The San Francisco call., 1903-09-09
Pdrched Desert Yields
Rich Viter Deposit
to Explorers.

NLLUSION has been made in a gen.
eral way to the two comparatively
~ - new mineral industries that, as
compared with gold mining even, contain
so much of Iomise for this State, name
ly copper II ming and inter production.
State Mineralogist aAubury makes the
statement that copper has risen to the
place of second Importance in the metal
lie production of California.
In 1901 the copper output Of this State
was "a, ,931, ,9s5 pounds, valued at $500, 1872.
This gave this State the fourth place in
the United States as a copper producer
State Mineralogist Aubury says:
CaIifornia's copper deposits have remark
ably wide distribution. being scattered over
the length and breadth OF the State and oc-
curing in nearly every one Of the ifty-seven
counties. Thousands Of deposits have been
subjects OF mining locations at different
times and hundreds have yielded at least
few tons Of merchantable ore as a result OF
superficial prospecting. There is hardly a
county in the State that has not, at some
time, made at least such small contributions
to the copper supply. Such deposits. usually
small far revealed by slight development
are scattered at varying intervals along the
borders OF the State and throughout every
section Of it except the detrital deposits Of the
valleys.
The saline deposits of California have
assumed great Importance as sources of
wealth. The value Of borax produced in
California In a period Of fifteen years. in
cluding 1901, amounted to SIC, ,45s, $40;
soda, to s1.o965OO; salt, to s2,225576. The
inter deposits are still to demonstrate
their value. so far as official returns are
concerned. In a special bulletin issued by
the State Mining Bureau the veil Of pos
sibilities in that direction is raised. and,
while the industrial advance Of Calfor-
MIA Is considered. the statements made
officially by the State MineraIogist are Of
interest:
1t is impossible to give the exact acreage Of
the lands located for inter, but the following
will give some idea OF the extent Of the beds:
The number OF acres located in the Owl dis
trfct is more than 5000, Saratoga district more
than Soo0 Upper Canyon about 1000. Lower
Canyon about 5000. Round Mountain and VAL
lev more than 5000, Confidence $500, Salt
Springs about 300. Tecopah 25O0. Pilot, Dandy.
Needles and Volcano 3O00-a grand total OF
about $4,000 acres. The minimum thickness
of the surface inter is six inches. One acre
of ground contains 43, $50 square feet This
at six inches depth, is equal to 21 $50 cubic
feet. This at seventy pounds per cubic foot
amounts to 1924, 900 pounds, or 760 tons per
acre, say 75O tons, 10000 acres, allowing 5000
acres to be rejected, amounts to % 900 600
tons. The analyses show that inter exists on
some of the claims rich enough to rival the
beds Of Chile.
The growth Of manufacturing In this
State gives promise of the future. The
figures of production are evidence of the
present magnitude OF manufacturing ope-
rations. 1t is not feasible, with the space
at command. to review the advance Of
any particular industry or to supply
table showing the relative Importance Of
the various lines of creative effort The
beet sugar industry has expanded from
an output of 1902 short tons in 1888 to 75.-
O9O tons in 1902. The oil-producing indus
try may be traced approximately. From
the annual reports of series of wears
the fact is developed that, going back to
1887, the total output of California petro-
leum was of the value of only 81 IA
in total while the product in 1901, the last
date of complete and official statistics
the total was $2.961, 102. The price per
barrel fell off, owing to the great dfscov-
cries in Kern County, and manufacturing
was greatly stimulated by having such
cheap fuel; but the quantity produced
was vastly greater in 1902 than in 1887.
the comparative figures being: OUTPUT in
the year 1887, 67s.572 barrels; output for
1901, total of 2.961.1 .102. Since 1901 the total
production is more or less of a matter Of
surmise, but the figures will show a great
advance when they are prepared from all
available returns. Approximately. it Is
known that California last year produced
from 15,0O0,000 to 16,000.0O0 barrels. The
present year will largely beat the record
for 1902.
The oil industry will be one of the