Montana labor news., 1937-12-16
Production Of Minerals
In Montana in 1896

h0AAA 80 @00
metals, was 180,209.20 fine ounces of
gold, 1880, 563 fine ounces of silver,
219, O88,0 900 pounds of copper, 38, 118,-
900 pounds of lead, and SO, 434, 900
pounds of zinc. This output COM
pares with a production in 1885 of
151,088.03 fine ounces of gold, 9,322,-
951 fine ounces of silver, 154, 957, 470
pounds of copper, 31,177,525 pounds
of lead, and 100, 561,477 pounds of
zinc. The total value of the output
in 1886 was $42, 173, 1872, an increase
of 36.40 per cent compared with the
value ($30,918,228) in 1885. There
were $40 lode mines and 284 placers
operating in Monana in 1886.
The output of gold increased from
ISL, ounces valued at So, ,081
in 1885 to 1870, 209.20 ounces valued
at $6,3O7, 1922 in 1886. Placers yield
ed 4O,415.80 ounces of gold in 1886
compared with ~26,299.23 ounce in
1885. Floating Connected -bucket)
dredges produced 19,3O0.35 ounces of
gold in 1886, dragline and power
shovel excavators of all types pro-
duced 18,312.43 ounces (twice that in
1885,, and small-scale placer opera
tons produced only 2,803.02 ounces
Nearly 88 per cent of the placer gold
came from 5 operations-floating
dredges at Helena and Pioneer and
dragline plants at Virginia City,
Montana City, and Washington
Gulch. The new Yuba dredge of
Porter Bros. Corporation at Helena
was the largest gold producer in
Montana in 1886, followed by the
dragline plant of Humphreys Gold
Corporation at Virginia City. Lode
mines produced 139, 793.4O ounces of
gold in 1896 compared with 1884,
1880 ounces in 1885. There was a
substantial increase in gold from
concentrating ores, chiefly from cop
per ores and lead-zinc ores from the
Butte mines of the Anaconda Cop
per Mining Co. (Which ranked third
in gold output following the two
dredges), and increases were report
ed at several gold and silver mills,
including the new cyanidation plants
of the Ruby Gulch and Ermont
mines; gold from smelling ores was
slightly less than in 1885. Other
large producers of gold in 1886 in
cluded the Gould, Spring Hill, Little
Ben, Golden Messenger, and Comet
mines.
The output of silver increased
from 9,322,9 51 ounces valued at &c.
zoe, 871 in 1885 to 11,6OO,563 ounces
valued at $8,984,636 in 1886. Most
of the increase was from copper ores
from Butte but there were substan-
tial increases in silver from siliceous
ores and lead-zinc ores. Copper ore
yielded 48 per cent of the total silver,
lead-zinc ore 81 per cent, and sill
ceous ore 20 per cent. The Ana
conda Copper Mining Co. was, as
usual, the chief producer of silver;
copper and lead-zinc ores from the
company mines at Butte yielded
more than 81 per cent of the total
silver. The Emma mine at Butte
was also an important producer OF
silver as were 3 mines near Philips
burg (Trout, Granite Bimetallic, and
Two Percent), the Flathead mine
near Kila, and the Comet mine near
Basin.
The Anaconda Copper Mining Co
at Butte, as usual, produced nearly
all the state output of copper which
increased from 154,957,4 7 pound:
valued at $12, 1,470 in 1885 to 49,
088, 5000 pounds valued at $40, 156,09t
in 1886, or 41.39 per cent in quantity
and 56.72 per cent in value. The
company mined and milled 1,840, 73t
tons of copper ore, reiterated 545,53(
tons Of old copper tailings in the
sand-leaching plant, and also pro
duced considerable copper from
crude ore of smelling grade anc
Underwater precipitates.
The output Of lead in 1886 wa
38, 118,000 pounds valued at $1,753,.
428 compared with 81, IT. 25 pound!
valued at $1,247, 101 in 1885. Mos
of the increase in lead came from thu
Jack Waite mine in Sanders County
and the Comet property in Jeffer
son County. The Butte properties
including the Orphan Girl and EN-
ma mines, operated by the Anacond;
Copper Mining Co. and l~essees, pro
duced more than half the state tota
lead, chiefly from lead-zinc or,
treated by f~lotation at Anaconda
Other large producers of lead in
Guided the Trout mine at Philips
. burg and the slag-fuming plant a
East Helena. Concentrates of al
classes yielded 81 per cent of thu
total lead. Lead-zinc ore yielded
nearly So per cent of the total lead
The output of zinc decreased from
109,5 SCI, ATT pounds valued at $4,820,
7O5 in 1885 to 99,434,O0O pounds val
! ued at $4,971, 200 in 1886. The aver
age sale price of zinc increased iron
"A to so cents a pound. Lead-zin
! ore, chiefly from the mines at Butt
and the Trout and Comet mines
| yielded 1894 per cent of the tota
Il zinc. the remainder came from tn