Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-01-27

modify prices, and of our existing
prosperity is quite evident. 1t would
be very desirable to know whether the
cost of producing gold during, say, the
last five years, has increased Of de-
creased. To what extent have i'm
provements in mining machinery and
other economics in extracting gold from
its ores, been an offset to the increased
cost of materials and labor?''
Replying to the above that journal
says: Increase in the cost of mining,
through advanced cost for labor and
materials, would naturally have some
effect upon the production of the metal,
if the increased unit values were not
offset by decreased quantities required.
The production of gold, however, is
more directly affected by lucky discov-
cries of new and rich deposits, or the
consummation of some new, more
economical method of ore treatment,
than it is by moderate changes in the
cost of handling ton of material. For
example, the output of gold during the
list five years has been enormously in
creased by the working of the placers
in Alaska and the Yukon. These
placers have been operated successfully
on an increasing scale, although the
cost is greatly in excess of that at
which similar work is performed in
more accessib Bile parts of the world.
About IL years ago the gold production
of the United States began to be largely
increased by the discovery of an entire
ly new new district at Cripple Creek.
Colorado, which proved to contain a
group of very important mines. An
other instance of the striking causes
which have contributed to the recent
increase in the gold production of the
world was. the, successful development
of the cyanide process, which was
firmly established about 10 years ago,
and at the present time furnishes APP
proximately 20 per cent of the entire
gold production OF the world, and in
directly considerably more, because of
the additional yield by stamp mill ANAL
gamation from mines which without
the cyanide process could not be oper-
ated proftably by stamp-mill amalga-
nation alone.
1t is extremely difficult to determine
the relative cost of mining over a
period of years, because the cost is
usually dependent upon great variety
of conditions other than the mere cost
of handling ton of material, which is
the only reliable unit for comparison.
For example, the development work
required may be a good deal more in
one year than in another; a reduction
N the average width of the vein worked
nay greatly increase the cost of pro-
iuction per ton of ore, although the
cost of production per ton of ore, al
though the cost of mining per ton of
material, including the ore and the
barren rock that must be broken out
with it, may be reduced. A single
cass of mines, only, affords and indica-
tim as to the actual results. This is
the class of mines, like those of Tread
well Island, Alaska, Che Mercur in
Utah, and the Homestake mine in the
Black Hills, which have very large de-
posits of uniform ore; in which the de-
yelopments are practically always in
ore; and in which there is only small
percentage of barren rock to be culled
out. The official reports of these mines
snow different conditions. In the
Alaska-Treadwell, the cost of mining
and milling Increased from Ole per ton
in 1900, to $1.33 Per ton in 1904. In the
Alaska-Mexic the cost of mining and
Milling in 1900 was $1.64 per ton; in
1891, Sill per ton; in 1902, SLIGO per
ton; in 1903, $1.80 per ton; in 1904,
;l.79 per ton. The Ready Bullion
nine of the Alaska United company, on
the other hand, shows decrease in
cost since 1901. At the Homestake
mine, the cost of mining and milling
was $3.16 per ton in 1900; 1891 per
ton in 1902; $2.82 per ton in 1908; 81. 6s
per ton in 1904. The cost of mining at
Mercur was 81. Al per ton in 1902; 81
in 1903. These figures indicate the
variety which is shown in the reports
of various gold mining companies.
! The reports of other kinds of mines
show similar variations; in Some cases
an increase in cost; but in other cases
which appear to be decidedly the ma
jority, a decrease. Three or four years