The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-02
METAL PRODUCTION Of.
MONTANA s59,000,000.
Total Is Over Five Millions
Less Than Preceding
Year.

The total value OF gold. silver, cop
per, lead and zinc produced by deep
and placer mines In Montana IN 1918
was somewhat over S59. .000.0 900. de-
crease from s6d,754,615 in 1912. over S
per cent, according to preliminary esti-
mates OF V. G Heikca OF the United
States geological survey. Metal prices
were slightly less than those OF 1872,
but there was also large decrease In
copper yield and consequently In gold.
These were i'm part offset by a record
increase In zinc production and silver
output from zinc ores.
The gold yield decreased nearly IL
per cent the mine figures being $3.50
2S5 in 1912 and S3l94.000 In 1919. There
was no great change in the placer out
put, but decrease is nored in gold from
copper ores and from sillceous ores.
The North Mecca sin mine In Fergus
county was successfully operated by the
Barnes King Development company and
an average of 1000 tons OF SO ore was
treated per month. The Ruby Gulch
mine in Blaine county was productive
until August Z, when the cyanide plant
burned, In Deer Lodge county the
Southern Cross mine, owned by the Ana
conda Copper company was producing
Silver Increases.
An increase of nearly per cent was
made in the silver output of the state,
the mine figures being 12,73163S ounces
In 1872 and l3,2o3,o0o ounces In 1913,
A decrease OF about 10 per cent In silver
output from Butte copper ores was large
ly balanced by an unusual increase In
silver from lead concentrate and Zinc
residues from the Butte & Superior
mine, which made a notable record the
last half of the year. Over 13 per cent
of the total value of the state output
traton and cyanide plant OF the Butte
Central at Butte was idle after u few
months operation and results did not
affect the gold and silver output
The copper output declined about
per cent, from 30s: :f3S,SIS pounds, ac-
cording to mine reports. In 1912 to $780,
66S,ooo pounds in 1918 This last was
about. 30 per, cent less than the output
OF Arizona, the leading copper producer
In 1913, The average price of copper
decreased from 165 cents in 1872 TO
that no efforts toward record
output were made by the larger smelling
esta blishmcnts According TO monthly
printed statements. the Anaconda Cop.
10000 600 pounds per month and the
East Butte Copper company about 1885,,
600 pounds per month.
The February production of Butte was
low on account of cold weather and fires
in the West Cousa mine, which inter
rupted work in the Mountain View mine.
The October yield was notably low since
the fires were drawn at the Anaconda
smelter to clean. the fluesi The East
Butte company Is fast getting out Of
debt by making $4,000 per month, and
plans to enlarge the plant. according to
the press. One OF the features of the
year in Montana was the teaching of
low grade copper ores at Butte. At the
Bullwha cker operators were experiment
Ing and building a teaching plant. AZ
the Butte & Duluth property the ore WINS
quarried. crushed. treated by sulphurIc
acid and the metal electrolytIcally pre-
cipitated. Leaching is also being tried
at the Royal Basin mine at MaXvile
In Granite county. In Jefferson county
the Boston &c Corhn company has a new
250-ton concentration plant In opera
ton. The value of the copper yield
value OF all metals produced in Mon