The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1893-05-04
An Eastern. view of Mining.

A decidedly interesting compilation OF
facts concerning the mining industry
was published in the April Chautauquan
and beng .an aaatnrn view Of the raaftes
| it is indeed liberal, and shows that the
great industry OF mining for precious
metals is receiving more consideration
from an eastern standpoint than has
been observed heretofore
It will surprise many people to learn, says the
Chautauquan, that over 81, 100000 worth Of min
and is taken ont Of the earth in this
little more than half Of this enormous product
Of the metallic output is gold and silver. Ir
other words the gold and silver industry is now
$100, ,0O0, 600 a year.
Anyone who studies the volum1nous gold and
silver statistics gathered for the last census BY
Mr.. H. ?. Rothwell and his assistants is i'm.
pressed by some striking facts. One is that not
one sixteenth Of the so-called mines in this
aF IS yet There Snt are
or employing labor These 5000 mines are
yielding over quarter of all the gold and near
producing, though only twenty-eigbt of them
have an annual output of more than $50O,00(
apiece.
| Another interesting fact is that the value of
our gold product, is almost exactly one-third and
of our silver product thirds the value of our
silver output. In the producing mines nearly
|
and other items in the cost of productions and if
| we count in the money expended upon legiti-
mate mines that are not yet productive there ls
no doubt ! of :. the accuracy Of Senator Stewards
than the coinage value Of the product 1t is the
chance of winning prize that induces thous-
ands to put money into mines that, on an
average, are not a profitable. Investment; and
yet if the gam bling element is eliminated gold
and silver mining is not necessarily Improbable
but becomes one OF the most paying Of indus
| fTIn Ia mi in q ~ 0f a n
| thousands who have invested capital without
reasonable precautions it has been of enormous
| advantage to the country and has brought
prosperity and population to our western states
| and territories.
We are impressed with the fact that we have
hardly vet begun to scratch the surface Of our
enormous resources in gold and silver. Arizona
has the greatest possibilities, though its output
has long been stationary, owing to its lack of
railroad facilities. New Mexico has not even
small areas: Many promising discoveries have
been made that cannot be developed until trans
portation facilities are extended. There are
merely rich specimen districts. One of the
main mountain ranges in the state where, unless
all indications are at fault, the best mines
Many of the best districts in Idaho cannot yet
trated them a e1teasion aass @ Of Rsds tfe
to tho precious metal # Coiorado 10 and
placed it first among thesproducing states; and
yet SO much has been done in short time in
ldano Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and South
Dakota that it lie believed their possibilities may
be even greater, ,proportionally, than those of
Colorado when they have equal transportation
facilities. In Oregon and Washington a large
amount Of the gold product is obtained from
workings BY poor men in the beds Of rivers and
ba auadrnp!ed with more systematic and
California still leads all the gold-producing
states. No country in the world ever showed
placers 30 rich and extensive, end they are still
far from being exhausted Her gold product of
over $12,000,0O0 in 1889 was more than three
times as great as that of Colorado, Montana,
Nevada, or South Dakota, which as gold-pro-
duclng states are nearly even in the race. 1t is
Colorado's $24.0OQOOO Of silver year that puts
her first among the mining states in the last
census, her silver output exceeding that of
Montana by s., ,ooo, ,ooO!. while the next largest
credit. COLORADO is second as a gold producer.
while Montana. Nevada, and South Dakota press
her hard.
Alaska looms up in the distance as a gold and
silver producer. In eight districts Of this ex-
Low grade oree are the rule, but they are
enormous in quantity and SO promise permanent
II not rapid growth Of mining activity. Curious
" enough most Alaskan miners carry their gold
dust to market themselves and, selling the
product in San Francisco, Portland or Victoria
the states and ployince in which the sales are
made are credited with producing considerable
amounts OF gold which in reality come from
Alaska. This is one among many facts illus
tratang the difficulty of producing accurate gold
and silver statistics.