The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-10-18

Probably no mining district in the
United States is bringing to the front
so many new mines as the Occur
d'Alene district of Idaho. The cry is
beard that no new mineral discoveries
are being made and that as the old
mines reach bottom famine in GER
tain ores must result. This statement
| is too true New discoveries are not
keeping pace with the needs of the in
dfstry. Prospecting has become an
expensive art and encourag cement has
not been given the prospectar as it
should have been. He has been ham,
pered and handicapped and his do
main cut down to the barest limits.
Red tape scares the prospector and he
Occur d'AIenes Lead.
But Notwithstanding all this the
Occur dAlene district must be given
the plum for leading in the number of
new mines joining the class of ship
pers. Pine creek leads with six new
producers. They are adding their tom
mage to the records every month and
give promise of great things with the
completion of the new railroad. Big
creek comes along with DIVIDEND
payer. Eagle creek furnishes a new
steady shipper and the Beaver creek
section has a number of mines to help
swell the total These are all new
mines. They are new veins, in new
districts, and will become big factors
| in the mineral production of the Occur
dAenes as the years go by.
In a discussion of this subject re-
Gently the Mining American of Denver
brings forcibly to the front the propo-
sition to increase the output by Wild
er exploitation of the old mines, once
productive in their upper zones but
| left idle when the ore became unat-
tractive and difficult to treat as great
Ell depth was obtained.
In it's discussion of this interesting
subject the American gives the fol-
lowing argument:
Metal mining, as a whole, is in a
most flourishing condition. Never in
the history of the world have the base
and precious metals been produced in
greater Quantities than at present.
Persons closely associated with the in
dustry look upon the prevailing out
puts and their monetary values with
qualification. 1t is always pleasing TO
see activities at their height and to
observe the enthusiasm with which
prospectors and miners reveal new me-
tallic treasures.
Few New Mines Discovered.
But new ore treasures need not come
from new mines nor from new dis
tricts There is a very Significant
point about the metal mining pros
perity that ordinarily escapes our at
itention. 1t is this: There are rela-
lively few actually new metal mines
being discovered or opened. This fact
was brought forcibly to our attention a
few days ago when a man well post
ed in mining Offered to wager that we
could not name a new metal nine
that had been opened in Colorado
within the past twelve years. or
course, this statement is simple Of re-
futation, but not with any degree of
Overwhelming satisfaction. We wish
we could wholly confute this man,
himself an owner of a splendid mine
at Leadville.
It seems incredible that there have
been so few new mines produced in
Colorado since 1905. 1t requires some
thought to satisfy ourselves that it is
a fact It is true that no new mining
districts have been put upon the
states map, but we are slow to ac-
knowledge that our proved districts
are not coming forward with discov-
cries in new properties. An excep-
ton is certainly to be admitted in
Boulder county where there were
MANY new tungsten mines opened two
years ago.
To what extent is the accusation APP
plicable to other western states? 1t
probably holds good only in those
states that were the most thoroughly
exploited during the pioneer days of
the west. California Utah and Colo
RADIO were states that received chief
attention in those years and in which
prospecting continued until there re-
manned almost no virgin areas therein.
In the more sparsely settled states.
Isuch as Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona,
Nevada and New Mexico, prospectors
could not cover the ground so early
nor so thoroughly and, in consequence,
the discovery of new districts has been