Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-07-15

mines In Colorado that produced silver
ores carrying 500, / 900 and 1000 ounces
per tom Yes Georgetown sent out
| consignments containing such values,
and there are times IN the present day
when like values are produced. IL is
extraordinary but true.
Now" says Mr. Laird editor Of the
| Register CAL, "the reader can see from
| the following tabulations what this
smelter charges for treating these silver
ores and a comparison of the price Of
silver per ounce IN 1874 with the value
nc the present time win show what the
miner received for his ore. on ore car
rying 80 ounces silver to the ton the
smelter paid a cents per ounce, or $22
Silver at that time was worth $l.20 per
ounce and the so ounces we're worth
$3.50. The miner got s22 and the
smelter took the balance, or Sl2.5 for
treatment.
ION lOO-ounce ore the miner received
Sl4. the'treatment charge being S55, on
200-ounce ore the treatment was S6i;
on 5O0-ounce ore the treatment was
Sll0: on 1000 ounce ore II was $40 and
on 2,OOO-ounce stun the treatment was
$685. per ton The same ores are now
being treated for 81 TO $40 per ton.
Silver at the present time Is worth So
cents an ounce, therefore ore carrying
80 ounces TO the ton would be worth in
the neighborhood OF S2S. Deductlng 81
per ton for treatment, the miner now
receives 81 per ton, as against S22 30
years ago, when silver was worth Sl29
an ounce. Where the grade OF ore was
higher the difference was in favor OF
the smelter.
ut maybe stated in this connection
that only a few places In the state
yielded such ores, and these In small
quantities, The treatment charge on
the bulk OF the better grades OF Gipin
county gold bearing ore was Si5 per
ton Today II Is 81 10 ST. One Of the
reasons for the high rates was that
they could get them and another that II
cost more TO handle mineral under the
crude methods then In vogue. But Mr.
Lairds comparison shows that the pro-
Queer OF silver ore Is getting nearly az
much today as he did when the price of
the white metal was more than double
the current rate.
Coming down to brass tacks so to
speak the old competitive system Of
smelling, which followed the discovery
or lead carbonates at Leadvlle I'm 1875
10, has gone out and will not be revived
10 any considerable extent ] am Of the
opinion that matters in the metal mar
ket VIII have TO be nightly changed
for the better before the monopoly OF
the American Smelling & Refining
company can be materially altered by
Independent concerns. To begin with,
the mines have been deepened. and the
statistics OF production show a gradual
but certain deterioration Of values In
some OF the districts which formerly
produced much higher grades than now
obtain But even the lower grades are
more profitable today than the higher
were In the old days. because NJ the
difference In cost Of mining and treat
ment. The machine drill has had much |
TO do with bringing about the improved |
conditions; the improved concontrator
has been a powerful factor, but the |
largest benefit has come from less cost |
~ and much better methods OF treat |
ing ores by the smelling process. Chlor- |
ination and cyanldlng I'LL out the long |
list OF advantages enjoyed today over |
those Of the time when the Boston & |
Colorado ruled things at Black Hawk. |