Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-01-18
THE INNING INDUSTRY.

West - 1t Is the Foundation Upon
Which Business Rests.
Denver Mining 1ndust,y.l
According to reports Of tho Bureau
OF Labor Statistics for Colorado, the
number of laboring miners in the pre>
cious metal mines is 1862. IL the
GOAL mines there are 5000. making the
total 22,962. The number OF team.
s,efs, woodcutters, carpenters, blacks
smiths, employees in mills and smelters,
charcoal burners and laborers who arr
Airectly employed i" supplying mines
or hauling ore, amounts TO 10000. So
that out of total voting population
OF $4,000, over so per cent. are en-
gagged in work furnished solely by the
mines. In addition to these are thou.
sands of railway employ y engaged in
traffic dependent solely upon the
mines. There are o.bsr thousands
engaged in manufacturing mining
machinery, and other thousands en-
gagged in manufacturing goods con.
sumed by those who are supported by
mining, and other hundreds engaged
in merchandising which is supported
by these mining people. And there
are several thousand farmers who can
farm at profit only because the min,
ers furnish them market.
IL understand the Importance OF
this industry to the State, let it be
supposed that every mine were to
close down. The immediate result
would be to throw $4,000 men out of
employ ment, and their means of live
lihood would be 1t an end. The
manufacturers OF mining machinery
would have no market for their wares
aud they would close. The mills and
smelters would be idle. THE work,
men would have no means to pay the
grocer and butcher, the railways would
have no freight traffic, the men who
live upon their receipts from ore sold
would be like the wage. workers, and
how would all this affect busine $50
What would real estate and railway
property be worth? Who would buy
the products Of our cotton aud paper
mills and other factories? The in.
evitable result would be ruin, aud the
COYOTES and jack rabbits would PLAY |
hide and seek in Colorado towns and |
cities.
OF course such an event as the
closing down of all the mines is not
possible. But Of the sos prod uoing
gold and silver mines in the State, il
Is not impossible that large proper
ton may close down. At least, 700
Of them yield silver as their chief pro-
duct. Over 400 yield silver and lead.
W hatever fleets the price of either
silver or lead affects these mines, and
It is not Impossible, or even improb.
able, that a decline in tho price Of
either metal will close down many of
'hsse properties. Instead OF throw>
ny $4,000 men out Of employment, a
quarter or third or half of that mum.
Der may he deprived Of work. While
such an event would not hiring ruin to
he State. it would brig it to MANY
thousand men, and would tie serious
injury TO all lines Of trade
We have used these figures simply
% illustrate the Importance of the
mining industry to all the West; to
all attention to the fact that it is the
oundat'on stone upon which the
whole business superstructure rests.
is pretty good truth in engineer
ne as we'll as all other things that the
oundation must be sound. else the !
"pers'ructure is likely to fall. tits
o the interest OF every man to aid in