Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-30
MINES OF PRECIOUS METAL.
The Production of Gold is Increasing
In This Country.

The Production of Gold is Increasing
In This Country.
Written for The Evening Star.
Uncle Sam is to have a new coin factory
right away. 1t will be located in Denver.
Director the Mint Preston has just re-
turned from visit to that city, which was
made for the purpose of selecting a site.
Work will be begun as soon as possible.
the last Congress having appropriated
$500, 900 to carry out the project.
The new mint will coin nothing but gold
The mining country of which Denver is the
center is no longer to be regarded as a
great sifver-producing field. Within the
last three years, owing to the depression
of the white metal 1t has become a gold
producing region. Mr.. Preston said yes
terday that he expects Colorado to yield
during 1895 quite $l4,OOO,OO0 worth of the
yellow stuf-the value of the latter proba-
bly, exceeding the entire silver output New
Mexico, eastern Arizona, Utah, Idaho,
South Dakota and part of Montana will
feed the coin factory with continuous flow
of gold. These states ard territories will
bring the total gold production of the re-
gion up,to s24,00O,00O for the current year.
Mr.. Preston says that the annual produc-
ton of gold in the United States is in
creasing steadily, and will continue to do
so for Il good while to come. There are
gold fields as yet undiscovered in this coun-
try which are destined to yield wealth to
fortunate prospectcrs and mine owners.
Arizona and New Mexico are still to a
great extent UNEMPLOYED, and their mineral
resourt es ale only beginning to be known.
There is future in the working of the
low-grade cIes of North Carolina Alabama,
Virginia and I orthern Georgia. So greatly
has mechanical processes improved that
ores which ten years ago were deemed
wholly valueless can now be turned to prof
"a a q
could be made to give up only so per cent
of their gold are now forced to yield 9S per
cent with one-half the labor. Ores of such
a nature as to be easily treated, though
containing only So worth of gold to the ton,
are handled at a profit
Recently valuable deposits Of gold have
been struck in Idaho Montana and Cali
fornia The sands of Snake river, in Idaho,
are being mined for flour gold" which is
SO called because it is so extremely fine.
In former days it could not be obtained at
a profit. The gold occurs in bars in the
channel and the methods employed for Sc
curing it are quite simple. Powerful steam
engines are mounted on big fatboats, and
the gravel is fetched aboard in buckets that
are attached to an endless chain. The
buckets are dumped one after another into
a hopper, which acts also as an agitator.
The gold being caught on copper plates by
the help of quicksilver. the refuse passes
overheard. In this way 100 tons of gravel
can be handled in day at a profit of 500,
the work of only three men being required.
The sands of many streams in Georgia,
Virginia and North Carolina contain gold,
but the metal is in little nuggets and would
have to be separa ted by other processes.
What is called the unseen gold supply"
is an important feeder of the mints. This
includes all sorts of old jewelry, which finda
it's way eventually into the melting pots OF
the government No manufactured article
of gold lasts forever. 1t may he preserved
for some time as keepsake or an heir
loom after it has survived the period of its
usefulness; but some day. inevitably. If
not lost. it will be sold for old gold. The
rnints will buy such cid gold, but not less
than 800 worth of it. Scattered over the
country are thouands of dealers III precious
metals who will purchase the smallest
quantities-even ring or a brooch that is
good for nothing but to be melted. They
are chiefly instrumental in collecting the
unseen supply" which they dispose OF to
the minis. Nevertheless, the loss of gold
to the world through its use in the arts, for
gliding and otherwise, is enormous. Prac-
ticaly all of the watch cases reach Uncle
Sans melting pots sooner or later. Mill
ions of dollars worth of gold are used an
nually for filing teeth. All of this is lost,
except what is taken from extracted teeth
by dentists. Dental surgeons do not per-
init this gold to go to waste.