produce and cOnclusivey show that
gold is held in solution by water and prccipitated
by coming in contact with iron, and deposited in
quartz by the iron. Some of these crystals are
inconceivably delicate and beautiful. They as
sumo shapes which amOs; compel the belief that
the hand of man was instrumental in their de-
vice, and yet they are shapes beyond the posi-
biIity of human achievement. L. Z. O..