The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-26
RENEWED ACTIVITY IN TIE
COLORADO SILVER FIELDS.
Completion of Zine smeIters VIII
Give Much Higher Value to
White NetnI Ores.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

SPECIAL
Denver. Colo. Dec. 25.-In spite Of the low
price Of the white metal a large number Of
silver mines in Colorado Will be reopened
during the coming year, ana mining camps
like Aspen. Creede, Georgetown. Ouray and
Leadvilie. some Of which have been partial
~ deserted. VIII again become centers of ac-
tivity.
This is made possible by the completion
Of smelling plants that will save the zinc
values in silver ores. Only a few years ago
Il heavy penalty for any large percentage
of zinc was imposed by the smeiters on ali
silver ores. This penalty was at first 30
cents Il ton on each unit of twenty pounds
Of zinc. With silver selling at 4 high price
the mines We're able to pay this penalty and
sun operate at . profit. When silver de-
tlined the mines were closed.
The value Of the silver produced in Colo
rado in lsa2 was, in round numbers. $22,go.-
Corresponding with the decline of the sill
yer production of the State there has been
ton. Many of the old silver camps, nota-
bly, Leadvliie; have become gold camps.
others, notably Aspen, have practically
Meanwhile the zinc production of the
State has been S.Owly increasing. In 1901
its value was $4,000. This year it will h..
slightly more than $1,000, cG0. None of the
zinc ores, up 10 this time, have been re-
duced in this State. Most o! IL has been
shipped IN the FORM OF concentrates to Bel
sium. The average value to the miner OF
the ore sent abroad has been ONLY 81 .
ton. as it has to pay sl5 railroad freight and
s. water freight in ADDITION 10 Insurance
commissions and treatment charges. Thus
the figures given of the value of the output
by no means represent the value Of the
manufactured product.
Next year, however, Spelter will occupy
an important place in the list of Colorado
manufacture. Franklin. Guiterman. chief
mstaliurgist of the American Smelling and
Refining Company. announces that the new
zinc Nsmelter erected by that company az
Pueblo is almost ready TO blow IN on u
basis of t90 tons q day.
There are two zine SnelterS at CanGn
City-one owned b. the United States Re
timing and Reduction Cornpany-knOwn lC-
cally as the Mill Trust-and the other by a
New Jersey company. Each plant is I'M
City capacity will soon be 800 tons a day.
This makes LEO tons all told. Concedins
that the present concentrates average 30 per
cent zinc, this years output of the pure
metals equals 5000 tons. At the New York
price for Spelter. which is $lG2 a ton. the
Colorado product for 1902 is worth 81. 100, 90.
The zinc concentrates of Creede have been
:; pronounced success for five years. and two
Of them were sold last fall to Boston men
in connection with a group Of mines for
some S3QG.U Boston men have also sue
cecded in handling the zinc ores of Rico
on 4 commercial scale. while Ouray has re-
Gently added 10 the list Of zinc shippers as
q result of concentration 1T the Khedive
mine.
output OF Sl0,GG2. coo a year in Colorado IS not
far distant. II should 6e more than rea.-
lied in 1904. \ conservative estimate for
next year is S6,GGG, 900.