Montana labor news., 1937-09-02
Copper, Lead and
Zinc Mining in 1896
--Advante Summary

Statistical summaries recently re-
leased by the United States Bureau
of Mines covering activities in the
copper, lead and zinc industries in
the United States in 1886 were CON
fined to smelter and refinery opera
tons in these industries. Prelimin-
airy figures indicate that smelter pro-
duction of copper from domestic ores
in 1886 was about 613, 900 tons, pro-
duction of refined lead from domes-
tic pres was about 381, 800 tons, and
the output of metallic zinc from do
nestle ores amounted to about 491,-
900 tons.
These reports gave no information
on mine production, which may diff
fer materially from smelter or re-
finery production due to various fac
tors, and no details showing geo
graphic origin of the metals. To show
these additional data, figures repre-
senting partially estimated mine pro-
duction-by states-of recoverable
copper, lead and zinc contained in
the mine output of the United States
in 1886 have been compiled, and are
presented in the accompanying table.
Copper-Mine production of re-
coverable copper in the United States
in 1886 amounted to about 603, 1000
tons, an increase of So per cent over
$50, 500 tons in 1885. Greatly en-
larged output from Arizona, Utah,
Montana and Nevada accounted in
large part for the advance. In Ari-
ION the increase was accounted for
by continuous operation of several
important producers which had
operated during only a part of 1885
after a previous shutdown period,
and by expanded production from
other mines IN response to increased
demand. With output of the open
cut mine of the Utah Copper Co. at
Bingham more than double that for
1885 and with the Arthur mill re-
opened in September after a shut
down since 1890, copper production
in Utah advanced almost 100 per
cent, the tonnage increase having
been almost as great as that for
Arizona. Expanded operations of
the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at
Butte, and of the Nevada Consoli-
dated Copper Corp. at Ruth account
ed mainly for the increased produc-
ton in Montana and Nevada, respec-
lively, although continued gains in
production from the Rio Tinto mine
of the Mountain City Copper Co, a
subsidiary of the Anaconda Mining
Co, constituted another important
fact in Nevada's increase.
Although operations throughout
the year resulted in production
amounting only to so per cent of the
1929 peak, or SO per cent of the 1925
20 average output, activity at the
close of the year in response to the
rapid rise in copper price was at a
much higher rate. Announcement
in December by the Kennecott Cop
per Corp. of plans to reopen the
Chino and Ray mines on or about
January l, 1887, together with a
statement that the old Quincy mine
in the Michigan copper range was
being prepared for reopening by the
Quincy Mining Co. early in 1887
were indicative of the expanding
scale of operations in copper mining
late in the year.
Lead-Production of recoverable
lead from domestic mines in 1886
amounted to about 100000 tons, rep
%resenting ain increase of IL per cent
over the 1895 figure of 331,119 tons,
but still being only Sc per cent of
the 1925-29 average. The increase
was spread fairly evenly throughout
the important lead producing states
of Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma
and Montana, although the largest
contributions to the gain were made
by the famous lead districts of
southeastern Missouri and Occur
d'Alene, Idaho. Both Nevada and
New Mexico, stable producers of
lead, showed decreases. In Nevada,
lessened production from the Typo
mine overbalanced an increase from
the Phoebe district. A strike at the
Pecos mine in New Mexico during
part Of February and all of March
and April accounted for the drop
in that state. Missouri, Idaho and
Utah continued to furnish about ~
per cent of the mine production of
lead in the United States.
The price of lead concentrates at
Joplin was steady at SAT per ton for
the first 8 weeks Of the year, a boost
of $50 having been made late in Feb
ruary. The $50 price held from
March through October. November
witnessed a steady rise each week
until the price reached $50 late in
the month, which held for the first
half of December. In the last two
weeks of the year the market
doomed to 1854 and finally to $40.
Zinc. Output of recoverable zinc
by domestic mines in 1886 was about