Year: 1871

North America the Great Silver Depository


Ofthe World.


1t was the expectation of finding a
land possessing greater stores OF gold
and silver than existed elsewhere that
led to the discovery and settlement OF
America, and under Spanish dominion
the mines of Mexico and South Amerl-
ca yielded an amount of these treas
ures surprising the widest dreams of
the early explorers. 1t will probably
be a matter of surprise to many to be
told that, although the mines of South
America were at one time pouring forth
q stream of wealth so great as to cause
general rise of prices, the quantity of
gold furnished by that portion OF the
continent has never been large. In 1900
the whole product of South America
was estimated by Humboldt at 3,524
pounds of gold, of which $500 pounds
were the yield of Brazil while at the
same time the annual proceeds of the
silver mines amounted to 69l, ,625
pounds, gold and silver being as one to
twenty-one, nearly, by weight. In 1850
the amount of gold had fallen off to
about "a 900 pounds, or three-fourths OF
WndU III WdS dU t1lC vi
the century. According to Chevalier,
the total yield of the precious metals
from the Andes of Peru and Bolivia
was, up to 1916, in the ratio of one part
of gold by weight to ITO of silver. And,
although Mexico and Peru have fur
nished the larger part of the metallic
treasures of the New World, their yield
has been principally of silver.


IMPORTANT RECENT DISCOVERIES.


The excitement created by the re-
markable gold discoveries of California
caused such universal search for that
metal that people, in their eagerness to
discover it, have in a great measure
overlooked the treasures of silver which
our rocks contain but recently, impor-
tant discoveries of argentiferous ores
have been made, almost simultaneously,
in widely separated regions of the coun
try, and at the present time it appears
more than probable that the yield of
this metal will at no distant day surpass
in value that of gold. Until lately, the
silver of comm cree produced in the
United States was almost wholly drawn
from the native alloy of gold and silver.
So late as 1854 there was not a silver
mine of any Importance working in the
United States; yet the silver yield at
that time was as great as that OF Swe-
den, Norway and France together
countries possessing mines, of which
some have attained worldwide celebri-
ty. Silver is always found combined
with native gold but its yield from this
source has been of subordinate import
ance compared with the entire quantity
furnished by the world.


SOURCES OF THE SILVER SUPPLY.


Before the discovery of the Mexican
and Peruvian mines, an important
source of supply for silver was found in
the mines of argentiferous lead ores
which are so numerous in every part OF
the world, and the silver so obtained
still forms considerable item in the
total product. But there is every rea-
son to believe that in the future the sill
yer ores proper (where this metal pre-
dominates in importance over those as
sociated with it) of the United States
will constitute the great source of sup
ply for all the world, and that ultimate
ly the silver product of this country will
exceed in value the gold product; even
in greater proportion than the history
of gold and silver mining in South
America has shown. Already the guam
tity of argentiferous galena and other
silver-bearing ores being raised in the
various mining districts beyond the
Rocky Mountains is large, and rapidly
on the increase, and will tell materially
on the product of our bullion this year,
while fresh discoveries of the precious
metal are continually occurring.


MOUNTAINS OF SILVER.


Upon the borders of Arizona and New
Mexico some remarkable silver ledges
have lately been discovered, which are
exciting the wonder of the geological
world. They lie within a very few
miles of the thirty-second parallel over
land route-a favorite route for the
Southern Pacific Railroad, and one
which has been much travelled for
quarter of century. There are three
hedges, which may be considered the
main trunks or arteries, varying in
width from ten to twelve hundred feet,
cropping high above the ground for
villas y,ora racan bIinp the great wall of