Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-02-15
VALUE OF OUR METALS.

VALUE OF OUR METALS.
Popular Ideas Concerning Gold and
Silver Incorrect.
Because gold and silver are used for
measuring as money the values Of 9TH
to consider their production as perhaps
the most important Of the mineral out
puts Of our country. In a certain sense
this is true. But comparison Of some
Of our mineral Industries as set forth
by the United States geological sur
vey in the Mineral Resources Of the
United States, 1900" shows how small
a part, relatively, the two precious
wealth.
Round numbers alone being used for
convenience sake, it is found that the
gold product was worth $79,000,00 and
that the commercial value Of the silver
product was about s36,000,O00, though
the coming value was $74,00O,000. AS
metals, then, the gold and silver were
worth s153.C0O,O00. Now the copper
produced in 1900 was valued at s9s,0O0,-
900, though the price decreased cent
and half a pound, as compared with
1899; the lead was valued at over $685.
0OO, 900, though the condition of the in
dustry was not good; zinc was produc-
ed to the value Of over $10,000,000,
though it declined % per cent. in value
as compared with 1899. The copper,
lead and zinc products were worth
more as metals, by $16,000,O0O, than
our gold and silver, as metals, in 1900.
The combined values Of the productions
Of abrasive materials, such as grind
stones, garnets, and so on; Of cheni-
cal materials, such as gypsum, phos-
phate rock, and others; Of pigments,
such as metallic paint, white lead, and
so on; and Of the miscellaneous metallic
products, the whole aggregate amount
ed to about $5z,0OO.00O. shows that they
were worth less, as metals or metallic
products, than the gold by about ST.
600, 900, and more than the silver, as
metal, by $16,OOO,0O0.
Further, the comparison Of gold and
silver with the structural materials
produced-that Is, with $48,000,000 Of
building stone, $96,000,0O0 worth Of clay
products, and s13.0O0,0Oo Of cements;
$157 ,OOO, 900 in all-shows that the struc-
tural materials exceeded the gold and
silver in value by $42.0OO.O0O. If the
commercial value Of silver is taken,
and by $4,000, ,0O0 even If silve irs taken
at its coming value Of $72,0OO,0O.
Applied now to the great metallic ba-
sis of our civilization, iron and its pro-
ducts, the comparison becomes still
more striking. Iron ore was produced
to within less than 100000 Of the val
ue of gold; and pig iron was produced
to a value of nearly $107 ,0vv,000 in ex-
cess Of the coming value Of both gold
and silver combined. But the compari-
son with the gold and silver output
with the output Of the mineral fuels,
coal, petroleum and natural gas, is the
most striking Of all; for the combined
gold and silver value Is exceeded by
the high sum Of $253, ,000, 900, or $4O6, 6,OOO.-
900 as against $153, 100000.
These comparison are the more in
teresting in view Of the statement Of
the director Of the mint that two
thirds Of the output Of silver in the
United States Is obtained as a by-pro-
duct from mines which would be ope-
rated no matter what the price Of sill
yer might be-" and that in the Grip
pie Creek district the reserves (of
gold) in sight are enormous"
Another popular prepossession that
receives scant courtesy at the hands Of
the report Is in regard to tin. Besides
the terse statement under the tabular
summary, -Quantity-None," tin
Is only mentioned twice in the volume;
once under the iron and steel statistics,
when the production Of tin plates to
the amount Of 3O2,665 long tons is no
ted; and again brief description Is
given of the Occurrence of Stream
Tin in the York Region, Alaska" the
York region lying west Of Cape Nome.
We produced no tin in this country in
19e0.-Washington correspondence st.
Louis Globe-Democrat.