Weekly journal-miner., 1916-02-09
ALL RECORDS FOR PRODUCTION
 ARE BROKEN
WESTERN STATES SHOW AN INCREASE IN VALUE OF MINES OUTPUT OF MANY MILLIONS.

The midyear review of mining con ditions reported to the secretary Of the interior on July by the director of the United States geological sur vey is well supported by the prelim mary reports for the year just submit ted. The geological survey IS mak- ing public its usual estimate of min eral production for 1915 in the form Of a separate statement for each of the more important mineral products.
 review of these statements con firms Secretary Lanes comment ot last July to the effect that the mining revival is in full swing. In the West ern States alone the metal production shows an increase in value of more tnan S130O00.000 over the correspond ing figures for 1914; and the years in crease i-l output for the principal metals measured in value is more than s25OOOO.OOO. Moreover, it is not un- reasonable to expect that when the full returns for all mineral products are compiled they will show that 1915 was the country's most productive year in the mineral industry. The total may even reacn s, 500,OO0,OOO.
 In the response to bettered condi- tions the production figures for cop per. iron and zinc show the largest increase.
 Copper Beats All Records.
 The copper mines passed all rec ords for previous years. the 1915 out put having a value of S236.OOO,OOO, or SS3OO0OOO more than the value of the production for 1914 The statistics and estimates received place the out put of blister and Lake copper al 1,365.0O0,O0O pounds, or more than l2OOOO,OO0 pounds in excess Of the largest previous production and lS per cent above last years figures. Only twice in the history of copper mining has there been larger in' crease in quantity Of metal produced,
 Large Increase In Iron
 The total shipments Of iron ore from the mines in the United States in 1915 are estimated to have exceed cd 55,O00O00 gross tons, an increase over 1914 of more than 3S per cent Based o1 the same price as received in 1914. this represents an increase 1T total value of about s27 ,645.OOO. The increase in pig iron is estimated al 6.5OOOO0 tons, with total increase in value of pig iron production of more than Sl20,000,0O0.
 Zinc Records Also Broken.
 The output Of zinc (spelter) madC from domestic ores was larger thar ever before, being about 425!OOO tons worth S12O,OOOyOOO, as compared witf 343.4lS tons in 1914, an increase O about 82,OO0 tons Or nearly 25 pei cent in quantity and of SS5,OOOOO0 ii value. Production was increased dur ing the latter half of the year, as th' production during the first half wa at the rate of 4l5,Op0 tons annual, and at the rate of 435,000 tons durin; the last half.
 Lead Increase
 The output of refined pig lead iron domestic ores was about 5l5!OOO ton: worth about S4S,500OO0, as compare with 5l2,794 tons in 1914, an incrcas of only 2,50O tons in quantity but c SS,50O.OOO or 20 per cent ill value. Tn production of antimonial lead wa 2O.55O tons, as compared with l6,6o tons in 1914, an increase of 3,SS2 ton or 23 per cent in quantity and an il crease in value of nearly S2,OOo,OOO.
 Gold and Silver Increases.
 The annual preliminary estimate on the production of gold and silve in the United States, made jointly b tine United States geological surve and the bureau of the mint, are nc yet complete, but early figures base on reports from the mines indicate increase in mine production over th' of 1914 of over S7,O00G00 in gold, pri cipally from Colorado, Alaska, Moi tana and Idaho, and an increase mine production of silver of ful 100000 ounces, chiefly from Mo tana. Utah and Arizona. This l crease in gold production may brir 1915 up to the record year of l@ when the gold output of this count was nearly SlOO,OO0O00.
 Quicksilver.
 Quicksilver also has had its be year in 1915. The quantity increas 25 per cent over 1914, but the val of the output more than doubled O ing to the much higher prices. I estimated production was 2O,6Sl Has of 75 pounds each, valued at the av'