The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-10-26
!: | NEWS OF MONTANA 5;
} Important Happenings OF the !
Week Briefly Told. {
INCREAsE IN LEAD AND ZINC.
Montana Records Gains, 2ut Falls Off
in Gold, Silver and Copper.

Washington.-The value of the mine
output of gold, silver and copper, lead
ana zinc in Montana in 1910, accord.
Ing to V. G. Heikes, of. the United
States geological survey, was S48,-
S5S.253, against S51 ,429,e94 in 1909. q
decrease of $3,071 ,44O, occasioned al.
most entirely by the lessened output
of copper ores.
The value of the gold, silver and
copper combined was $4,326,S6S less
than in 1909, while the value of the
lead and zinc yield was $1,255,427
more than in 1909. The value of the
production of Silver Bow county,
which includes the Butte district, was
81 per cent of the total value of the
metals from Montana. The decrease
In value in this county was $3,1OS,S61,
so that the combined production of the
other counties in Montana was slight
ly greater in 1910 than in 1909.
The production of gold in 1910 was
only $61 ,024 less than in 1909. The
greater part of the gold, 115,261.06
fine ounces, or GA per cent of the total,
was from siliceous ores: and 31,441.93
copper ores. The placer gold in 1910
amounted to $575,917, of which $473,-
1856 was obtained by dredging. The
gold won from placers was 2,545
greater than in 1909, but that taken
from lode mines was s93,569 less.
The production of silver in Montana
in 1910 was 12,162,S57 fine ounces,
against 12,37S,714 ounces in 1909. Ne.
vada now takes the leading place in
silver output in the United States,
which Montana held in the years 1909
and 1908 Of Montana's 1910 output
of silver, 9,153, $50 ounces, or - per
cent, came from copper ores, and
2,139,465 ounces, or 17.6 per cent, from
siliceous ores. Bullion at gold and
silver mills produced only 10000
ounces, while concentrates produced
S,20S,644 ounces and crude ore shipped
to shelters contained 3,766,375 ounces.
Silver Bow county produced 10,400,84O
ounces, or S5.5 per cent Of the states
production, compared with 10,GG9,328
ounces in 1909.
The production of copper in Mon
tana decreased from 312,O59,011
pounds in 1909 to 2S4,S0S,533 pounds
in 1910, a loss OF 22,27S,4Go pounds.
The summit valley Or Butte district
contributed all but 5S1 ,64S pounds of
the total.
The production of lead in Montana
increased from 2,9S3,430 pounds in
1909 to 4,106292 pounds in 1910.
Nearly all the metal-mining counties
in Montana made a small yield Of
lead, but Jefferson county, with a pro-
duction of 1,975,492 pounds in 1910,
against 1,568,G96 pounds in 1909, pro.
duced nearly half of the state output
in both years.
OF Montanas zinc output in 1910,
which was 31,63S,1S4 pounds Figured
as spelter), against 9,359,724 pounds
in 1909, the summit valley district, in
Silver Bow county, produced all but
$4,000 pounds. Nearly all of the zinc
ore was sent to concentrating plants
and the concentrates produced con-
tanned 1884 ,204 pounds OF zinc; the
crude ore sent to shelters yielded only
303,9S0 pounds.
The number of deep mines produce
ing metals in Montana in 1910 was
423, against 44S in 1909, and the num-
Der Of producing placer mines was
1877 against 10. The average total re.
coverable value per ton Of ore pro-
duced increased from 1899 in 1909 to
$9.41 in 1910.
There were 5,079,446 short tons Of
ore from Montana sold or treated in
1910, a decrease of 341, 739 tons, or
about per cent The production of
copper ores, which amounted to near.
ly so per cent of the total tonnage
treated, declined 448,6S4 tons. Only
266,689 tons were treated in gold and
silver mills and G1G,596 tons we're
shipped to crude to smelters, but
4,170,114 tons, or 50 per cent of all
ore treated, were sent to concentrating