Show MIDYEAR conditions IN IDAHO during the first half of 1919 mining in idaho as in other western mining states was less active than it had been for many years according to C N gerry of the united states geological survey department of the interior this general decline was caused by the drop in the prices of me metal and the high cost of labor and material several of the larger producing mines such as the hercules and the tamarack ouster custer were closed down when the price of lead dropped from 71 cents a pound in 1918 to about 5 cents a pound in april 1919 when the price of zinc decreased from 91 cents to cents it was not profitable to market zinc concentrates and the interstate callahan the largest zinc producer was closed in march As the smelting smelling sm elting plants had difficulty in marketing their product they were not operated at full capacity at the bunker hill smelter only one lead furnace was in blast in march and much pig lead was in stock awaiting shipment the northport North port lead plant which receives concentrate from the hercules and the tamarack ouster custer was closed in april but the east helena plant increased its shipments of bullion I 1 in 1918 the mines of idaho shipped tons of crude ore and concentrates of which tons came from the coeur dalene district in the first six months of 1919 the mines of this region were shipping at the rate of only about tons a year or at about 60 per cent of their normal rate in lemhi leahi county which produced tons of crude ore and concentrates in 1918 about the same average was maintained in 1919 from the pittsburg idaho latest out gilmore sunset and pope properties in blaine county however the shipments tell fell from tons of crude ore and concentrates in 1918 to only an occasional shipment in the early part of 1919 ouster custer county was wag far below normal in its shipments of both copper ore and lead ore the output of gold from idaho in 1918 was valued at there was a large decrease in 1918 and there will probably be a further decrease in 1919 dredging is now confined to tho the work at murray in shoshone county the output from deep mines in idaho county is decreasing leaving boise and shoshone counties the main sources of gold in lemhi leahi county on carmen creek a new concentration and plant was installed at the big dyke mine the ore of which contains gold silver and some lead the production of silver in 1918 was 9 ounces valued at 1 an ounce in spite of the higher price in 1919 there will probably be a decided decrease in the output tor for the mines that produce lead silver ore are making only about 60 per cent of their normal shipments A number of the big silver lead mines were idle for several months the output of copper in 1918 was pounds valued at the empire copper company at mackay the main producer reduced shipments from about tons to 1000 tons a month in 1919 the national mine near mullan was shipping about tons of copper concentrate a month but the richmond at adair was idle in 1917 idaho produced pounds of lead in 1918 the total output was pounds which may be cut in half for 1919 unless conditions improve materially during the later part of the year the bunker hill and sullivan mine has maintained good production as have the hecla and gold hunter the morning mine has been operating on a reduced scale and several of the lead mines are curtailing product production il on awaiting a better market since the first of the year the large tailing pile at sweeney is being treated in the old federal mill now owned by the bunker hill company the decrease in the production of zinc has been greater in 1917 the mines of idaho produced pounds of recoverable zinc and in 1918 only pounds with the interstate callahan idle part of the year and the success and highland surprise closed there is every indi ind cation of a much smaller output in 1919 zinc concentrates are being shipped from the morning mine of the federal company but the north star property in blaine county is idle |