The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1912-03-02
SPfLTfR PRODUC-
ton LAST YEAR

The United States Geological Sur
vey has just issued its annual advance
statement of shelter production for
the year 1911. This statement, pre-
pared by G. f. Siebenthal, gives the
final figures of output as made up
from the spelter reports and is not
subject to change unless an error is
discovered in those reports. Prelimin-
ary estimates of the production of
copper, zinc, lead, and some other met
ais in 1911 were published by the
Survey January 2. These preliminary
figures for spelter are shown by com
parison with the final figures to have
been in excess about 0.5 per cent of
the total production.
The zinc ore mined in the United
States is treated in three ways, being
smelted to spelter, (metallic zinc),
converted into zinc oxide pigment
or exported from the country in the
form of ore. The figures of spelter
production therefore do not represent
the complete zinc output of the differ
ent states. Missouri had, as usual,
the largest output, though considerab-
ly less than in 1910, the yield being
1877 $40 short tons. compared to 140,-
652 ton in 1910, and practically the
same in 1909. The states making the
principal gains were Call. ornia, which
made its first important zine output;
Colorado, which nearly doubled its
1910 spelter output; Montana, which
also nearly doubled its output and H.
linois and Wisconsin, both of which
made good gains. The total for these
five states was 100000 tons, compared
with about 1000 tons in 1910. Col
orado ranked second in output of spell
ter, with Wisconsin and Montana fol
lowing. II the exports of zinc ore and
the zinc in pigments made from ore
from the Franklin Furnace mine of
New Jersey are taken into account,
that state, no doubt, ranked second in
the production of zine
The production of spelter in the
United States in 1911 from domestic
ore was 271,621 short tons and from
foreign ores 1905 tons, a total of
2S6,526 tons, compared to 252,479
tons, 16,705 tons, and 269,1Ss4 tons,
respectively. in 1910, gain of H.
342 tons, or ga per cent. The world IS
output of spelter in 1911 was 974, 1856
tons, compared with $685. ,419 tons in
1910, a gain of 90,966 tons or 1913 per
cent, showing that the United States
did not make its quota of the world s
gain. This country's share of the
world s production in 1911 was 294
per cent, compared to 30.5 per cent in
1910, and 301 per cent in 1909.
Other tables given by Mr.. Sieben-
thai show the production of secondary
spelter from Dresses, skimmings and
old metal, the consumption of spelter
and the imports and exports of ore,
Dresses and spelter The imports of
zinc ore showing a loss of about 25 per
cent in zine content copared with
1910. In all these tables, as well as
those of spelter production, the figures
are given for each year from 1906 to
1911, inclusive, in order that a fairly
extended comparison may be possible.
A diagram covering the period from
1906 to 1911 inclusive shows by curves
the average weekly price of spelter at
ST. Louis and at London, the average
weekly base price of concentrates at
Joplin, and the average weekly sales
of zine concentrates in the Joplin re-
gion. These curves show graphically
the mutual relation of the London and
st. Louis prices of spelter, and their
relation to the price of concentrates in
the Joplin region and to the production
in that region.
A table of the zinc-smelting capaci-
ty of the country, with contemplated
additions thereto for 1912, shows well
the drift of current zinc smelter CON
struction from the failing gas fields of
Kansas to tn ecoal fields of Illinois
and the gas fields of Oklahoma. Illi-
nois, with 21 ,544 retorts at the close
of the year, will add Ss,276 retorts in
1912. Oklahoma, with 15,620 retorts
in 1911, will add 3.S40 more in 1912.
Kansas, with 31,37S retorts at the
close of the year, plans no additional
retorts and will probably in 1912 de-
molish some of the smelters not now
actively operated. In Pennsylvania
$3.50 retorts will be added in 1912.
and 1856 retorts were added in West
Virginia in 1911. The total number
of reports at the close of 1911 was
S5,01s, to be compared with 94,32S at
the close of 1910. A total of 1895
new retorts is planned for 1912.
A copy of this statement may be had
without charge by addressing the Di
rector, United States Geological Sur
h.