The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-20
Our Mineral wealth.

The United States geological survey has
issued a tabulated report. showing the
value Of the mineral output Of the country
for the year 1895. and comparing that OUT
put with those Of other years since 1850.
inclusive. The report shows that the to-
tai value Of mineral product IN 1895 reach
ed the enormous sum Of s6ll 1880; the
greatest with the exception OF 1891 and
1882 Of any year in the ten covered by the
report The increase over 1884 was near
ly Ss4.5OO.Oo0-quite a handsome sum. This
would seem to indicate that times are
looking up. and that II political agitation
were out OF the way. prosperity would
be in sight
In the report not less that hfty-four min
erals are named as being produced in
quantities in the United States. The
principal one is bituminous coal. OF which
the value in 1885 was S1l5749.HL Pig
iron comes second in the list, with value
Of above SiO5,oOO.oOO and is followed by
anthracite coal with a value Of above
100000
Silver comes fourth in the list. with a
coming value Of s6O.76s. 3OOs and is followed
by petroleum, to the amount Of more than
100000. and gold. to the amount Of
100000. It is worthy Of note that al
though the silver producing industry was
depressed. and the gold producing indus
try was very lively, still great deal more
silver than gold. at coming value, was
produced. Notwithstanding the low price
Of silver and the shutting down of the Sill
yer mines, on the one hand, and the al
legged appreciation" Of gold and the
opening of new gold deposits. on the
other hand, the ratio of production was
about twenty ounces Of silver to one
| ounce Of sold. Under the stimulus Of free
and unlimited coinage, the production Of
silver would quickly be run up to the
figures Of 1s9O-91. when the ratio Of pro-,
duction was about 50 to l. These figures
should be fun of meaning to those who
are honestly inquiring into the cuestion
Of whether It would be possible for this
government alone TO maintain the parity
OF gold and silver under unlimited coin,
age at the ratio of Is to l.
A remarkable increase in the production
of gold is shown in the report. Since
1898 especially the increase has been
rapid. In 1892 the value OF the gold pro-
| ducton at coming value was. In round
number $33OOO,OOO in 1898 it was 35OOO,-
900, in 1894 it was $S9. 1000 and
/ OlOn ln -
there are good grounds for the
belief that the year 1896 will show as
great an increase over 1895 as that year
shows over the one preceding it. Some
Of the richest of recent discoveries have
been made during the last few months,
and the new cyanide process of treating
ores has been put in operation at large
works during the present year.
Monazite, the new mineral discovered
in North Carolina some four years ago.
and now so largely employed in a new pat
tern of gas burner, has become quite an
important item of our mineral wealth.
In 1898 only $500 worth Of the
mineral was produced, but last year
| the value OF the output amounted
to $lS7,150 or about four times as much
as the much lauded American tin" ever
amounted to. This latter product, by the
way. has been dropped out of the tables
1t does not amount to enough to count
The last account taken of it by the geo.
logical survey was in 1898, when the total
American tin production was worth just
81 .7SS. The aluminium output also shows
rapid increase and healthy growth. The
gradual climbing up of production and
value of total output shows that the in
ventors are at work upon the problem
of cheapening the cost of the metal so es
to bring It to the point of profitable EN-
ployment in the industries, and that they
are meeting with more or less success.