The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-14
RECORD LEAD PRODUCTION.
Although There Was Increase in Labor
and Supplies.

The high price of lead in 1916 stimu
lated activity in lead prospecting and
lead mining. Further activity was slim
ulated by the extraordinary high price
of lead in June 1917, and by the gradual
increase in the price of silver, which led
4 to the reopening of silverlead mines
that had been abandoned years ago on
account of the low price of silver. Dur
ing the first half of 1917 the lead indus
try was therefore very prosperous, al
though there was a general increase in
the cost of both labor and supplies The
great decline in price that set in just be-
/ fore the middle of 1917 continued until
the end of the year when the price was
lower than at the beginning of the year.
| but the decline was accompanied by no
corresponding decrease in the cost Of
! production, 50 that the producers com
/ planned that the lead was selling below
| its actual cost.
The lead content of ore mined in the
| United States in 1917 was about $4,000
tons as compared with 622,967 tons in
1916, gain OF 1900 tons. The Joplin
district gained 5000 tons, California over
5000 tons, Idaho 1000 tons. and Wash
ington and Montana 1000 tons each
Tennessee, which made an annual output
of only a few tons in previous years,
reported production of nearly 1900
tons. Arizona and Utah lost about 1000
tons each and Colorado about 1000 tons
as compared with 1916. The disseminat-
ed lead district of southeast Missouri re-
mains the largest producer of lead, the
output for 1917 being practically the
same as in 1916.
The Bunker Hill smelter at Kellogg,
Idaho, was completed and put in opera
tion during the year. The Empire Smelt
ing & Refining company rebuilt the old
smelter at Deming, n NJ, and treated
ores from April until October when the
plant was destroyed by fire. The Onta- |
rio Smelling & Refining company is !
building a soft lead smelter in the north |
eastern part of Oklahoma, a few miles /
southwest of Baxter Springs, Kan 1t /
will be equipped with four Newman au- /
tomato hearths, a lead stack and bag
house.
The following estimates have been
without change by c. F. Sic
benthal from reports made TO the Unit
ed States geological survey. department
of the interior. from all the lead re-
fineries and soft lead smelters that were
in operation during the year. These re-
ports give the actual production of lead
for the first 10 or IL months and esti-
mates of the output for the remainder
of the wear. The statistics of the i'm
ports and exports and of lead remaining
in warehouse have been made up from
the records of the bureau of foreign and
domestic commerce for 10 or II months
and from estimates for the remainder of
The year.
Decrease in Lead Of Domestic Origin.
The production of refined lead, desil- !
7erized and soft. from domestic and for Z
IGN ores in 1917 is estimated at $4,000 ,
.ons. worth, at the average New York :
,rice. about Sll0O0O,O0O. compared with {
IA. l34 tons. worth S7Ssl6.00O. in 1916. Is
ind with 550.055 tons, worth Sjl. 705. 900. {
n 1915. The figures for 1917 do not in i
Jude an estimated output Of 10000 tons
# autimonial lead. worth about $1,000
100. compared with 2403s tons in 1916
nd with p .224 tons in 1915. The pro- +