Gilpin observer., 1908-01-16
NEWS FROM THE MINES AND MILLS
SILVER PRODUCTION.

ot6N6n
During the discussion of the silver
question in 1893-94 the people of the
East were made to believe that the
West was simply overflowing with sill
yer. This argument was the more
easily advanced because during the
late sos and early '90s many of the
greatest silver mines ever known in
this country reached the pinnacle of
their productivity. This was true not
only of the West, but Of the whole
world as well, Broken Hill, Australia,
and the silver mines of India being
very decidedly In bonanza. Mexico
also was producing an unusual
amount Of silver. A review of the sill
yer camps of this country is somewhat
akin to speaking of the departed. 1t is
true that many of them are still pros
porous, but this prosperity is due not
| to bonanza silve rores as in the days
| of old, but to improved methods of
mining and milling, which permit OF
| working lower grade ores and of saw
ing values in subsidiary metals. In fact,
| in some Of the old camps silver itself
| has become subsidiary metal and is
| produced as a by-product to the min
ing Of zinc, copper, lead, or other
metals.
In Colorado it is interesting to re,
call that In the sos and early '90s
Leadville, Aspen, Georgetown, Silver
Plume, White Pine, Monarch and the
| Silver San Juan were in the zenith OF
their glory as silver producers. In
Utah, Park City, Bingham, Silver City
and others were in bonanza. Nevada,
likewise, was producing silver as
never before or since. The Comstock
lode was still heavy producer. Aus.
tin, Tuscarora, Cortez, Phoebe, Mineral
Hill, Eureka and Silver City were on
the boom. What visions of past excite.
ment and glory the very mention OF
these famous old silver camps brings
to the minds eye.
Arizona suggests only the name OF
Tombstone; but, no doubt, there were
other heavy silver producers at that
time. Montana was famous in those
days for the Granite Mountain mine,
the Blue Bird mine and the silver
mines of Butte, the copper values at
Butte in the early days being subsid-
iary to the silver values. In Idaho
much was heard of the phenomenal
riches of the Occur d'Alene, of Silver
City and of the Wood River district
After mentioning all these famous old
camps it Is interesting to nCte what
new silver camps have been discov.
cred in recent years-Tonopah, Ne
vada, and Cobalt, Ontario, Canada, are
the only two that suggest themselves
The line of thought brought out by
this review is given further substance
by the statistics of production. In 1892
the United States produced 64,900,000
ounces; in 1898, 60.000,000 ounces
After dropping to 49,500.O00 ounces in
1894 the production has crawled up to
about 56,000.000 ounces, a very large
part of which is produced as a by-pro
duct to the mining of copper. lead and
zinc. In 1892, in the whole world, there
were 23.7 ounces of silver produced
for every ounce of gold. In 1898 the
ratio jumped to 26.4 ounces, while
1906 statistics show that only 81
ounces of silver are produced for every
ounce of gold.
The popular idea promulgated by
the gold-bug politicians of 1S93-94 that
the West was overflowing with silver
has been proved utterly absurd. In
creased purchases of silver for coin
age purposes would, of course, stimu
late the market, but so far as is known
at present there are no silver bonan
zas left that could produce enough tc
flood the market, no matter what the
price of silver.