640 MINEBAL RESOURCES, 1917—PART I.
Oregon,
and Montana, and it produces much more silver in Arizona, Colorado,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Texas. Oregon, Alaska,
and California were the only States in which the recovery of silver by
amalgamation exceeded that by cyanidation. Altogether amalgamation
produced gold and silver valued at $17,368,107 from milling ores in
1917, against $33,680,711 produced by cyanidation from such ores in
that year.
Oi
the total output of gold from all sources in 1917, amalgamation
produced 16.3 per cent in Alaska, 38.7 per cent in California, and 64
per cent in South Dakota, and cyanidation produced 48.4 per cent in
Arizona, 68.4 per cent in Colorado, 67.2 per cent in Nevada, 22.1 per
cent in New Mexico, 35.8 per cent in South Dakota, and 37.6 per cent in
Montana.
Of
the total output of silver from ail sources in 1917, amalgamation
produced 33.1 per cent in South Dakota and 45.5 per cent in Oregon, and
cyanidation produced 81.8 per cent in Nevada, 63.3 per cent in South
Dakota, and 99.5 per cent in Texas.
QUICKSILVER AND POTASSIUM AND SODIUM CYANIDE CONSUMED IN CERTAIN STATES.
For
details of the consumption of quicksilver in the amalgamation milling
process and of potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide in the cyanidation
process the reader is referred to the mines reports of the several
Western States named in the prefatory note. Data as to consumption of
these supplies are not yet furnished by a "sufficient number of mining
and milling companies to justify tabulation for the entire United
States. It has been estimated by H. D. McCaskey that the consumption of
quicksilver in the amalgamation process in the United States (including
Alaska) for the period 1911 to 1917, inclusive, has varied between
90,000 and 100,000 pounds annually. The consumption at mills treating
ore and by dredging and other methods of placer mining are given in the
separate chapter entitled " Quicksilver in 1917," prepared by F. L.
Ransome and published elsewhere in Mineral Resources for 1917.
In
the following tables, compiled by V. C. Heikes, of the United States
Geological Survey, some details are given for the consumption of
quicksilver and of cyanide in the recovery of gold and silver in six
Western States from 1911 to 1917, inclusive.
