The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-01-06
MINING IN OREGON
GOLD AND COPPER GAIN
BAKER COUNTY PRODUCES IS
PER CENT OF eoL0-cAP-
ITAL is NEEDED.

Preliminary estimates of the output
of metals from Oregon mines in 1915.
nv the United States geological sur
yey. show material increases over the
figures of 1914, in both gold and cop
per and slight decreases in yield of
silver and lead. The gold yield for
1914 was $1,591,461 and the estimate
for 1915 is $1,771,61S which is an in
crease of $1S0,157 for 1915. The silver
output for 1914 was 1852 ounces,
and the estimate for 1915 is 1908
ounces, or 6519 ounces less. The yield
of copper in 1914 was 39,248 pounds,
while the estimate for 1916 is 91O,1O4
pounds, an increase for 1915 of S70,S56
pounds; and the yield of lead was 49,
436 pounds in 1914, as compared with
$3.50 pounds in 1915, or 1886 pounds
less. These preliminary figures are
compiled by Charles G. Yale, of the
San Francisco office of the survey.
Where Mines Are Located.
1t Is IIOtGNOIllly that SuCll lllILCLldI
increases in output of gold and copper
should be apparent when the fact is
considered that the number of produce
ing mines in Oregon has fallen off
fully one third in the past two years.
Those which have dropped from the
producing list, however, have been
mainly small placers of various kinds
where the ground has been worked
out, or has failed to pay The larger
deep mines continue their productive
career, with few exceptions, but mot
many new properties of moment have
of late been opened. More capital for
mine development is needed in the
state, where there are few extensive
properties in opera ton. Baker county
duetive county of the state, yielding
annually fully IS per cent of all the
gold. The most productive deep mine
in Oregon in 1915, as also for the pre-
ceding two years, was that Of the
Commercial Mining company, operat-
ing the Rainbow mine in Cracker
Creek district, Baker county. This
property Is shortly to be turned back
to it's original owners. Among other
large producers in the same county is
the Cornucopia Mining company, in
Cornucopia district, which in 1915 in
creased it's output for the reason that
they encountered higher grade ore on
the lower levels than they had before,
The Baker Mines company in the
same district, has put in a 500-ton
mill, and has been operating most of
the year. In Cracker Creek district,
also in Baker county, the Columbia
Mines company made about the same
yield as in the previous year. The
output of the Humboldt property, in
Mormon Basin district, Malheur coun-
ty, was not as high as in 1914. The
Ben Harrison mine, in Granite dis
trict, Grant county, was closed down
most of the year 1915 and will not be-
gin operations until next spring. Of
the placer mines in Oregon, most i'm
portant enterprise is that of the Pow
der River Dredge company, Cracker
Creek district, Baker county This
company, which owned but one dredge
in 1914, put another one in operation
in the same field in 1915, and it is to
the work of this company that the in
crease in the gold yield in the state for
the year is mainly due. Other placer
mines are the Osgood, Waldo district,
Josephine county, the Layton in APP
plegate district, Jackson county; and
the smaller mines around Grants Pass
in Josephine county. The gold yield
from the dredging operations is greatly
in excess of that from all other forms
of placer mining combined