1907,
1,411,301 fine ounces. Yavapai County is the next in rank. The
principal producers, each of them yielding over 300,000 ounces, are the
Tombstone Consolidated, the United Verde, the Copper Queen, and the
Commonwealth mines. The silver obtained from copper ores in 1907
amounted to 1,416,964 ounces, and the siliceous ores yielded 976,600
ounces. The output for 1908 is not expected to be materially smaller
than that of 1907.
California.—The
output of gold in California in 1907 was $16,727,928, a decrease of
$2,004,524 from 1906. The larger part of this decrease was due to labor
troubles in the Mother Lode region, which closed many mines for several
months. The placer production also showed a decrease in all its
branches, including dredging; the reason for the falling off in the
dredge production is found in disastrous floods, which wrecked several
dredges. The placer mines of California yielded $6,840,695, which was
$535,230 less than in 1906. Of this, $5,065,437 was obtained from
dredging operations. The rank of the most important counties is as
follows: Butte, $2,786,840, this amount being derived almost
exclusively from dredging operations; Nevada, $2,162,083, chiefly from
the quartz mines at Grass Valley; Amador, $2,116,182, almost entirely
from the Mother Lode mines; Yuba, $1,766,770, wholly from dredging and
a great increase over 1906; and Calaveras, $1,097,974, chiefly from the
mines of the Mother Lode. Sacramento, Shasta, Tuolumne, and Kern
counties produced each from $800,000 to $900,000. Placer, Sierra, and
Trinity counties each yielded about $500,000. The copper ores of the
State yielded $339,152 in gold. Only small amounts of gold are obtained
from lead and zinc ores. The production for 1908 will probably be
maintained at about the same figure as that of 1907.
The
production of silver was, as usual, small. In 1907 the amount recorded
was 1,138,858 fine ounces, a decrease of 81,783 fine ounces. To this
amount Shasta County contributed 560,926 fine ounces, practically all
from copper ores; Kern County, 130,353, mostly from quartzose ores. San
Bernardino, Calaveras, Inyo, and Mono counties each yielded amounts
ranging from 123,000 to 45,000 fine ounces.
Colorado.—Colorado
produced $20,826,194 in gold, a decrease of $2,384,435 compared with
1906. The decrease of the yield of 1906 as compared with 1905 was
$1,813,344. The mining industry of Colorado suffered severely from the
financial conditions at the end of 1907, as well as from the burning of
an important mill belonging to the Golden Cycle Company, at Colorado
Springs. The rank of the counties stands at present as follows: Teller,
San Miguel, Ouray, Lake, San Juan, Gilpin, Clear Creek, and Park, the
production of the latter county being $513,000. In most counties
reduced production is reported. An increase in the output is noted from
Ouray, San Juan, and Park counties. Cripple Creek (Teller County)
yielded $10,913,-687 in gold, a decrease of over $3,000,000 as compared
with the output of 1906. The tonnage in that district was reduced to
451,082 short tons. The San Juan country yielded a total of $6,270,216,
a considerable increase over 1906, due to the operation of the rebuilt
Camp Bird mill. To this total production Ouray County contributed
$2,415,049, San Miguel County $2,467,516, and San Juan County $967,732.
The three counties of Gilpin, Clear Creek, and Boulder produced
together $1,623,042, of wnich $938,488 is to be credited to Gilpin
County. The placer output was $100,830, nearly double that
