The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1916-08-12
TUNGSTEN MINED
IN SIX MONTHS
HIGH PRICES CAUSED BY WAR
BRING GREAT INCREASE
IN OUTPUT

n VI
duction of this or any other coun-
try in any previous twelve months.
Prices we're even more phenomenal
than production and reached mJ-e
than ten times their ordinary level.
The amount was equivalent to about
1920 short tons of concentrates
carrying so per cent WOO, valued
at $9,113,000, according to an es-
L mate made by Frank L.. Hess, of
the United States Geological Sur
Ney. department of the INTERIOR.
Statistics are valuable only sc far
as their accuracy is known, and
this estimate is believed to be cor
rect within 10 per cent and to be
under rather than over the true
figures.
These figures are no less note
worthy when it is known that in
1915 much the larger part of the
production was in the second naif
domestic output for the Twelve
months ending June so, 1916, pro-
badly amounted to about 5000 tons.
Colorado has regained it's lead
in the production of tungsten ores
and, between January l and June
80, marketed 1906 tons, valued at
$3,63S,000, of which the Boulder
field furnished 1894 tons. Califor-
mia sold 984 tons, valued at $780,
600. The reason for the higher
value of the California ore was
that it was nearly all sold as high
grade concentrates, but a large part
of the Colorado ore sold was Of
'ow percentage and had to be mill
ed and concentrated, with conse-
quent expense and loss.
From Nevada 461 tons, valued at
$1,432,000, and from Arizona 175
tons, worth $%565,OOO, are esti-
mated to have been shipped.
Smaller quantities were mined in
Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Mis-
souri,, New Mexico, South Dakota,
Utah and Washington.
Not only were the output and
prices unique, but the ratio of the
several tungsten minerals produced
was different from that of other
countries of large production. The
quantities and values were appro-
ximately as follows: Ferberite, i
A95 tons, $3,590,000; scheelite, l.
404 tons, $4,322,OOO; wolframite
POI tons, $612,00O; and hubnerite,
1876 tons, s%587,OOO.
In most countries the prevailing
mineral is wolframite, and no Other
country approaches the United
States in the quantity Of ferberite
or scheelite produced. The schee-
lite m mostly from Atolia, Cal,
but significant quantities are mined
III Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Con-
necticut.
The tremendous increase of o.i-
ces caused by the need for high
speed" tools to cut war steel or
dered by the governments of Eu-
rope of course caused the great
increase in production. Prices at
the beginning of the year were ir-
regular and depended on the buy
er's need of the ore and probably
on his fear of the possibility Of
not being able to get it when he
might need it even more. Ores
carrying 60 per cent tungsten t,i-
oxide brought at that time as much
as $66 a unit, but by the last of
March some ferberite sold for 1880
a unit at the mills, and even higher
prices were quoted in the news
papers, though they could not be
confirmed.
The prices of the same ore in
the New York market would na-
turally be somewhat higher. Under
the stimulus of these high prices
production, not only in this country
but in the world at large, has been
at the highest point ever known.
AT first the sudden demand created
by the orders for war steel were
far ahead of the instant produc-
tive power of the country.
The rapid increase in prices,
tungsten mining was at a low
ebb and eliminating in the IN
dreamed maximum mentioned,
caused prospecting and consequent
discoveries of new deposits, increase
of development of known deposits,
the operating at high tension OF
old mills, and the hasty building
of new mills.
AS a result, the production in
creased faster than the .consump-
ton and soon overran the demand
that would absorb the output at
so that a drop in prices was ineyi-
table. June closed with the price
around $25 a unit, which was still
much higher than any price known
before this year. The highest price
previously reported to the Geolo-
oinal Curuau mar S15 q unit naid In