The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-01-13
The Lead Mining Industry in 1915

The lead industry in 1915 made
good gains in output, both in mining
and smelling The lead content OF
ore mined in the United States was
apparently over 100000 short tons
compared with 522,864 tons in 1914, an
increase of $4,000 tons, or Is per cent
With the higher prices prevailing the
percentage of increase in value of the
1915 output was even greater as com
pared with other years
During 1915 construction was begun
on one lead smelter and plans were
completed for another, both to treat
ore from the Occur d'Ale,e district OF
Idaho. The Hercules Mining Co. pur-
chased the copper smelter at North
port, Wash, and began the construc-
ton of two lead furnaces. This com
pany is affiliated with the Pennsyl-
yania Smelling Co. of Pittsburg, Pa
The Bunker Hill & Sullivan Co. of the
Occur d'Alene district also completed
plans for a smelter, but the site is
yet in allegiance. The National ref,
merry of the American Smelling & Re-
filming Co., at Chicago, was Cismantled
and the Balbach Smelling & Refining
Co. abandoned it's older plant at New
ark, N. J.
The following estimates have beer
compiled by C. E. Seibenthal from re-
ports to the United States Geological
Survey by all the lead refineries anc
soft-lead smelters in operation during
the year, except two smelters in The
Joplin district, for which estimates
have been made These reports cove!
actual production for the first 10 o.
II months of the year, with an esti
mate for the remainder of the year
and from them the figures of produc
ton are made up without change. Ih'
statistics of imports exports and leaf
remaining in warehouses have beel
taken from the records of the bureau
of foreign and domestic commerce TO
10 months, the figures for Novembe
and December having been estimated.
Largest Production to Date.
The production of refined lead, de
silveriZed and soft, from domestic an
foreign ores in 1915 was approximate
ly 565,O00 short tons, worth at the av
erage New York price $50, 11O,OO0, com
pared with 1872 tons, worth $42'
2S5,500, in 1914, and with 462,460 ton
in 1918. The figures for 1915 do nc
include an estimated output of 1000
tons of antimonial lead, worth $l,SS6,
000 against 1857 tons in 1914 and 16,
665 tons in 1913 OF the total produc
ton, desilverized lead of domestic orr
gin, exclusive of desilverized soft Leaf
is estimated at 306,6S2 tons, agains
311,069 tons In 1914 and 250,57S tor
in 1913 and desilverized lead of fol
eign origin at 4S,31S tons, compare
with 29,32S tons in 1914 and 5O,5S2 tor
in 1913. The production of soft lea'
mainly from Mississippi valley ores,
estimated at 100000 tons, compare
with 2O1,725 tons in 1914 and 1871
tons in 1913. The total production
lead, desilverized and soft, from don
este ores, was thus about 1852 ton
compared with 112,794 tons in 1914.
The final figures for the productie
of soft lead will show an increase OF
few thousand tons over those heI
given, for the reason that the smelte
and refiners of argentiferous lead I'll
doubtedly treated more or less so
lead from the Mississippi valley Whi'
is not distinguished from silver-les
ores in their preliminary estimates
Imports and Exports.
The imports of lead are estimated
1921 short tons of lead in ore, valu'