The herald., 1897-06-15
OFFICE OF THE HERALD.


ducers that are now paying profits, with
the amount of dividends each has paid:'
Ontario, s13 400, 900; Horn Silver, IS, 130. 900;
Bullion-Beck, $2 Iii, 900; Centennial-E -Eure-
ka, 81, $50 900; DAILY, S2,925, 900; Mereur, $675,
600: Silver King. s1,012,500; Utah. s175,00O;
Galena, $4,000; Swansea, 36,100; South
Swansea, $29 960; Mammoth, $1,150, 900. OF
those whose dividends have not been made
public the Ajax has divided about 81, 000, 600,
the Eureka Hill nearly 81, 900, 900, Gemini-
Keystone, sS00,000, while large profits have
been paid by the Old Jordan, Old Tele-
graph, Humbug, Julia Dean and number
of others owned by individuals or close
corporations. Besides these, the Geyser-
Marion and Dalton & Lark properties,
which are paying dividends, have under
the old ownerships paid large sums. Then
there are q large number of properties
being developed, or upon which milling
plants are being erected, that will largely
increase the list before the end of the
year.
The mineral output of Idaho for the year
1896 has been compiled by Superintendent
Church of the Boise City assay office, and
shows an advance of over a million dollars
over that of 1895. Gold showed a slight de-
crease, but silver and lead both show in
creases. The figures are as follows: Gold,
1895, 1854, 666; 1896. 2,323 700. Silver 1895,
S. 214 49S; 1896 s6474, ,765. Lead, 1895, s., ,S02-
S21 1896, $2593, $50. Totals, 1895, s10 110, ass;
1885, $11, 51,S45.
The Mexican government has issued a
statement showing that the exports of pre-
cious metals for the first six months of the
fiscal year 1867 amounted in value to
$751; 1926. as against s31, ,556 Ala for the same
period of 1866. There is a notable in
crease in the expectation of gold and a
marked falling off in silver. Gold ore
shows a rise from sSS. 3i3 to $129 662, while
gold bullion advanced from s., 541, 719 to ST.
829, 900.
In Spain there were mined in 1896, at
the Almaden quicksilver mines, % 100 tons
of ore. In Asturias Ell Porvenia Mining
Company raised 1865 tons of ore, the Union
Asturiana 4471 tons. and La Soterrana go
tons. In Granada 500 tons were obtained
At Almaden 16,076 tons were smelted yield
ing Al, $50 TASKS of quicksilver. The total
quicksilver production of Spain amounted
to 43SS4 TASKS.
Referring to the condition of the bicycle
trade in Mexico, the Mexican Herald SAYS:
There Is not so much boom about the
bicycle trade here as year ago, but the
business is in a healthy condition, and the
importations of wheels from the United
States have augmented ten-fold in year.
The declared exports of wheels from the
United States to this country in 1895 were
IS, Ia; last year. s51 ,SS7, and large numbers
of English high-grade wheels are contin-
ually coming in. 1t may be noted Incl
dentally, that the bicycle export trade of
the United States in 1895 amounted to $751;
40. and in 1896 to So, 1856 O22. The use of the
wheel in Mexico is becoming so common
that no longer do wheelmen attract atten-
tfon. The wheel is employed as a matter
of everyday utility, and has practically
ruined the trade in saddle horses in this
city, an almost incredible result in a coun-
try distinctively equestrian. The testi-
mony of Mexican physicians is emphatic
In behalf of the wheel. One of our great
native physicians said the other day:
Nothing has contributed more to develop
the physique of our young men than the
bicycle. 1T counteracts climatic tenden-
cies to bodily enfeeblement. 1t leads young
men into the open air and away from dis
sipation.' The wheel has come to stay in
Mexico. 1t is no passing fad. And here
there is no season when it may not be used.
There is no closed time on the bicycle.
Silk equalipg in lustre and quality the |
finest product of the Lyons looms can now |
be made from spruce wood and old news |
papers. About year ago a French ex-
perimenter succeeded, after nearly twenty |
years study, in perfecting a process of
making silk from vegetable fiber, some
what after the manner that paper is made
from wood pulp. He argued that the silk
worm in eating and assimilating the leaf |
II the mulberry tree, obtained the founda |
tion of the silk from vegetable fibre.
He made experiments and endeavored |
for long time to find the particular chem |
cal process that the original fibre went |
through before it was spun as silk by the |
loom. He discovered that after the fibre i
had been separated it needed the chemical |
action of a certain form of glucose. and |
his having been discovered by him. he |
ised spruce trees as the ones which most I,
readily lent themselves to the treatl |
Che tree is crushed and the resulting fibre
S mixed with the glucose and then placed !
n deep metal tubs. On the top of the mix |
ure is placed a disk somewhat like the |
end of steam piston. This disk is forced |
lown upon the glucose and wood fibre bv |
hydraulic power until it is compressed into
very heavy gum. About the bottom of |
he cylinders or tubs there are tubes, at the |
'nds of which are tiny glass nipples, with
exceedingly small apertures, to permit the |
within the tubes to be forced |
,ut. Under the weight of the hydraulicallv |
'orced head the mixture is sent out of |
hese glass nipples in fibres resembling
silk. so fine that the girls who are en- !
oloyed to attend this portion of the process
Ire obliged to wear highly magnifying
glasses in order to distinguish when any of |
he fibres break
The material then is strong but il is
'arried over electrically heated drums.
where the ether and the alcohol are dried
nut of it, Then it is plunged into iced
water The fibre then is taken out and
Tried and sent to the looms on a spool
uch as is used in the ordinary process of |
making silk. The inventor asserts that the
'ost of making silk by this process is one
fifth that of the spinning from the silk
v orm cocoon. The fibre takes dye as read
ly as the other and can be woven as Sc
'urely and as rapidly. 1t is claimed also
hat the tensile strength of the fabric is
Us great if not greater than the real silk.
The inventor also declares that old news
papers, after they have been ceansed of
he printers ink. may he made into sill,
is readily as the spruce trees. Extensive
works have been established in Lyons ana /
In England, and capitalists contemplate
establishing similar plant near Paterson.
N. j.
An item Of interest which may furnish
A hint to producers here is found in the
London Foreign and Colonial Importer.
which says:
"Fax enters so largely into numerous
manufactures imported by the buver
lbroad that the announcement of the es
Enlistment of factories in Suffolk and |
Cambridgeshire for dealing with the ma.
Lerial on a comm ercial baSis Is ora Of eo,,,-