The Colorado statesman., 1917-01-27
U. S. Mine OUTPUT
SETS new RECORD
Value of Minerals Produced in
1916 Is Placed at Three
Billion Dollars.
COPPER SENSATION OF YEAR
Iron Contends for First Place With
Yield Worth $17s,ooo,o ,ooo-coaI
Production Also the Great
est Ever Known.

Three billion dollars is the value put
upon the 1916 output of American
mines in estimates made by Uncle
Sam. The enormous production was
accompanied by the greatest profits the
mining industry of the country ever
has known, copper alone netting about
$300,000,000.
Production, it is estimated, has run
ut least % per cent ahead of 1915. The
copper output was the sensation of the
year in the mining world. AT an aver
age price of % cents pound the 1916
production had value of $520000,00
compared with S243, 100000 the year
before and S190,000,000 in 1913. The
profits We're the greatest ever known
in the metal. Prices averaged slightly
more than % cents as against II cents
in 1915.
Arizona led the states in copper pro-
duction, mining 675,OOO0OO pounds
against 432,000,000 pounds the year be-
fore. Montana came second with 35O,-
100000 pounds, and Michigan was
third with 269000,000 pounds. Alaska
mined 12O,O00,00O pounds, which was
almost twice the 1918 production. Ten
nessee alone of the copper states failed
to increase its yield.
Iron in Second Place.
Iron contends with copper for first
place among the metals produced.
shipments of iron ore last year. it is
estimated, amounted to S17S,000,000 in
value, an increase of $77, 100000 over
1915. The country's mines produced
75,500,000 gross tons, against 55,000,000
the year before. Production of pig
iron during the year made a record
with 39,000000 tons, against 30,000,000
tons in 1915. Iron ore in stock at the
mines is put at 100000 tons, fall
ming off 100000 tons since last year.
The 1916 coal production also was
the greatest ever known. The mines
sold 597 100000 tons, compared with
5T0,000,000 the record established in
1913. The quantity of bituminous coal
mined was 5O9O00,000, an increase of
66,500,000 over 1915. The Pennsyl-
vania anthracite production of SS,312,-
600 was decrease of 100000 tons.
Preliminary estimates indicate per
cent more crude petroleum was mar
keted in 1916 than in 1915. The total
amount produced is put at 292,300,000
barrels. About 3S per cent of this
came from the Oklahoma-Kansas field !;
80 per cent from California and the re-
mainder from the Appalachian, Indi-
ana, Illinois, North Texas, North Lou
isiana, Gulf coast and Rocky mountain
fields.
Millions in Quicksilver.
The 1916 domestic output of quick
silver was valued at S3,643,000, the
greatest production in quantity since
1904, and the greatest in value since
1875. Figures for 1916 show an in
crease of 80 per cent in quantity and
so per cent in value over 1915. High
prices stimulated unusual activity in
the western states.
The value of spelter from United
States ore in 1916 was S150,0C0,000.
The output of zinc increased $4,000
tons, making new record for the
metal. Lead also shows a large in
crease, the $15,000,000 output repre-
senting gain of so per cent.
Every western state shows a big
mining gain. Arizona's output alone
shows an increase of S1G0,0O0,000; {;
Utah and Montana combined show an
other $100000000. Ten mines in Ari-
zona paid $34,000,000 in dividends dur.
ing the year. Utah, Montana, Nevada
and Idaho combined paid $66,000,000 in
dividends.