The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-08-26
METAL MINING IN IDAHO IN 1914.

The value Of the mine output Of gold,
silver, copper, lead, and zinc in Idaho
in 1914, according to c. N. Gerry, Of the
United States Geological Survey, was
$24, 645, S48, against $24, 149, 049 in 1913,
and $21 ,466,5 21 in 1912.
There was a notable increase and a
record production Of silver, lead and
zinc, but decrease in that Of gold and
copper. The increase in total value was
$496, 100, due principally to a larger out
put Of mines in the Occur d. Alene re-
gion of Shoshone county, as shown in
the accompanying table.
The production of gold decreased
from $1,344,559 in 1913 to $1,152, 1915
in 1914, or $192,244. The gold output
from placers was valued at $700, 454;
that from deep mines at $451 1851. Of
the placer gold, $56s,9S9 was produced
by dredging. Boise county led in gold
out put with $6o1, 227, and Lemhi
county followed with $3O5,991. These
are the counties in which most Of the
dredging is done. The gold output from
mill bullion by amalgamation and cyan
idation was 12,2S403 ounces, from con.
centrates 3,16S.4s ounces, and from
concentrates piled 17,5S2.59 ounces Of
gold, copper ores 1,o76.56 ounces, lead
ores 2,467.11 ounces, and lead-zinc ores
725.78 ounces.
A record production of silver increas-
ed the figures from 9,989,193 ounces,
crude ore smelted 6,406.28 ounces, from
valued at $6,O33,47s in 1913 to 12,479,-
SIG ounces, valued at $6,901,17 in 1914.
This increase Of 24.93 per cent was
credited almost entirely to the Couer
d. Alene region. Concentrates supplied
8,845 300 ounces Of silver, crude ore g.
612,369 ounces, and mill bullion only
14,767 ounces. Most of the silver, or
S,697 $50 ounces, came from lead ores,
3, 491 ,469 ounces from 1ead-zin Ores
1856 ounces from copper ores, and
$4,000 ounces from siliceous ores. Sho-
shone county produced $3.50 per cent Of
the total, or 12,17S,194 ounces. The
Hunter district, at Mullan, supplied L.
057 ,347 ounces; the Lelands district, at
Burke and Mace, 5,565,372 ounces; and
the Yreka district, at Wardner, 4,SS7,-
926 ounces.
The copper output decreased from
$500, 966 pounds, valued at 81, 486,910,
in 1913, to 6,445,1s7 pounds, valued at
1857, 21O, in 1914. Of the total, Sho-
shone county produced 4,242, 662 pounds
and Custer county 2,110,ao9 pounds.
Copper ores were the source Of 1885,
206 pounds and small output came
from lead ores and lead-zinc ores. Con-
centrates contained 3,242, 294 pound and
crude ore 5000, 1893 pounds.
Records were again broken in the pro-
iduction of lead, which increased from
317,871 ,945 pounds, valued at $685.
366, in 1913, to 34S,526,O69 pounds,
valued at $13,592,517, in 1914, an in
crease Of s0,654, 124 pounds. Mines in
Shoshone county produced 97,47 per
cent Of the lead, those in Fremont
county, 1.25 per cent, and those in
Lemhi county less than l per cent.
Crude ore smelted supplied 1856, 1872
pounds, and concentrates supplied $685.
709,937 pounds. Most of the lead, or
261 ,689, POS pounds, came from lead ore,
but S6,822,925 pounds came from lead
zinc ore. Hunter district was credited
with 35,79S,211 pounds, Lelands district
with 121, $685. 200 pounds, and Yreka
district with 162,471, 1885 pounds.
A greatly increased production of
zinc ore and concentrate brought the
smelter output from 23,173,953 pounds,
valued at 81 ,297, 741, in 1913, to 42,O12,.
435 pounds, valued at $2,142,634, in
1914. Nearly all the zinc came from
Shoshone county 35,453, 1858 pounds com
coming from lead-zinc ore and 6,559. 167
pounds from zinc ore.