The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-19
PROSPEROUSYEARFOR
MINERS
OUTPUT OF PRECIOUS METALS Is
GREATLY INCREASED IN
YEAR 1903.

According to a special press bulle-
tin prepared by Waldemar Lindgren
of the United States geological sur
vey, the gold mining industry OF the
United States had a successful and
prosperous year in 1908, in spite of
many adverse conditions of trade and
finance. Fundamentally, this pros
perity is due to the fixed price and
apparently limitless demand for the
product. The immediate causes
operating to increase the output were
in part the removal of certain abnor-
NAL features tending to depress the
production of 1907, such as the partial
closing Of the Homestake mine in the
Black Hills of South Dakota and the
labor difficulties in the Mother Lode
counties Of California. To some de-
gree the increased production of gold
Is also indirectly due to the closing
of many mines in the base metal
camps. A tendency toward increased
production by small operators was
noted as early as the last month of
1907 and continued through 1908.
Large numbers of miners left the
districts in which the output of lead,
copper and zinc was curtailed and
began placer work Or took up leases
In gold mining camps.
The director OF the mint estimates
the production OF gold for 1908 from do
nestle sources at $96, 313, 256, against
$50, 435, 700 in 1907. South Dakota, Alas
ka, California and Colorado show
large estimated increases. ranging
from $4,000, 900 to $3,6OOO0O. The esti-
mates for Utah indicate decrease
of about $1.200,000; for Nevada a de-
crease of $3,3OO,oO0. The production Of
Montana, Arizona, Idaho, oregon and
other reproducing states has re-
manned approximately stationary. The
production from the Philippine ISL
ands shows a gratifying increase. the
estimate of the mint being $3O6,70S,
against $7s.700 in 1907. AS part of the
Philippine gold does not reach the
United States minis the showing Is
probably even better than these fig
| ures would indicate. Most Of the gold
was recovered by quartz mining in
Benguet and by dredging operations
| in Paracale.
The depression in the base metal in
dustries did not affect the gold pro-
| duction to any considerable degree,
| for the total base metal ores contrib
ute only 9 to 10 per cent of the nor
| NAL output of gold for the country.
| The gold from copper ores suffered
little reduction, but the small amounts
| contributed from lead and zinc ores
| Sere much reduced.
| EiIvar
! The silver mining industry presents
| a far less satisfactory condition than
that Of gold, owing to the low prices
\ for silver, lead, copper and zinc. Dur
| ing the year the large smelters of
| Utah and Colorado were partly closed
| and partly operated on reduced
| capacity. Important mines in Lead
| vile, Aspen, Creole and Park City,
Colo. which were operating on low
grade ores, found 1t very difficult to
| make profits on ore of the same
grades that yielded well in 1906 and
| 1907, and were therefore compelled to
| reduce their output or to close. owing
! to temporary lack of demand from In
dia the silver market declined al
| most continuously from about Sc cents
per ounce in the early part of the
year to about 4S cents in December
the average price being SO cents. The
year closed with New York prices al
so cents However, the purchases by
India during the past years have been
large and have steadily increased
and there Is no reason to expect a
sudden falling off in this market
The extraordinarily heavy production
of the Cobalt district in Canada
which for 1908 may approximate H.
| 000,0 900 ounces, undoubtedly con-
tributed to the depression in the price
of silver. A great reduction in the
output of silver in the United States
was clearly foreshadowed in the fig.
ures of the geological survey for the
mine production in 1907, which
amounted to only 52.500,104 fine
ounces, whereas the refineres and the
minis reported 56,514,70O fine ounces
The shortage in the mine output fol
the last months Of 1907 was naturally
reflected in the refinery returns fol
1908, and was accumulated by still
further reduction in the production o.
the mines. The director of the min
estimates the production of silver IL
1908 from domestic sources at 51,79s,