Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-16
WE ARE FIFTH
IN COPPER
METAL EXTENDS OVER STATE IN
VAST DEPOSITS
SHASTA, TRINITY AND INYo ARE
LEADERS
New Beds Of Large Promise Are Con-
tinuaIy Being Discovered In
Northern and Southern
Sections

California takes fifth place as pro-
ducer of copper In the United States
The United States geological survey has
issued figures for the year 1906 which
makes this fact clear. The order Of
states in copper production is as follows:
Montana, Arizona, Michigan. Utah, Cali
fornia up to the fifth place. Beyond
that the annual production falls per state
under 20.000000 pounds of fine copper per
annum and so is inconsiderable and OF
little interest in the matter Of the race
for precedence.
Last year, so the geological survey
finds, Montana, Arizona and Michigan
were quite close together in production
of the red metal The record of these
states was as follows: Montana, 83,-
4S5,517 pounds; Arizona, 262,566,103 pounds;
Michigan, 229, sos. 7SO pounds. Utah's pro-
duction was 50,329,110 pounds fine. Cali
fornia made a record of 23153,202 pounds.
The present year will probably make a
much larger record for this state. The
development of the copper industry In
the northern counties of California, and
especially In Shasta county, promises to
be very large.
Old smelters are enlarged. New smell
ters of enormous capacity are in creation.
Railroads are in construction to serve
the needs of mines and smelters- New
copper deposits of large promise contin-
ually are being discovered. Arizona Is
second in rank Of production in the Uni
ted States and is but 20,000,000 pounds be-
hind Montana In production for 1906.
California produced more copper than
Alaska, Colorado, Idaho and Nevada
combined Its advancement as a copper
producer is seemingly limited only by
the amount of capital that can be In
duced to invest in its copper mines and
prospects.
A map has been issued by the state
mining bureau which shows that Cali
fornia has copper in a majority OF its
counties in commercial quantities. The
red metal has been mined In earnest in
| few counties. Copper belts have been
traced in the north and in other parts Of
the state. AS Arizona has surpassed
Michigan in the race for second place as
| a copper producer, so California OUT
| stripping other coast territory, with the
exception of Arizona, in present produc-
| ton, will undoubtedly within a few years,
with due development, judging from tho
product from relatively small operations,
be near or at the head of copper pro-
ducing states.
Western Production
| The production of copper in the United
States in 1906 was COG, Sol SAT pounds fine,
of which the five states in the lead are
| to be credited with S54, 4,229,611 pounds
Taking another view of the case. 1t is
found that the country west of the
Rocky mountains produces out OF the
total of 9Os, DAT pounds accredited to
the entire country, the large showing of
| 643, ,591, ,681 pounds. None of the country
represented in this area has been fully
developed as copper producer. Least
of all proportionately, in reference to its
known copper area. has California been
developed. The figures for Pacific coast
territory proper may be given here for
the local interest that they contain
Alaska in 1905 produced 8,685.645 pounds;
| California, 2S153, ,2O2; Nevada. 1090,6S5;
Arizona, 262, ,566, 1902; Oregon. $50, ,2O9; Utah,
so 329, ITO; Idaho, S,57s,046; Washington,
$50, ,323
| A year has brought great prospects to
California as a copper field. In addition
to the development and actual mining
operation in Shasta and Trinity counties,
the discoveries in Inyo county have add
ed largely to the possibilities of the pro-
duction of red metal in this state, which
now has an annual mineral output OF
something like s45.0OoO00 annually, with
greater diversity of mineral products
than any other state in the union and
with capacity for vastly increasing its
present showing.