The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-11-04
TWELVE MOST I'M
PoRTANT MINERALS
Production Widely Distributed Over the
United States.

The great volume of the mineral pro-
duction of the United States, its tremen
dous increase during the last few years
and the wide distribution of the impor'
tant minerals were indicated in a recent
address by George Otis Smith, director
of the United States geological survey,
The twelve most important mineral
products in the United States, in the
order of value of annual output, were
stated by Mr.. Smith to be coal, iron,
clay products, copper, petroleum, gold,
stone, natural gas, cement. lead, silver,
and zinc. "For certain of these min
erals" he said, "the geological survey
presents estimates of the supply from
which the nations needs are to be met.
For others, especially clay products and
cement, the question OF the supply OF
raw material from which they are pro-
,luced is of little moment compared with
that of the availability of manufacture.
"Of nearly equal Importance with the
factor of abundance is that of distribu-
tion. In the first place, the widespread
distribution of the raw material makes
possible an industrial nation in which
every state has some share in the min
eral production. Only four states had a
mineral output last year valued at less
than Sl,000000, and ten states had a
production valued at over S50,000.000
each. Again, no state or section appears
to have a monopoly of the mineral in
dustry. While Pennsylvania. with its
total mineral product more than one
fourth that of the whole country, leads
in coal, cement, and stone by large mar
gins, another state, Minnesota, leads in
iron ore; another. Arizona, in copper;
another. Ohio, in clay products Cal
ifornia in petroleum; California in gold;
Missouri in both lead and zinc; and Ne.
vada in silver. Furthermore. the centers
OF production are ever shifting.
"For instance, up to 1894 Pennsylvania
was the leading state in the production
of petroleum. In 1895 it was succeeded
by Ohio. Ohio gave way to California in
1908. California gave way to Oklahoma
in 1907 and resumed premiership in 1909,
retaining it since that time. Both Hi
nois and Oklahoma exceeded the pro-
duction of any of the eastern states in
1907 and have continued to do So For
many years up to 1906 Montana was
the principal producer of copper. In
1907 it gave way to Arizona, and in 1909
Arizona gave place to Montana In 1910
and 1911 Arizona again held first place.
In 1906 Idaho was the chief producer of
lead 1t gave way to Missouri in 1907
and the latter state now contributes 40
per cent of the country's total. Nevada,
in the glory days of the Comstock lode,
from 1873 to 1878, was the greatest sill
yer producer in the world When the
Comstock declined. in the latter part 7,
of the last century, Nevada gave way |
as silver producer, first to Colorado |
and then to Montana but became again |
the principal producer of silver in 1910.
Ten years ago Colorado, the leading gold |
producing state, produced over 60 per
cent more than California, then second |
in rank. CALIFORNIA; proportion has been
steadily increasing for ten years, and
in 1911 the largest production of gold
was from that state"