The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-02

Considerably Over Half of the Worlds
Output Produced in This
Country.
Utah Stands Fourth in the List of States Where the Red Meta
is Mined and the Prospects for the Future
Are Exceedingly Bright.

Copyright, 1905, by Horace ]. Stevens. }
the United States now furnishes con-
siderably more than half the copper
supply Of the world, the industry is of
comparatively recent origin. A little
mining was done. is a desultory way,
in the state Of New Jersey, near the
Atlantic seaboard, In the latter years
Of the eighteenth century. and during
the first half Of the nineteenth century
small mines were opened and worked
In Vermont, Pennsylvania and other
eastern states. Previous to the Amer
lean civil war copper mines were
opened in eastern Tennessee, near the
Georgia line, but these were abandoned
during the hostilities, and their work
ing was not resumed until a few years
ago.
Copper in the West.
covery of native copper in the Lake Su-
perior district that the production of
the metal by American mines became
important. The first recorded produc-
ton of Lake Superior copper in COM
mercial quantities was in 1916, the out
put amounting to only "a, $50 pounds.
From that year forward the increase
was steady, amounting to upwards of
100000 pounds in 1S48, exceeding TO-
100000 pounds in 1850, 10000, 900 pounds
m 1868, 50,000000 pounds in 1890, and
zoo, 000,o 600 pounds in 1904 Montana.
now the largest producer OF the metal
of any district in America or elsewhere,
made it's first recorded production in
the very early 'S0s, and speedily as
sumed commanding rank. passing Mich
igan in production In 1887 Arizona's
first copper was made as early as 1873,
but the inaccessfbility of the district,
coupled with the hostilities of the most
bloodthirsty Of all tribes Of American
Indians rendered it impossible to pro-
duce the metal upon any considerable
scale until the advent Of the first rail-
road. So recently as 1895 the output
was but p, 49S, gross tons OF fine metal,
but in the decade that has since
elapsed the Arizona mines have made
gigantic strides, and I'm 1905, for the first
year, the output of Arizona exceeds that
of Michigan, Arizona now ranking Sec
ond only to Montana in copper produc-
ton among the American states and
territories.
Utah Ranks Fourth.
Utah. now standing fourth in output
has produced copper in small Quanti-
Ties IOT many years dS d
from the working of auriferous silver
lead and gold ores, but It is only within
the past few years that the old silver
lead camp Of Bingham has gained
prominence az a producer Of copper.
The California copper deposits are ex-
tensive, but the production to date has
been mainly from a single large mine,
in the northern part Of the state. With
the advent of other powerful interests.
including the United States Mining
company and the General Electric COM
pany, the. exploitation of the copper re-
sources of CaXornia should be, for the
future, on a scale more in keeping with
their promise.
Old World Distanced.
Although the United States now pro-
duces more than half of the worlds
copper supply, this has been the case
for but a comparatively short period.
A quarter century ago, in 1880, the
United States made but q 900 tons OF
the worlds total copper supply of 153,
959 gross tons-only II percentum OF
the total. Ten years ago, in 1895, the
United States, for the first time, made
more than half the worlds total output
of copper, turning out 1897 tons, as
with 164, 648 tons produced by
all other countries. During the ten
years since passed the United States