The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-01-08
THE MINES Of IDAHO
YIELD 20 MILLIONS
Total Lead Produc.
ton is Over Ten
Millions
THEBUNKER HILL LEADS
Coeur d'Alene Mines Supply
Eighty-Four per cent of
Silver Output
THE BUNKER HILL LEADS

copper, lead and zinc mined il
Idaho in 1919, according to tn
estimate of c. N. Gerry, of th
United States geological survey, de.
partment of the interior, was abou
$19,376,000, a decrease of $17,146,0Ot
from the value of 1918. The decrease
in the quantity of all the metals pro-
duced but gold, as well as in the tota
value of the output was decidedly
great and was due in part to the diff
fculty in marketing copper, lead and
zinc, to the lower prices for these met
ais and to the high cost of labor and
supplies. In August a labor strike in
the Coeur d'Alene region prevented
shipments from many of the large
mines near Wallace. Fortunately la
Dor troubles failed to close the mines
near Kellogg, and the Bunker Hill
smelter and refinery at Bradley were
active throughout the year, though not
running at full capacity.
The mine output of gold in Idaho
was valued at about $703,000 in 1919,
a value close to that of 1918. The
largest output Of gold was made by
the Gold Hill & Iowa property, in
Boise county, though the dredge at
Murray, in Shoshone county, produc
ed considerable gold. In Boise county
no dredges were operated and in Lem
hi county there was only small
dredge output.
The mine output of silver decreased
from 9,172,340 ounces in 1918 to s.
100000 ounces in 1919, nearly 3S per
cent, an unusual decline, and the value
decreased from $9,172,34O to about $6,-
100000. Decreases amounting to 30O,-
600 ounces or more were reported by
the Hercules, Morning, Hecla and
Tamarack and Custer mines. Smaller
decreases were reported by the Bun
ker Hill, Caledonia and Gold Hunter.
The largest silver producer of the
state was the Bunker Hill & Sullivan
mine at Kellogg, which was followed
by the Hecla mine at Burke. Other
large producers of silver were the
Morning, Caledonia, Gold Hunter, Her
cules and Tamarack and Custer mines.
The mines in the Coeur d'Alene dis
trict produced about 4,S00,000 ounces
of silver, or about "a per cent of the
total of the state.
The mine output Of copper decreas-
ed from 6,539SSS pounds in 1918 to
about 100000 pounds in 1919. The
value of the output decreased from
$1,613,S7O to about $591,O00. The EN-
pire Copper company at Mackay was
the largest producer of copper, but the
output was only about 40 per cent of
that in 1918. The National Copper
mine, near Mullan, produced consid-
erable copper concentrate but was
closed late in the year. The Ship
ments from the Richmond mine, near
Adair; were considerably reduced.
Smaller shipments came from Lemhi
and Custer counties.
The mine output of lead, which is
the most abundant metal in Idaho,
decreased from 294,695,9 ,993 pounds in
1918 to about 1S4,O00,000 pounds in
1919. The average price was some
what lower, and the value Of the out
put decreaser from $2O,923,416 to about
s10,529,o The Bunker Hill & Sui
livan mine made the largest output OF
lead; the Hecla, Morning and Hercu-
les were the next largest producers.
Considerable lead was also produced
by the Tamarack e. Custer, Gold Hun
ter. Consolidated Interstate Callahan
Caledonia and Sierra Nevada mines
The Coeur d'Alene district produced
about 172,000,000 pounds Of the total
output of lead. In other districts OF
the state large quantities Of lead ore
and concentrate were shipped from
the Idaho Continental, Pittsburg-1da-
no, Latest Out and independence
mines near Ketchum, in Blaine coun-
ty Large shipments were also made
from the old Minnie Moore mine near
Bellevue.
The mine output of recoverable zinc
Ia Idaho decreased from 45,l6l,1z
pounds in 1918 to about 16,565,Ooo
pounds in 1919. This decrease of over
2S,596,000 pounds was largely due to
high costs and to the lower price OF
spelter. The largest decrease was re-
ported by the Consolidated Interstate
Callahan, which was active only
about four months Of the year. Large
shipments of zinc concentrate, nearly
equal to those Of 1918 were made py
the Morning mine, and shipments
were made also by the Success and
Frisco mines No zinc ore was ship
ped from Blaine county.