Show MIDYEAR conditions IN OREGON the bullion of receipts from oregon at the mint smelters shelters sm elters and refineries at san francisco show a falling off of ingold and ounces of silver for the first six months of 1919 as compared with the corresponding period of 1918 according to charles G yale of the united states geological survey department of the interior though the united states assay offices at boise and seattle and smelters shelters sm elters at others points receive considerable gold from ore gon the proportion of the receipts absan francisco indicates to a certain extent the general conditions of the mining indusi try and shows a reduction ionin in output for the period named in oregon as another in other western states where high costs and scarcity oma 1 bor have affected adversely the metal mining industry by closing down some mines and curtailing the operations of others tho the statistics of the year 1918 for ore gon show a total reduction in value of the output of all metals of more thana than a quarter of a million dollars compared with 1917 which was perhaps less than might have been expected in view of the prevailing ailin i acon con editions in the mining industry the gold dredges alone which produce 78 per cent of the total placer gold and 39 per cent of the total gold show a combined reduction in the output of gold of over the largest three deep gold mines produced and the largest hydraulic mines produced less than in 1917 the prin cipal copper mines in the state however materially increased the value of its output and fully one third more min mines 1 es reported production than in most of these added mines were small temporary operations mainly in camps where mining had been carried on for years some old dumps and stored sulphur ets were utilized and more or less sniping and desultory placer mining i was carried on in the gulches ravines and small streams in many mining regions the most productive county in the state continues to be baker which furnished 78 per cent ot of the total value of all metals min mined ed including 79 per cent of the gold bakeris bakeras baker is followed in the order named by josephine grant and crook counties clack amas curry douglas lane malheur malteur Mal heur uma tilla wallowa gallowa Wal lowa and wheeler counties only make nominal production the largest mining operation in oregon is that of the homestead iron dyke co a copper property in baker county which yields 25 per cent of the total metal output of the state the most productive of the placers and tho the largest producer of gold is the powder river dredge co also in baker county the other productive dredges are the oregon in the same county and the empire in grant county the largest producers among the deep mines are the commercial mining co the baker mines co and the cornucopia gold mines all in baker county whichard chare product ivein the order named the largest lagest hydraulic mining operation is that of 0 the waldo corporation in josephine county formerly the logan simmons cameron mine other large productive hydraulic mines are them the sterling in jackson county and the columbia in jos josephine ephine county the most productive copper mines are the Homestead Hdm estead iron dyke in baker county and I 1 the queen of bronze in jo josephine county there are four smaller copper producers in daker baker county and three more in josephine Joseph frie county small quantities of leado lead are produced ink j baker Jackg jackson and lane counties 7 na new large mining operations have been started and brought brough tto to them the point of production tin in oregon within the last year and a half except perhaps the Ore oregon goit dredge co in hi grant county which I 1 began i operations late in 1917 and still continues the continental mining co twenty three miles mald from sumpter has put up a 20 ton flotation 1 plant to treat high grade gold silver ore oro Th eWhite swan mine twelve miles from baker idle since 1904 ihas been acquired by hib HB smalley and others of spokane with a view to reopening it iu goldi gold i ore of good grades grade has been struck bythe continental mining co nin emiles north of granite and twenty three miles i ter profitable gold ore has been struck in the dailey and casey claims claim sj on briggs creeke near selma and william fisher has struck rich coldore gol dore on his mine near ollala Owing to tle the high prices of machinery la bor and mine supplies little activity is be b e ing shown except at the established productive properties with an appropriation of by the legislature the oregon bureau of mines is again at work after a period of inactivity in i field fieldwork work and publication during the war work in T southern and western vestern ore gorbis gonis nonbeing now being done by the bureau the eastern parti of odthe tafe state is done in operation cooperation co with the mhd r united states geological survey the resul results of the ithe work will be published in oft the reau of mines t 1 |