, 1890-09-25
q UICKSIL YER MINING.

According to official records Just
published by the government, quick
silver first attracted attention in
1850, when active work was com
monced at New Almaden, Cal.
Outside of California quicksilver has
been produced in two localities in
the United States-in Oregon to the
extent Of 1000 TASKS and in Utah,
where about 200 TASKS were re-
ported.
Since 1850 the United States has
produced about two-fifths of the
worlds quicksilver supply. Last
year IL produced only one-quartcr.
In fact the figures in census bulletin
No. 10 show that during the decade
there has been steady decrease In
the American output, but this, it is
intimated, Is not because the mines
are falling, Low prices are given
as the reason. 1t appears that the
average price of quicksilver at the
mint in San Francisco in 1850 was
Si5 flask, and II is said that no es-
tablishment made a profit commen-
surate with the risk attending the
mining ofcinnabar, its manufacture
into quicksilver, and finding for 1t II
market In competition with rich
and important establishments car
rled on by foreign governments.
These census bulletins do not pre-
tend to be more than brief sum
maries of the facts TO be published
in the complete report, and so per
haps the foregoing explanation of
the decline of this industry is all
that could now be beexpected; yet the
figures make one curious to know
how 1t happens, that il nobody
made n profit at last years prices, il
was possible for operation to go on
in 1888, when the average price per
flask was only s27.25. Neverthe.
less in that year 46, 725 TASKS were
produced, and even after such an
experience the mines in 1884 put out
5,449 more TASKS than they did in
1850, with prices averaging only
S3O5O, n trfe more than two
thirds the average price of
last year. Indeed, there has
been so little apparent connection
between prices and output in the
last four decades, that an economist
might find in it II fit subject for an
interesting monograph.
The bulletin shows that the
Almaden mine in Spain has pro-
duced 4S59,39 TASKS in the last de-
cade, the Idria mine in Austria
l33, ,557, and the Italian mines &C.
40, making the total output of the |
principal foreign mines GS5, 938
TASKS. The Almaden product varies
little from year to year, the range in
.he decade being from "A, $50 in 1881
o o3,270 in 1887, The Idria product
ias gone up as steadily as the |
american has gone down, mount
ng from lO,5l0 in 1850 to 10, 205 I'm
Sa0. The italian figures show nn
wen greater increase, going from
|, ,4lO In 1850 to 10000 in 1889. Moth
ng Is said In the bulletin about the
Peruvian mines, and perhaps no tn
ng was needed since these mines
nave not been worked much of lnte
ears, but it Is worth while for any-
'ody interested in quicksilver to re-
member that up to n century ago
hey had produced it to the value of
more than S75. 100000 Even that is
ignificant beside what must have
'een the product of the Almaden
nine In Spain from which so long
go as in the time of Pliny the Ro-
mans We're taking out zoo, 900
sounds year.
The mines of 1dria have been
worked about four centuries. They
re owned by the government, the
nlners are uniformed corps of 800
len and the service is eagerly
ought, owing to the fact that the
Ugh rate of wages and contingent
dvantages more than offset the I'M
of the occupation.
China, too, has quicksilver mines
ut the bulletin does not ment,on
hem. In fact little is known of .
ne Chinese mines except that tbev ,
re very rich. ,