The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-01-09
METAL
YIELD LAST YEAR

iht tvldl Htldl Nitlu ITOm ores
mined in Nevada during 1912, accord
ing to preliminary figures by V. C.
Heikes, of the United States Geolog-
ical Survey, was valued at nearly
$S6,500,000, which is a little over
per cent greater than the value for
1911
The gold output forms the largest
part, or 375per cent of the total
value; copper nearly 341a per cent,
silver slightly in excess of 23 per
cent and lead and zinc each over
per cent. The Goldfeld mines produc-
ed more ore but less gold in 1912, and
this with decreased output from the
National and Seven Troughs districts
was the principal cause of decrease
in total gold production of about 25
per cent from the yield Of $ls, 1913 ,397
in 1911. The mill at the National
mine was burned early in September
and work was delayed at Seven
Troughs by damage from a cloudburst
in July. The Goldfeld Consolidated,
according to published reports, was
producing about 10000 tons of ore
month, but the recovery from ore
treated decreased from s25.Os a ton
in January to $13.13 in September.
The Manhattan and Round Mountain
districts and mines in the Fairview
district increased their gold yield in
1912. The Aurora and RexalI districts
and the new district of Rochester, in
Humboldt county, are expected to add
to the future gold output. The Ne
vada gold output for 1912 is estimated
at about $13, 100000.
There has been a steady increase in
the annual silver output of Nevada
since 1901, when production began at
the Tonopah mines. In 1912 the pro
ducers of Tolopah increased the yield
of ore from about 5000 tons to nearly
+ $1,000 tons weekly, but the average
silver content per ton decreased The
new Tonopah- Belmont mill at the mine
began crushing ore in July, and new
l50-tOn cyanide plant was erected for
the West End mine and operated the
last half of the year. A new 10
stamp mill at the Mcnamara mine
had its initial run in January. The
estimated Der cent increase in the
silver output % Nevada, from 13,1s4,
Col ounces in 1911 to about Is, $40 900
ounces in 1912 was due to lead ore
shipments from Phoebe, in Lincoln
county. There was much activity in
the Comstoek district of Storey coun-
ty. The Yellow Jacket and Mexican
mills were operated the entire year,
and new cyanide plant was com
pleted for the Ophir mine and operat-
ed in October.
An increase estimated at IL per
cent in the production of copper,
from 67,377,5ls pounds in 1911, to
about 100000 pounds in 1912, is due
to the new smelter which started ope-
rations early in 1912 at Thompson on
copper ores produced chiefly from the
Mason Valley and Nevada Douglas
properties, IN the Yerington district.
High grade copper matte was shipped
from this plant TO Garfield, Utah, for
conversion. 1t is reported that con-
verters for the production of blister
copper viii he built in 1913 at Thomp-
son. The Nevada Consolidated mines
at Ely produced daily from 10000 to
$4,000 tons of lowgrade copper ore,
which was concentrated and then
smeted at the Steptoe smelter at Me
Gill. One unit of the Nevada Consoli-
dated concentrator was devoted to the
daily treatment of about 1000 tons of
Giroux copper ores. The labor strike
of 26 days curtailed production to
some extent at these mines.
Mines in the Phoebe district of Lin
ttin county una lut 1elOW Ilne us
trict of Clark county furnished the
largest part of the lead production,
which is estimated to have increased
from 3,26S,657 pounds in 1911 to
nearly 100000 pounds in 1912. The
adjustment of litigation at Phoebe re
suited in increased ore production in
that camp, along with the completion
of a railroad spur to the Bullionville
failing dump. which furnished from
II to Is tons daily. About 300 tons
of iron manganese ore, containing
small quantities of lead and silver,
was shipped daily from the Prince
mines, and 100 tons from the Day
Bristol mines. The mines of the Vel
lew Pine district produced an in
creased quantity of lead ore and con
eentrates, the largest yield in the his
tory of the district.
All records Of zine production in
Nevada were broken by the output OF
the Yellow Pine district in 1912, when
nearly 100000 pounds of zine
(fgured as spilter) was produced.
This is an increase of about 233 per
cent over the production of 1911, when
only 3,54S,032 pounds of splitter was
reported. The chief producer was the
Yellow Pine mine. which is equipped
with the only concentrator in the dif
trict. The Potosi and others also con
tributed.
Nevada mines produced a greater
tonnage of gold, silver, copper, lea3
and zine ore in 1912, but it was prol
ably not over :, per cent greater tina
the outnut of 1871 which aUprppatC