The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-01-06
LEAD INDUSTRY In 1916.
Record Production Reported BY the Geo.
logical Survey.

The lead industry in 1916 made goo
gains in output, both in mining an
smelling The lead content of ore mine
in the United States in 1916 was abou
1000 short tons, compared with SOL.
$50 tons in 1915, an increase of 5000
tons, or over 10 per cent. The averag
price of lead in 1916 was so much highe
than in 1915 that the increase in valu
OF the mine output of lead was about 5,
per cent
The Korthport Smelling & Refining Co
in March blew in the remodeled smelte
at Northport, Wash, and later in tn,
year added two more lead furnaces, max
ing four in all. The operation of tn,
smelter gave an impetus to the produc
ton of lead in Washington, the output
of which was four times as large as ever
before The Bunker Hill & Sullivan
smelter was started at Kellogg, Idaho
and is expected to be in operation in the
spring of 1917.
The state that recorded the largest
gain in lead production was Missouri
which made an increase of over $4,000
tons. Good gains were also made by
California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and
New Mexico.
The following estimates have been
compiled without charge by G. +. Sieben-
thai from reports made to the United
States geological survey, department of
the interior, by all the lead refneries
and soft lead smelters in operation dur
ing the year. These reports give records
of the actual production for the first 10
or Il months and estimates of the out
put for the remainder of the year. The
statistics of imports, exports and lead
remaining in warehouse have been made
up from the records of the bureau of
foreign and domestic commerce for 10 or
IL months and estimates for the remain
der of the year.
Record Breaking Production.
The production of refined lead, desil-
verified and soft from domestic and for
eign ores in 1916 was $4,000 tons, worth
at the average New York price $685.
900, compared with 550,055 tons, worth
SOL ,705,000, in 1915. and with 542,l22
tons, worth s42,2S6,000, in l9l4. The
figures for 1916 do not include an esti-
mated output OF Fl 800 tons of antimo-
NAL lead, worth approximately S42S3,-
000 compared with 1924 tons in 1918
and with 1867 tons in 1914 OF the to-
tai production, desilverized lead of do
mestic origin, exclusive of desilverized
soft lead, is estimated at $4,000 tons,
against 30l .564 tons in 1915 and 81 069
tons in 1914; and desilverized lead of
foreign origin at q 400 tons, compared
with 43029 tons in 1915 and 29,32s tons
in 1914. The production of soft lead,
mainly from Mississippi valley ores, is
at pa, 200 tons, compared with
POO. 462 tons in 1915 and 20l,725 tons in
1914. The total production of deslver.
lied and soft lead from domestic ores
was thus about 55s,200 tons, valued at
sT5.9l5,000. compared with 07026 tons,
valued at SAT 100000 in 1915, gain of
$1,000 tons. OF this gain in domestic
about 10000 tons was made
in soft lead and $4,000 tons in domestic
iesilyerized lead.
In consequence OF the great demand
Tor lead considerable quantity of Sec
1ndary lead (abodt 1000 tons) and sec
lndary antimonial lead tower 5000 tonsl |
vas recovered at the regular smelters.
The final figures for the production of /
loft lead will show an increase of few I
thousand tons over those here given, for I
he reason that the smelters and refiners I
# argentiferous lead undoubtedly treat
d more or less soft lead ore from the
Mississippi valley which in their prelim /
nary estimates is not distinguished from
ilver-lead ore.