Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-04-15
REPORT OF STATE
BUREAU OF MINES.
Since Inception Of Mining In This
State II Has Produced S719,6os,-
572 in Gold. Silver, Lead
and Copper.

In looking over the report of our
state bureau OF mines recently pub
iished by the commissioner. Harry A.
ments are found highly attractive.
For instance. at the very outset he
places the production of gold. silver,
lead and copper from the inception of
mining to the close of last year mt
Sl9,bOS,53 That Is to say, the
big state of Colorado, which for the
nrst two and n half decades of its pi'o
gress contained scarcely more than
100000 people. and now numbers less
than half million, has addAi nearly
three-quarters of billion to the sub
stantial wealth of the world. eptu
mized in gold, $25l. 1855, 1864; siker.
S352,7i3.03S; lead. Sl01.072.419.7O. and
copper almost wholly derived from
gold and silver ores, for we have no
developed copper mines, Sl3 gOl.
34S.S6
The marked advances in mloirg and
methods OF extracting the precious
and commercial metals have all been
made within the past fifteen years
and the larger sources of gold produc.
tion have become prominent only
within the past eight years. From
1881 to about 1898 silver was the ioln-
inant factor; now it is gold. silver hav-
ing taken its place as a by product, SO
to speak. No great. that is to say
largely productive silver mines. are
now operated in this state.
ha ltl
source comes from large number of
single mines in the different districts.
In no place is mining conducted sole
iy for silver.
MIR. Lee makes the total of gold
silver and copper produced here in
1900 s5O,3l4 4.Oly.35, an increase. OF
nearly two millions over 1899 The
gold was s2S,76 .036.2y, and the sill
yer at the average market price Sl2.
4SS,l74.s4. value OF lead. s777O, 1856
"a; value OF copper Thy product
81 .2y3 .Oll.yS.
one of the interesting features of
tho general summary is the rapid ex
pansion OF coal mining. Very little
coal was mined or consumed between
the total yield was 69,y77 tons. II
has grown with the years. the In.
crease OF population and the muitipli-
cation of railways and markets from
less than 10000 tons per annum in
1878 to 5.495,73i tons at the close oi
1900, divided as follows Lignite
S22,9l6 tons, semi-bitur1inous, Sgl,-
o54; bituminous tooking), 3,Gy7 02O.
and anthracite. limitedly mined only
at Crested Butte in Gunnison coun-
ty, 59,244 tons. He shows that In
the differene coal fields, but mainly
at Crested Butte and In southern Col
GRADE, LAZY coke ovens were in opera
ton last year and produced 575,i47
short tons. The major part of this
material is used by smelters of gold
and silver ores.
Just at this time II is widely re
ported that the extensive iron and
steel plants OF the Colorado Fuel a
Iron company, including their mines
OF coal and iron, will eventually be
absorbed by the national iron ana
steel trust under the direction of j.
Pierpont Morgan, 1t is interesting.
therefore, to discover the basis of this
desire to take it into the all.ahsorb
ing fold. 1t is well known that the
4. f. Il !, company is the only large
manufacturer of iron from the raw
ores between the Missouri river and
the Pacific coast, This company has
large holdings of both coal and iron
throughout Colorado, and has OF late
been extending It's possessions into
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The
gross value OF the steel and iron pro.
duced at its great plant ut Pueblo in
1900 was S5.tSi.G20, value of coal
and coke, $6,OSS.S1y, a total of Sill
ti3, 43y. It manufactures pig iron.
castings, iron pipe. spikes, bolts.
nuts. etc, SO 1t Is seen that while
not as big as Carnegie's WORKS at
Pittsburg. IT Is nevertheless "A good
deal of factor in view OF the field
1t occupies.
rhe commissioner says the zinc
production OF our state amounted to
Hys4 tons for 1900. averaging ~ per
cent metallic zinc. The prices on
board cars at the place of production
ranged from $3.50 to SIS per ton
About 40 per cent of the gross was
exported to Europe and Canada. The
Indications for 1901 are largely in
creased zinc product.
The yield OF tungsten ores has been
from San Juan and Boulder counties.
separated by nearly 500 miles San
Juan produced last year 5000 pounds
containing n per cent tungsten acid,
and 5000 pounds containing IS per
cent. Boulder gave 10000 pounds
carrying 65 per cent tungstic acid
The yield OF bismuth for 1900 ag.
gregates about 442,500 pounds. OF
this amount 100000 pounds averaged
10 per cent and 442,500 averaged 8
per cent metallic bismuth. ali of ii
came from the Balloro. Big Six ana
Penn mines at Leadville. The gross
value was about s26.5OO. or SIS per
unit.
Lake county produced "A. 90 short
tons of manganese ore. which aver
aged about % per cent manganese