Daily inter mountain., 1900-01-13
A Great Year for Copper Industry
United States Has Commanding Position in Worlds
rlarket for the Red MetaI-What the Big Mines
Have Done--Copper Shares and
Copper Prices.

IlOH, mluo UeVelOpmoNC COnSumpUlOn
and market of the metal and the specu-
lation in copper stocks, appears in the
current issue of the Engineering and
Mining Journal. 1t is here reproduced in
full:
Copper production in the United States
in 1899 was exceedingly active. but for
q number of reasons shows only a mod
crate increase over 1885, In that year
the total output including in sulphate,
was 535,S0O,232 pounds. In 1899 the fig
ures as furnished us by Mr.. John Stan
ton, vino acts as statistician for the
companies, with the month of December
estimated, show total of $50, 5,616,640
pounds, to which is to be added 7,O55,997
pounds OF copper in sulphate, making
total Of 592.6'2,6S7 pounds; and show
ing an increase of 56,772,i ,iO5 pounds, or
106 per cent. This production is about
IS per cent Of the total output of cop
per in the world, and the United States,
retains-as it is likely to do for many
years to come-a commanding position
in the worlds market for this metal. AL
though the increase in production was
only moderate one, the enlargement
in consumption was very great. Our
total exports in 1899, estimating Decem-
ber, were 115,050 long tons of fine copper,
or Il little over 10000 tons less than in
1898. There was no accumulation of
stocks by any producer or dealer during
the year, so that the Increase in pro-
duction coupled with the decease in ex
ports indicates that some $4,000 tons of
copper We're added to our domestic sup
ply in 1889. and that the consumption in
that year was greater than in 1885,, by
this very large quantity. This is not to
be wondered at. when we consider the
extreme activity in construction work of
all kinds, in which copper and it's alloys
are used: and especially the very large
amount Of electrical Work-railrOad,
power transmission. lighting and electro-
lytic-which has been constructed during
the year.
The three important producing states
heretofore had been Montana. Michigan
and Arizona. In 1898 Montana produced
about 40 per cent of all the copper mined
in the United States, Michigan about so
per cent, and Arizona, 20 per cent. The
proportions in 1899 changed somewhat,
although the states still hold their rela-
tive rank. In Montana there was ma
terial falling off, which resulted from
several causes. The chief of these was
the litigation which is now going on in
Butte, and which involves three large
producers-the Anaconda, the Boston &
Montana and the Montana Ore Purchas-
ing company, and which through injunc-
tions and other legal orders has inter-
fered with the output of several of the
large producing mines. Another cause
has been the decrease in production of
the Anaconda properties. the causes of
which are not entirely clear, especially
as the company has ceased making it's re-
ports public. 1t is said, however, that
pne reason for this is the fact that grade
of the ore Is lower at the depths now
reached: and it is certain that there is
a considerable waste in the somewhat
imperfect methods of concentration ana
other treatment of the ore now in use,
in the companys works.
The organization of the Amalgamated
Copper company, which owns a con-
trolling interest in the Anaconda and is
understood to be also a very large owner
in the Boston & Montana, the Parrot, and
us also owner of the still undeveloped
WashOe property-which Is said to be
extremely valuable-may have an i'm
portant effect upon the Butte mines.
1t was given out at the organization Of
this company that it's object was to con-
solidate under one head all the copper
producing mines of Butte. So far this
purpose has been but imperfectly car
ried out, and the future of the company
is still very doubtful While little can
be expected until the present litigation
affecting the title to some of the b st
mines in the district is settled It is quite
possible that improvements in methods,
may be introduced which will in time
much improve the productive capacity
of the district: and will make it CORE
spond much more nearly than it does at
present to the great possibilities which
it contains
In Michigan the changes in production
have not been very large. In some OF
the Older mines, such as the Calumet &
Hecla, the Tamarack, the Quincy, the
Osceola and the Wolverine, production
has been pushed as far as possible, and
there has been fair increase in the
has been little change, and in some even
decrease. Thus the Franklin company
has failed to find the expected values
in it's Franklin Junior property. and
may be regarded asa worked out mine.
and there are other instances Of the same
kind. When rise in prices began early
in the year, large number Of new COM
panies were organized to work new tracts
in the Lake Superior copper region. and
several old mines were revived, rein.
corporated, and development work bs-
gun. None of these concerns, however.
can be yet ranked as producers: some
of them are worth little or nothing, ard
others. which may have value, cannot bc
included in the producing list before 1901
or 1902. as is we'll known it takes three
years and an expenditure of $750, ,OC0 to
make mine in the Lake Superior dis
trict, and what proportion of the new
companies will be able to surmount the
difficulties as pre- sented is still unc0r-
tain.
The largest increase in production, both
actual and proportional has come from
the Arizona mines. where work has been
carried on very actively in all the large
MlHeS. Inc ArdzOua copper company,
the Detroit the United Globe, the Cop
per Queen, and above all the United
Verde, have been most actively exploited,
and have been large producers through
out the year. Some increase has also
come from the smaller mines. especially
In Yavapai county, and in the Dragon
mountains in Cochise county. where some
promising development nts have been made.
Some of those which promised much a
year ago have made no returns thus far.
and this is especially the case in the
Grand Canyon district. While something
may be done in that district when bet.
ter transportation facilities are provid-