El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-30
NEARLY DOUBLED
Mineral Product of the United States
Since 1880.

The official report on mineral pro.
duction of the United States for the
calendar year 1898 was made public to-
day by the geological survey. 1t shows
that since 1880 the total value of the
mineral production of the United States
has increased from 1865, $780, 600 to
S697, 1886, OO2 in 1898, nearly 80 per cent.
The normal increase deduced from this
record of nineteen years is at the rate
of $4,000, 900 annually. While the
normal rate of increase may lie some
where between these figures the totals
are marked by great Irregularities.
From 1894 to 1895 the increase was
nearly 500, 900, OOO;.the following year
the increase was only q little over ST.
900, 600, while from 1892 to 1894 there
was decrease, owing to the business
depression, of over S121, 900, 600. From
1896 to 1897 the increase was 81, 600, 900,
about 1.3 per cent, while from 1897 to
1898 the increase was 500, $40, 534.
The 1898 total product was the larg.
est in the history, exceeding that OF
1892, which held the record prior to
1898 by nearly $50, 900. This is
due to q general increase all along the
line of mineral products, all of the
more impOrtsn of these showing large
increases and almost every one show
ing some gain.
The value of all metallic products in
1898 was 1914, 096, 40, as compared with
1902, 1913. 5O2 in 1897. "a gain of S41, 1893 1928.
All of the metals. except nickel, made
large gains, copper, lead, zinc, alumni
mum and antinOny reaching their
maximum in both production and value
but while the amount of pig iron pro-
duced in 1898 was greater than in any
other year, yet the value of this pro-
duct was considerably less than in 1890
or 1892, though 1t increased S21, 431 ,301
over 1897, this being more than one-half
the total increase in the metallic pro-
ducts from 1897 to 1898. The non-metal-
In 1897 to 1852, 1888 1872, q gain of $25,-
O72, 9O6. The largest contributor to this
gain was bituminous coal, which in |
creased from Bis, 1867, 224 in 1897 to |
1892, 588, 313 In 1898, gain Of Sl3, 019, O89. |
The value of anthracite, however fell |
DIFF nearly 81, 900, 600. The other pro-
ducts showing important gains were
stone, petroleum, natural gas and min
eral waters.
The official figures of production and
value of the principal products follow:
IRON and steel. pig iron, II, 773, 934,
oug tons: bessemer steel ingots, 6,6O9.-
IO7 tons; open hearth steel, 2 23O ,29O
ong tons: iron ores, 1925, 1863 long
ions, valued at s22, OH, 542; gold, value,
,64, 1853, 900, an increase in produce;
silver, 81, 1853, 600 ounces, coming
7alues so. 34S, 485, or commercial
,slue, 1872, Ills, 420; copper. 526, 512, 987
pounds, value, $50, 800, PIG; lead, 231,-
.69 tons; value. 81 ,345. IT'S; zinc, u.s.
1919 short tons, value, S17, 1885, $40;
Juick silver, 31,092 TASKS,
pounds, value, S1,716, 600; per cent
,eing derived from Import
ID ores: manganese. 49,
81 long tons, value Sl29, 1855; nickel.
3, All pounds.
Fuels-Coals, combined product of
nthracite and bitumious, 49,, 4O5, 953
ong tons, equivalent to2l9, 974 1857 short
ons, 81 per cent increase. OF the total
AZ, 742, S7S long tons were bituminous;
oke, 16. 047, 209 short tons. Crude petro-
cum SIS, 354, 233 barrels; natural gas,
alue, S14, $50. 600; stone, 1876, 607 ,264 in
alue; clays. SIC, 200, 900 value: portland
ement, 3, 1872, S24 barrels; natural rock
ement, S,276. 424 barrels; corundum and
merry, S275, 064 value, product, 4,064
ons; phosphate rock, 600, 1874 long tong.
2, 673, 2O2 value; gypsunl 291, 638
ounds, IS PIP, 554 value: borax, 16, 000,-
DO 81, 10000 value; pyrite. 1913, 1854
>ng tons; precious stones, $3.50, 920 in
alue ;asphaltum, 76. 337 short tons, 3675,
10 value; limestone for iron f1ux, 5,275,-
10 tons. with 50, 63S, 900; mineral wa
srs, %, 653, 464 gallons sold, worth SO,
II ,S33.-Exchange. 6
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