The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-03-05
SILVER OUTPUT OF
MEXICAN REPUBLIC
Production Limited Owing to
Limited Mercury Supply
in Early Days.
STATISTICS GIVEN OF
FIRST MINING ERA

Advent of British Companies
Served to ReOrganiZe the
Mining Industry.
For n long time after tho discovery Of
America, Mexico and Peru were the two
chief ceuters OF silver production. or
Peru. the output has become very much
rcduced; and of Mexico, after marked
fluctuations, IL began to diminish appre-
ciably In 1Sl0 ct the beginning OF the rev.
olution. which, in 1921. separated that
country from Spain From this depres-
sion II subsequently recovered.
Production Depended on Mercury.
After the conquest. tho Spaniards first
opened some veins near the capital. at
Tasco. Real del Monte and Tlapujahua-
Subsequently they developed the great
mincs OF Guanajuato and Zucatecas, and
= myriad OF smaller camps, and the pro
duction OF silver steadily Increased To
large proportions As time went on II be
came evident that the quantity Of silver
extracted annually did not depend so
much on the abundance and. richness OF
the ores. as on the facility with which the
mines procured tho mercury necessary for
amalgamatlon.
variation or Me&1can Dollars.
Consequently the number OF ounces OF
silver converted into Mexican dollars var
led irregularly. When. through naval
war or any other accident, mercury faiicd
Tor year and subsequently was supplied
In abundance very considerable pro
duction OF silver succeeded TO a moderate
total OF coinage. on the other hand. the
greater the demand for mercury In Span
lSh America, the greater became its price
IN Europe. Mexico. in lSQs consumed
about 500 tons OF mercury. The proper
tionate loss OF this material varied in dif-
tercnt mining districts amounting TO 100
pounds of mercury for a silver product
varying from Go TO 1000 ounces.
Mercury Secured From Australia.
One hundred pounds Of ore carrying
three and half to four ounces OF silver,
cost TO treat by amalgamation. 81 10 SL2o.
The loss OF mercury was estimated at ten
10 fourteen ounces per mark or eight
ounces OF silver OF this. eight ounces
was regarded as consumed by combination
with oxygen or chlorine and two TO eight
ounces as lost mechanically. Before lI5O
the consumption of mercury being rela-
lively small, none was received in Mexico
except from Almaden In Spain and Huan-
oayelica, In Peru. but as the demand in
creased IL became necessary to enlarge
the supply by drawing on another source.
had reserved the sole right TO sell mcr-
curry in Mexico. whether from Spain or
elsewhere). concluded in 17S4 a contract
with the Emperor OF Austria. by which
the latter agreed TO furnish 1900 cwt. OF
mercury annually at So per cwt.
Mexican Product Increased
With the growth OF silver production.
the total quantity imported into Mexico
from from all aIoo sources .o amounted an, to
annum at times 10000 to l2OC0
cwt being brought from Austria.
The German mercury chiefly from Idrla.
was frst introduced after the Peruvian
production had been interrupted by the
caving in OF the mines and at time
Wnen the pToduct OF the mine CT AImaden
had diminished through excess of water.
In 1900 the Spanish mine had been put In
good order and produced annually more
than 1000 tons 1t Is estimated that from
lI2 TO l1Sl, metalurgical operations In
Mexico consumed 670 tons. AS the price
OF mercury diminished the production OF
silver Increased
Troubles of Small Producer.
In 1890 mercury sold in Mexico at SlS7
per cwt. but by 1850 the price had fallen
TO So From 1907 TO 17G the price was
S62 117 a royal decree fixed the price OF
Spanish mercury at Al50 and OF Austrian
Official favortism. Some districts
were permitted to buy two thirds Spanish
and one-third Austrian; while others were
obliged to buy more OF the Austrian than
NJ the Spanish In this way. the rich and
powerful were favored at the expense OF
the men OF small capital; and at times.
some of the poorest mines (aS at TaSCo
Tamascaltepec or Copala) had difficulty
IN buying mercury. while the great plants
OF Guanajuato and Real del Monte had
Ii in abundance.
Early Silver Statistics.
The principal statistics OF early sBver
the coinage records which were kept with
much detail from 1850 These do not give
quite the whole product (because Ger
tain amount of silver was used I'm the
arts. but they are the only records and
give very close approximation The pro-
duct OF 1899 is stated at 4.97I, sos ounces:
hyIN rNTstVt I4as
creased 10 12.S2i.0O1 ounces in 1752. From
tnis date II gradually diminished tin l7Gl
when the production was reported at g.
4l6,5A ounces
Revolutionary Leaders Owned Mines.
1t then increased with slight nlictua-
tlons, TIL 1886, when the total was Y .S32-
so ounces From that time the produc-
lion diminished TO l6. 7S9 701 ounces in 1900.
reaching another maximum I'm 1876 with
ti.as %S ounces Between 1895 ana 1910
ll,2G 4l6 ounces were annually coined into
dollars From 1sll to 1916. es72,CsS ounces
were yearly received at the royal mnts
From 1916 to 1873, 9. go 2l6 ounces were an
nually recorded In the coinage accounts
II Is proper To note that during the revO-
hands OF the revolutionary leaders who
used the product for their own purposes
and made no report OF the output
Work of British Companies.
About 1924. certain British companies
undertook to reorganizc the work at
many OF the celebrated old mines and
their efforts in this direction and their
varying eucccSs are matters OF general
Information. Statistics Of present silver
production are not complete The Mcxi-
Gun cUstom-housc returns OF silver OK
ported to the United States arc. smaller
1han the United States customs reports
from the same points. By the department
OF Hacienda. the production from 1854 10
1874, Inclusive Is given at 243 2lG 7S3
ounces, OF an average OF PHI $50. 80
olnces per annum. The carly statistics
given above were compiled by Alexander
Won Humboldt, who had special oppor-
tunties fer obtaining information The
money value OF silver used by him was
o65 dollars per ounce, troy. The Mexican
dollar Is given by him at 106 sous, French
money, 6fr. 2jc