The oasis., 1901-01-05
COLD. SILVER AND COPPER.
An Estimate of Arixona's Production for
 1900.

ing an important factor in the gold, silver and copper production of the world. The gains of recent years in the annual output have been large and the comments of mining papers, as we'll as the mint reports, have all been highly creditable to the territory. Nevertheless it is fact, easily demon strated, that Arizona has been all too modestly mentioned in this matter and that the official figures given by mint. reports are far too small to adequately represent either the mining interests or the mineral output of the terri. tory. The source of information upon which the mint reports are based in general way, is believed to be the books of Wells Fargo and other express com panies which handle the principal part of the bullion produced. What other sources of information the mint may have, of course, is not public matter, but at the suggestion of some one in- terested in Arizona, officials of the mint requested Dr. Ford to forward an estimate on the gold and silver pro duct of this year, and his figures have been submitted by wire.
 He was seen last evening by 3. re- porter for. The Republican and kindly consented to the publication of his es- innate. Figures are always more readily understood by comparison, so the mint report of the two years pre- ceding are first given:
 Mint report--Gold production Of Ari- zona, 1898, s2,5l7 ,OOO; 1899, s2,59S,00O,
 Mint report-Silver production Of Arizona, 1898, coin value, s2,970. 800; 1899, S2.4ll ,000.
 Dr. Ford's estimate for l9OO-Gold production, s4, ,936, 900; silver produc- tion, 1, 25O, 900 ounces.
 It will be at once observed that Dr. Ford's figures are greatly in excess of the mint report of last year, in fact, on gold, almost double. This is ac- counted for by the fact that the mint figures are probably based, for the most part, ou the reports of trsnspor- titlon companies. Dr. Ford has util- ized the same source of information and in addition has made calculations from his personal intimate knowledge ofthe mines of the territory.
 It is we'll known that nearly every big copper vein carries gold and silver as we'll. The product of the copper mines is sent out of the territory as copper bullion. matte, etc, and the gold 1t contains is saved at the refiner- ies. This the transportation com panies have no know ledge of as to the amount. Again, the product of many gold mines is sent out in the form of concentrates and only at the reduction works, is the real amount Of the gold product of these mines knt VII. ltsis recorded there and probably credited to the states wherein the reduction works are located, In many of the copper mines ths claim is made that gold exists in sufficient quantities to pay the cost of operating the mines. This is no doubt true and 1t Is d very plausible explanation for the differ ence between the figure of Dr. Ford and the previous mint reports.
 Asked if ne had made an estimai e on the copper production of the terri tory, he said that he had given it some thought and had placed | he 1900 pro duct at S3O,OO0,000 which he inciden- tally remarked is good deal of money.
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