Arizona republican., 1898-01-17
MINERAL PRODUCTION.
Record of the United States for thf
 Past Year.

The New York Mining and Engln- eering Journal is quoted with refer ence to the mineral output of 1897 in the United States:
 The value of the mineral and metal production of the United States in 1897 was s762, ,O31, ,1O6. From this there are a few deductions to be made for unavoidable applications, such as coal used in making coke, iron ore in mak- ing pig iron, and the like, but these are not very large. On the other hand the production of alum, amounting to about $2,500,00O, and nickel, a small item, have not been included in the general table. Though the market prices of most substances were lower than in 1896, the average prices for the year were below those now ruling. It must be remembered also that the values given are of the products in their crudest fOrms-cOal as it comes from the mine, coke from the oven, pig iron from the furnace, copper from ingots, lead in pigs, etc., and no ac- count whatever is taken, even in the more simple forms, of labor and other costs expended in putting these pro- ducts into steel plates or other mer- chantable forms.
 The production of gold in 1897 was $2, ,6S5, 900 fine ounces, valued at $55,- 49S, ,95O, against 2,558, ,433 fine ounces valued at $52, ,209, in 1896. The production in the Transvaa1 was about the same as in the United States, and it will be doubtful which country will hold first place until revised figures are obtained. There was a large in- crease in the gold production of Colo radO, which has now surpassed Cali fornia for the first time The gold production of the Klondyke which was only $2,000, 900, notwithstanding the exaggerated newspaper reports, has been credited to Canada, and the lat ter country shows consequently a great increase in output The mos. important gold producing district in the United States was Cripple Creek, winch broke it's best previous record. Other important districts of the year were the Black Hills, South Dakota Mercur, Utah: and the various camps of the Mother lode in California.
 The production of silver of domest: C origin in the United States in 1897 was 56, ,117,0O0 fine ounces, against 5S,- 4S8,S10 fine ounces in 1896. In addi- tfon to this, there was production oi 39 1925, 900 fine ounces from foreign ores and bullion. against 33,133,52 fine ounces in 1896. The decrease in the American production is accounted fol by the heavy decline in the value o1 silver, which compelled a number oi important producers to close down The falling off in production would un- doubtedly have been greater had ii not been for the high price of lead during considerable part of the year A very large proportion-proba 8( per cent-of the silver produced in the United States is now derived from ores in which gold, lead or copper i: the more important element of value In both British Columbia and Mex. ico there was an increase in the pro- duction of silver; in the former it cor. responded more or less to the increase in the production of lead and copper in the latter, where business is con. ducted on a silver basis, the cost o1 labor falls proportionately with the value of silver, and silver mining i: not affected to the same extent as iI countries which are on a solid golf basis. There was a considerable in. crease in the lead production in Mex ico in 1897.
 The production of lead in 1897 wa: 194 ,530 short tons. valued at S13 ,e31. 348, against 174,792 short tons, valued at $10,3S1 ,S43 in 1S96 Besides this there was large amount of lead pro duced in the United States from for eign ore and bullion, a large part O which was exported after desilveriza ton. The increase, which was pro portionateIy large in Missouri, is ac counted for by the high price of tn metal during most of the year. Tn chief sources of domestic lead suppl, continue to be the Occur dhAlene dis trict of Idaho, Leadville, Colo, and tn vicinity of Bonne Terre, Mo. Tn exportation of foreign lead refined il bond, during the first ten months 0 the year was Al ,910 short tons. Tn exportations of domestic lead durin the same period was 5,e37 tons
 COPPER IN COCHISE