The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-05-05
METAL PRICES ARE
SLOWLY IMPROVING
Feeling is More OPP
tomistic in Min
ing Industry
RUMORS OF DAY MINES
Say Hercules and Tamarack
to Start Up--Send Ore
to Bunker Hill
RUMORS OF DAY MINES

TIME MINING situation, both To-
cally and throughout the coun-
try, has shown a decided i'm
provement during the past few
weeks, and the feeling now prevails
that the traditional turn in the road
prices will gradually return to a level
that will insure fair profit. Lead
made another gain yesterday, ad-
Nancing from AZ cents per pound to
"A, while an increased demand for
zinc has tended to advance the price.
Even the copper people, who perhaps
are in the worst condition of all metal
producers, have noted a stronger de-
mand for the metal and are looking
hopefully for better days. This i'm
pIovement in the metal situation has
the following comment from the En-
gineering and Mining Journal in re-
viewing the market under date of
April q:
inspired by an increasing demand
from consumers and a prospect that
the issue between the allies and Ger
many may soon be settled, distinct
ly better feeling has arisen in the cop
per, lead zinc and tin markets. Prices
have also tended to higher figures,
and it now seems unlikely that the
low extremes OF early 1920 will be re-
peated. Demand generally is for
small tonnages for prompt delivery,
but il is we'll distributed"
Rumors Regarding Day Mines.
During the past week or two it has
been persistently reported on the
street that the Day mines, Hercules
and Tamarack. would resume opera
lions on May IS, that former employees
had been notified to report for duty,
and that orders had been issued by
the Northern Pacific to be prepared
to put on the Burke ore train by that
date also that arrangements had
been made under which ore from the
Day mines would be treated at the /
Bunker Hill smelter and that the |
Northport plant would be perman- |
emily closed Efforts of the Miner to |
obtain information on the subject /
were unsuccessful, except that it was /
found that no orders had been issu-
ed or action taken by the Northern |
Pacific with the view to restoring the /
ore train. Some of the ore cars are |
being repaired so as to have them IN /
serviceable condition when required |
but there is nothing to indicate when
that will be. At both the Hercules
IL ,sat,I Ia dnWnI0n-
ment work is going on, but so far as
can be learned there is nothing to
indicate resumption of production.
However the steady advance in the
price of lead is encouraging, and it Is
believed probable that when the price
reaches 5 cents per pound, as is eX-
pected and possibly better, the Day
mines will resume.
Smelling Day Ores.
The most interesting part of the
rumors regarding the Day mines Is
that referring to the smelling Of the
ore from the Hercules and Tamarack
M the Bunker Hill smelter. Nobody
knows the truth regarding the matter
but the Days, and they wont tell. The
renort seems to be credited by great
many people and the prediction is
frequently heard that when the mines
start up again the ore will go to the
Runker Hill plant The reason for
this change. if it is made is under
stood TO be due to the freight handi-
cap on the ore from the mine to the
Northport smelter and to the difficulty
experienced by the Days in marketing
their product The Miner simply
qives the reports as heard without
any responsibility for the
same but merely as an interesting
feature of an otherwise monotonous
local mining situation.
Lead.
Reviewing the metal market the
and Mining Journal has
this to say regarding lead and zinc:
lead has been distinctly stronger
and in increasing demand at the price
ouoted bv the A. s. e R., which is
lower than the metal could be OBJ
tanned for in the outside market. It
is altogether likely that the market
will continue to become firmer, as
this interest is hardly capable of sup
plying so large a demand as now ex-
lists.
Zinc.
1.-THE improvement noted last week