The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-02-18
THE MINING INDUSTRY Of IDAHO IN 1914
REVIEWED By BELL IN ANNUAL REPORT
RECORD IN MINERAL OUTPUT But oNLYA SMALL lNcREAs
GROSS VALuE-sTATIsTIc OF FATAL ACCIDENTS
IN CONNECTION WITH MINING.

Robert N. Bell. state mine Inspector.
was in the city Tuesday, having come
up from Kellogg where he had been
cdent that occurred in the Bunker I'LL
& Sullivan mine last week and which
resulted in the death of three men.
Mr., Bell returned to Boise yesterday
morning, where his presence Is needed
in getting favorable action by the leg
islature on a sufficient appropriation
to maintain the mine inspectors Of
flee as it should be during the next
two years. In this connection it is OBJ
erved that the annual report of the
Inspector is disappointingly brief on
account of the lack Of sufficient funds
to cover the expense of preparing and
printing the elaborate report which
thority on the mining industry of Ida
ho This situation is unfortunate for
the state, and the present session of
the legislature should see that the ap.
preparation for the next two years Is
sufficient to cover all necessary cX
pense of this important office. The an.
nual reports of Inspector Bell have rc
ceiyed most favorable mention from
mining publications in compariso
with reports of inspectors of othe
states, and there Is no doubt that they
have been of inestimable value in az.
tracing capital to Idaho. This stat
needs more publicity Of the kind con
tanned in Mr.. Bells reports
Report for 1914.
The report just issued contains 81
pages, while the one for the year l9l
contained 225, literally illustrated Wiz
mining scenes in various parts af Il
state The Introductory chapter al
statistics of fatal accidents are her
given:
The permanence and potentiality @
Idaho's mineral resources are splendia
ly exempliied by the past years mn
ing results, especially in our most eX
tensively developed and operated dis
trlct, that of the Coeur dAlenes, H.
Shoshone county, whose operator
have met the conditions of eXcessiyell
low prices and depressed metal markC
conditions, due to the European war
and have been able to continue in op
GRAFTON with few exceptions through
out the year by concentrating thei
efforts on their better grade ores
which, through judiCious advance de
velopment on the part Of the leadin
operators, were available for selection
as an offset for low prices and hay
resulted in giving the state anoth
record breaking yield of its dominan
metal production in lead, Silver anc
zinc, amounting to a gross mine valu.
OF all mineral shipped from the sta,,
of $24,976.70 and consisting Of
1884, ,20G pounds of lead.
49,239,000 pounds of zinc.
13,G21,123 ounces of silver.
5,l78,000 pounds Of copper
62,23S ounces of gold.
Considerably over 80 per cent of tht
output was credited to Shoshone couA
ty mines, except in gold and cope
and their lead, silver and zinc outpu,
showing a remarkably increased yiel,
over the record year Of 1913.
In spite of this largely increased out
put of mineral, the total gross valu,
Of the same was only few hundre,
thousand dollars over the value Of tn
year 1913 output as near as can b,
figured from the uncertain market fig
ures quoted, due to the closing of tn
metal exchanges during part of the
year.
According to the testimony Of one OF
the abest mine auditors of this coun
try, every pound Of this enormous pre-
duction Of lead was produced at a los
and in fact, the bulk of the silver
addition to the lead, went for produC
tion costs. as there is no profit in pro
ducing lead bullion from Occur d'Alen
ores at less than cents per poun
without taking the silver into consi5
Grafton, and our mines are fortunate
in having this important associat
metal as a reserve value for haT
times. AS a matter Of fact, the pro-
on the operations Of the year were dc
cidedly cut down.
The great Morning mine, whose sill.
yer values are relatively low, and fo'
lack of ore market was forced to clos
during the middle of the summer
throwing several hundred men out q
employment. The company, however
kept on as large a force as posshl
and took advantage of the shut dow
ito retimber its big four -cOmpartmer
shaft from the two-mile tunnel levf
and to extensively improve the flota
tion equipment of its large millin