Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-30
QUICKSILVER MINES.
FACTS AND FIGURES GATH
Erred BY THE CENSUS OFFICE.

Eleven Productive Mines - Men nc Work
Above and Below Ground-Not hiuch
Money In The Wages of the Work.
men-The Worlds Production.
ESPECIAL TELEeRAM TO TIE DIsPArcH.'
WASHINGTON, August 29.-The divis-
ion of mines and mining to-day got out its
second bulletin, the subject being quick
silver. Although this is purely a produc-
tion OF the Pacific coast-all the quicksilver
mines in the country being situated in Cali
fornia with the exception of one in Oregon
the bulletin contains many interesting
details which cannot fail to be OF value In
the East.
During the calendar year 1889 there were
26, 464 TASKS, or 2,024, 496 pounds, or J, OH
short tons of quicksilver produced in Cali
fornia. About 20 TASKS, less than 81 600 in
value, were produced in Oregon. The
product Is notably less than the usual yield.
In 1888, 80, $50 TASKS were produced;
There are only II productive mines in the
country and they employ 937 operatives,
116 on the surface and 512 underground. At
IA active establishments there were expended
S219, ,622 for supplies, $626, 2S9 for wages and
S35, 400 for other expenses, embracing taxes,
rent, interest, etc., making total OF 1851, 4ol,
showing that II per cent was paid for wages;
25 per cent for supplies and 4 per cent for all
other expenses. OF the amount paid for
wages the Office force absorbed $34 1866, and
these paid to foremen, mechanics, miners,
furnace hands and laborers $591, ,322
The value of the total yield of quicksilver
was 1,190, 500. SO that the profit on the
years work, based the returns collected, was
S309, ,0e9. The difference between the aver
age cost and average sale price per flask was
S11 &c. No establishment made profit
commensurate with the risks attending the
mining OF cinnabar, its manufacture into
quicksilver, and finding for it market in
competition with rich and important estab-
lishments carried on by foreign Govern
ments.
The wages show considerable variations,
depending largely upon the locality of the
work, its Importance, and the degree of skill
required for its performance. On work at
surface, foremen were reported to earn daily
wages ranging from $40 33 to So 66; me-
chanics, So 60 to 50 05; laborers, So to 81 1S,
the last named rate being for Cinnamon.
Boys under 16 years of age, of whom only
four were employed, none underground,
earned 81 and 75 cents. For foremen at
underground work the average wages ranged
from 81 68 to So 70 daily. Miners earned
an average of 50 81 to 81 %. the lowest rate
being for Cinnamon, of whom few were
employed at small establishments.
Several tables are given at the end of the
report. One of these shows the total worlds
production of quicksilver for ten years.
The Spanish, Austrian and italian mines
produced total of 685, ,936 TASKS during the
decade 1SSO-1S89, while all the mines in the
United States produced total of but 407,-
675 in the same period. Another table
shows the quicksilver product in the United
States for each year from 1850. This table
is particularly noticeable from the fact that
it shows constant dropping off of produc
tion for the last IL years.