The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-14
THE MINES Of MONTANA
A Baltimore Man Who Says They
We're Rich but Are Play
ing Out
Figures From Official Sources the
Eastern Man Gan Study
With Profit WI
rn. y,.,d of Precious Metals In 1904
was Over Forty Million DOLLARS
Dividends Paid.

J. H. Maitland, whom the Sioux City
Iowa. journal says Is an attorney and oapi-
talist of Baltimore, Md, has been inter
viewed by a reporter OF that PAPER ON ousl'
mesa in Montana. Mr.. Maitland 10 cFealteo
with having some financial interssss ~
Montana, also. This il how hs IL Quo'ea
.'The gold mines of Montana are appat'
emily pretty we'll worn out. The aeposi'A
in the eulohes appear TO have been super
fcial, They we're rich At the outset ou'
O diminished in productiveness, unti'
TO-DAY msnv of the supposedly rich lodes
have been entirely abandoned. Inc oiR
copner mins at Anaconda is perhaps the
best paying mine in all Montana, and mas
the best Indications Of permanent pront'
Some few claims are yielding handsome
rsturns in precious stones. chiefly garness
and opala although = sort Of bastard topaz
il found in considerable proportion. some
vsry fine aRatss are also picked op' ou'
their market value in the rough Is small as
oonparsd with the cost of obtaining them
Then, too, the supply il limited. and the
lspidary cannot look to Montana for per-
mansnt supplies"
Mr.. Maitland may have financial inter
ests in Montana, but he certainly knows
very little of the state. As his inserVls"
has been given wide circulation, the report
Of the mineral output of Montana for 1e9l'
and the dividends paid during the same
vsar are published. They are a sufficient
snsver to the Maitland statements, and are
taken from official records. Accordlng 10
thar enort of the director of the mint Mon.
tana's gold output fox the fiscal yea, OF
1891 was So, 800, 600 and her SILVER produc-
ton S2O. S6S, 900. According to the EnRi-
naar;ns and Mining journal OF New York
Mont.na mines produced in 1891, III. 2OO.oW
nonnda of copper. This is larger by more
than Two million pounds than the output OF
1890. and as . copper producer Monsana
leads the country. exceeding the Lake
Superior producers BY two million pounas'
And Montana did this with the Anaconda.
her largest copper producer. closed Town
1or ! portion Of the year. Putting the
average price Of copper for the year at IVA
cents. y low estimate. We have $l6,9oo.uOo
az the value of the copper produced. Vi
lead Montana produced in round numbers
5000 tons, ut the average price OK S4.5O Per
cwt., making Sta. 600. Then we nave the
following:
9,SO0,OU
6llyer y q HHS
ott ..... 774,O0C
Total Al ,4l7. 00G
Ninety-six mining companies in the
United States made public their profits in
thes shape of dividends paid during 1891.
The total paid BY these ninety-slx compan-
les was $17, $50, 6l5. Seventeen OF these
ninety six operate in Montana, or not quite
.one-sixth. yet the Montana mines paid
nearly o%ns-fourth of the dividends, or
81, 249, 500. And yet these dividends do mo-
=, - r,aona show the prOtits of the mir
named. nor ia the list of dividend payers
complete. Proof of the first statement il
Given by the operations OF the Helena d
Victo-, located in Aissoula county. Dur
ing 1891 this mine paid of an Indebtedness
Of z 600. put up a concentrator and added
other equipments to . total of $4,000,
making S85, 600, and in addition paid &c.
600 in dividends, The Bi. Metallic and
Granite Mountain also spent large sums IL
bettermeuts, as did the Bald Butte anu
Iron Mountain. The following table shows
the dividends paid in 1891.