Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-08-07
.OREGDN'S METAL
PRODUCTION. 1874.
Deep Mining Production Falls
OF While Placer Output
Is On Increase

The value of the gold silver, copper,
and lead produced at mines in Oregon
in 1914, according to Charles G. Yale,
of the United States geological survey,
was $l,676,l53, compared with $l,746,,
lO2 in 1913 and $S4g,SS5 in 1912, and
a decrease of $70,2 ,240 from the value
in 1914. There was decrease in the
output of all metals in 1914 and also
in the number of producing mines.
The gold output in 1914 decreased
% per cent. The decrease in the gold
OUTPUT was S5l.60 per cent Of the total
decrease in value of all metals pro.
duccd in the state in 1914 as compared
with 1913.
The gold production was Sl,59l, ,46l,
of which $l,043,l came from deep
mines and $54S,317 from poccrS. +.
The decrease of gold from the deep
mines was $l33,93S, and the increase
from the placers was S9I6S9. The
placer mines of the state which in
1913 yielded $450,62 in gold, produced
$54S,Sl7 in gold in 1914, an increase
of 2i. .6S per cent. The hydraulic mines
yielded $l7s,S99 in gold in 1914; the
drift mines $4,426, and the surface
placers and dredges combined 1864,
002 Only one dredge was in operation
but the gold dIedged far exceeded the
cimbined yield Of all other forms of
placer mining in the state, In 1914
there were in operation in Oregon So
productive hydraulic mines, 6 drift
mines, and Is surface ploccrs (includ-
ing a dredge), II in all, a decrease of
81.
From 2S deep mines "a decrease Of
~ l24,33l tons of ore were mined and
treated in 1914, decrease Of 3l,57O
tons. OF this quantity lOd422 tons
were milled, l2,S15 tons were sent to
concentrating mills and 1884 tons went
to smelters. There were also 500 tons
of old tailings treated, yielding $l76
per ton. The average recovered value
from the siliceous ore in 1914 was
$500 per ton in gold and silver, as
compared with 1921 in 1913 and S6.Sl
in 1912. In milling the ores the average
recovery per ton from both bullion and
concentrates was 5000 in gold and
$0.296 in silver. .t
In 1914 the counties of Baker, Coos,
Crook, Grant, and Malheur show a
combined decrease Of gold amounting
to $04,lll, and the counties of Curry
Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, and
Wheeler show combined increase OF
$57 1862.
The southwestern counties Of Ore
gon, including Coos, Curry, Douglas
/ jackson, Josephine, and Lane, yielded
combined production Of Sl6O,0S5 il
gold and $7,4lS in silver The increase
in gold output in 1911 as compared
with 1913 was $57,55I
In the northeastern counties-BakeI
Crook, Grant Malheur, and Wheeler
there was combined gold yield of 81,
1886, of which Baker county con
tributed $l,313,967 or nearly 20 pc
cent. The decrease in gold from thes
counties in 1914 as compared with 1911
was $93,S0 The placer gold yield Il
1914 was $406,GS0, an increase of S2I
76S. The gold from lode mines wa
\ $lO24 1896 in 1914, decrease of 1921
57l.
The yield Of silver in Oregon in 1871
aggregated 1852 fine ounces, value
at $7S,s31, u decrease of 36,4S4 ounce
in quantity and of $20,30S in value
As in 1913 Grant county made the larl
est silver output-dS,556 ounces, va
ued at $37,01l. In other counties tina
Grant, Baker, and Josephine, the silve
yield was merely nominal.
The mine production of copper j
Oregon in l9i was 30,24S pounds, va
ued at 1920 decrease Of 4,OS
pounds in quantity and l,496 in valu
from the yield Of 1913. 49,,
In 1914 the state produced l6,43
, pounds of lead, valued at $64l, as con
pared with S72O7 pounds, valued
$3,S37, in 1919.
, Lead was produced IN three countic
Baker yielding the largest quantity
, There are very few large mining ope
ations in Oregon, most of the prope
} ties being comparatively small produ
ers. ,,
, The mines Of the srate that yieldc
an output at more than 100000, wel
the Cornucopa Mines Co. Of New YorI
the Columbia Mining Co., and the Con
mercial Mining Co. Rainbow, all dee
mines and the Powder River Dredg
c Aside from the drcdkc, only one plac,
mine in the state yielded over $1,000
in 1914