A
decrease in production of gold from mines of the United States of
$6,782,884 is shown for 1916, following an increase of $6,901,557 in
1915. An increase of 6,506,298 ounces of silver is shown, following an
increase of 2,735,109 ounces in 1915.
The
principal gold-producing States ranked as follows in 1916: California,
Colorado, Alaska, Nevada, and South Dakota, and these five States
together made nearly 80 per cent of the total output. The only notable
increases were in Alaska and Washington. The most notable decreases in
gold were $3,261,123 in Colorado, $2,538,063 in Nevada, and $1,031,555
in California.
The
principal silver-producing States in 1916 in order of output were
Montana, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona, and these six
States together produced 90 per cent of the total for the United
States. The largest increases for 1916 were 2,115,929 ounces in
Montana, 1,563,019 ounces in Arizona, 939,832 ounces in Utah, 885,598
ounces in California, 628,572 ounces in Colorado, and 531,745 ounces in
Idaho. Large decreases of silver were 622,315 ounces in Nevada, and
239,257 ounces in New Mexico.
About
$28,000,000, or 30 per cent, of the entire output of gold in the United
States in 1916 was produced by 18 companies. The largest producer was
the celebrated Homestake mine in South Dakota. Thirteen of the larger
properties produced the gold from dry or siliceous ores, 2 produced it
from gravels by dredging, and 3 recovered the gold in the treatment of
copper ores. Deducting the output of gold of the large producing
operators, it is shown that about $65,000,000 came from the operation
of about 4,600 placer and deep mines, many of which produced between
$100,000 and $600,000 each. Hundreds of mines, especially placer
properties in California, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, and the
Appalachian States, yielded very small quantities of gold.
Larger producers of gold in the United States in 1916, in order of output.
