Show metal mine production of california 1923 i and a resume of activities by counties the value of the gold silver copper and lead produced in california in 1923 is estimated at as compared with in 1922 as announced by th the e department of the interior through h james M hill of the geological survey the noteworthy features of the year were ahe production of pounds more copper and of pounds more lead than in 1922 the silver yielded by the lead and copper ores brought the production of silver ilver up to a egure larger lar cr than that for 1922 the gold mines mines vere ivere not so productive as in 1922 notwithstanding y the large developments under way at several 1 gold producing camps apparently no zinc mines were operated less gold produced the gold produced in 1923 is estimated at ounces valued at as compared with a value of in 1922 apparently the reduction was due to a decrease in the output of the deep mines for the dredges which normally yield 90 per cent of the placer bullion were more productive than in 1922 several of the larger deep deel gold mines in the state were not operated at full capacity during the year considerable work was done in developing gold veins in the alleghany allegheny Alleg hany district sierra county and the grass valley district nevada county and both districts will probably show an increased output as compared with 1922 some gain in silver the silver produced in 1923 is estimated at ounces nearly ounces more than in 1922 this slight increase is due to the silver silv er obtained from the copper and lead ores the kelly mine min e at handsbur brandsburg randsburg Rands burg Z maintains its preeminence as a silver producer not only in california but in the unit united ed states big figures for copper and lead the output of copper in 1923 is estimated at pounds about pounds more than in 1922 this great increase was due not only to the enlargement of operations of the engels and walker mines but to the resumption of mining and smelting smelling sm elting in the shasta district the mountain copper smelter was in operation four months prior to december and the united states smelter at kennett was blown in late in november the calaveras talaveras Cala veras copper co made preparations to reopen its smelter at copperopolis but did no smelting smelling sm elting in 1923 the output of lead in 1923 is estimated at pounds nearly pounds more than in 1922 the largest producers were the tecopa tecola and darwin mines in inyo county and all the output was made by properties in inyo and san bernardino counties apparently no zinc mines were in operation but a few tons of zinc may have been recovered rec from ore taken from the towser mine in inyo county in 1922 the zinc output of the state amounted to pounds most of which was produced at the plant of the shasta zinc copper co at winthrop which was not in operation in 1923 A good year for mining on the whole the year 1923 was a good one for producers of gold and lead the producers of silver felt seriously the decrease in price in midyear the producers of copper were very optimistic during the first half of the year bear but rather gloomy in the last four months when the prices of that metal began to decline several copper producing v companies spent considerable money in pre preparing parin g to re 1 N sume operations but were forced to discontinue work before bea A the end of the year the engels and walker mines are still the outstanding producers of copper in california several new measures that would have placed addi firnal burdens on mine operators in california were con by the state legis legislature lAure but fortunately they were not made laws the new mine fire control rules announced in march 1923 have met with practically no opposition and are reported to be working out satisfactorily labor was scarce early in 1923 but about bidye midyear ir wages were raised 50 cents a day in most mast districts and this ts advance coupled with the closing of mines in nevada made labor easier to obtain later in the year amador county in amador county the central eureka kennedy and plymouth mines were the largest producers but the argonaut mine resumed production in july and by september was back to normal new ventilating fans of large capacity were installed during 1923 by the central eureka and kennedy mines ore of better grade than usual was opened up at the plymouth mine the high grade ore was discovered at the kennedy and moore mines mines the fremont gover mines at amador city after they had been examined by the metals exploration co were taken over by new interests and the mill has been running steadily since august the th marklee mine at volcano was reopened and the elephant and ludekens placers were ere in operation with good water supply the moore mine was under development throughout the year and additions to the mill equipment were made late in the season butte county in butte county there was little deep mining the development at the surcease mine by the gruss mining co was stopped in march the output of the county was made chiefly by dredges at oroville and near chico though sone some placer gold was taken from drift mines in the vicinity of magalia bagalia Ma galia enterprise and stirling city calaveras talaveras Cala veras county the chief producers in calaveras talaveras Cala veras county were the corson hill mines which made about a normal run the borden dredge and the victor land mineral co continued operations the lucky jim and prosperity mines near near san andreas were reopened and a 20 stamp cyanide plant was installed atthe prosperity deve development loam ent work was continued at the ford mine drift mines were worked wobkea at several places in the county the calaveras talaveras Cala veras copper co began cleaning up early in the year and according to report the mill was to start in july but the slump in the price of copper apparently postponed the execution of the plans for production the lone star St starline armine mine at west point produced regularly eldorado county the hines gilbert mines at greenwood eldorado county were the largest large st operators in this county the mount pleasant and charles mines at grizzly flats were prospected and the old kavilla havilla and martinez mines near eldorado were reopened several drift mines were worked in a small way inyo county the cerro gordo argus darwin estelle slate range santa rosa and tecopa tecola mines were productive in inyo cinyd county the largest producers were the darwin where some additions to the mill were made in the fall and the tecopa tecola at the estelle property deep exploration was started in the lower adit which had not been used since 1917 the santa rosa property was worked by lessees lessels les sees at the slate range little ore was extracted but considerable prospecting was done the cerro gordo mines yere were leased to the natural soda products co in february and production was continued the tecopa tecola increased its output the carbonate mi mine kineon neon on the west side of death valley last worked during the war was reopened late in the summer and it is reported that the mine will be operated by the U S smelting smelling Sm elting refining mining co kern county the yellow aster and black hawk mines were the largest producers of gold in the randsburg brandsburg Rands burg district kern county though 6 some bullion was milled at other mines notably the king solomon operator old val verde little butte and baltic dry washing on a large scale was under way at summit diggings and a dredge was put in operation in rand wash about a mile south of randsburg brandsburg Rands burg b the standard and the elephant united mines near mojave continued to make a small output the tropico mine near rosamond was operated only part of the year the new cyanide plant at the zenda mine 12 miles northeast of caliente recovered considerable silver gold bullion development was in progress at the yellow dog mine and on adjoining ground and the beuregard Su sumner niner and big blue mines near Kern kernville ville were being reopened mariposa county the original mine at clearen clearinghouse t house mariposa county made a good output as did the specimen queen and Jiff jumper iper mines at bagby A 10 stamp mill was placed in operation at the specimen queen the B V D and bobby mines near ear cath cathay ay installed cyanide plants and continued development the texas hill mine at coulterville Coult erville was operated but the virginia mine remained idle A three com apartment part ment shaft was sunk at the princeton mine near mount bullion b by y the new owners kelso and holmes I 1 mono county in mono county a 50 ton cyanide mill was placed in operation at the chemung mine and a large output was made by several mines in the masonic district some ore was milled at bodie and considerable development work tile the southern part of 0 the was done on several properties in county near benton nevada county at grass valley nevada county there was consider ble le activity throughout the year and a boom developed in midsummer when several nevada companies entered the he district the empire north star and idaho mary land land mines were the largest producers the republic the spottswood and ancho min mines esat it graniteville Granit eville shared in boom om and the drift mines at north bloomfield north active ethan than columbia washington and you bet were more it ln some other the brunswick a and nd alcalde began years hill was be being ing developed in july the alta group klin Y the hilltop nevada mining co and the ben fran franklin by the ben hur mining co development was in imps progress Noram bagua also a osceola at the gold mound banner Nort or mandie randolph and several other properties i plumas county the Ss engels and walker copper mines continued to be the 6 principal producers in plumas county and in the state at A the engels mine mine the long no 10 tunnel was completed and the raise raise to the upper workings was started the mine maintained well its rate of output producing pounds of copper ounces of silver and 1318 ounces of gold during the first six months of 1923 at the walker mine mine the old ton flotation mill was operated at its full capacity throughout the year and a new ton flotation plant was put in operation in november some gold ores were produced at the four hills and jamison mines near johnsville Johns ville the operators of the feather fork drift mine near laporte had a good year but the morington mining co abandoned its work at hartmans bar some interest wash was shown in drift and hydraulic mines near onion anio n valley laporte and quincy I 1 san bernardino county at asdic in san bernardino county several development companies were sinking shafts to find extensions of the silver deposits operations at the kelly california rand silver inc were somewhat restricted in september but before that time production had been well maintained and the output of silver from that mine was larger than in 1922 the total production of the mine has been ounces of gold and ounces of silver having a total value of the output during the fiscal year of the company from september 1922 to august 1 1923 was ounces of gold and ounces of silver the gateway mine on fremont F remont peak was developed by the keller kent interests and the silver dome property 30 miles southeast of brandsburg randsburg Rands burg bura z on the northwest side of antelope valley installed compressing equipment nt several small gold properties near victorville Vic torville were in operation and properties in the vicinity of daggett and barstow made some output shasta county the chief event of interest in shasta county was the reopening of the he properties of the mammoth Marn moth copper co and the mountain copper co the smelter smelt r of the latter company at martinez was in opt ration frim au august grust to the file first of december when it was closed mammoth smelter was balovn in late in november there was a bittle activity at several gold mines near french gulch particularly at the niagara sybil and washington washing arton mines as well as at the milkmaid mine at summit gulch the chicago silver mine at igo was in operation and electricity was substituted for steam for the hoist and compressor the shasta dredge finished its ground near gas point and is to be dismantled both the american and gardella dredges are still in good ground sierra county at alleghany allegheny Alleg hany sierra county considerable development was undertaken in 1923 and besides the sixteen to one and Tight fightner ner the kate I irardy hardy rainbow ante up ireland and plumbago mines are now producing the oriental contact kanaka and several other properties should soon be producing several new mills were built in 19 1923 1993 93 and the and forest should centt contribute materially res region ion near alleghany allegheny Alleg hany of the state there was teri ally to the gold production little more activity at downieville Downie ville and late in the year a a deal was made that should lead to the resumption of placer mining on the scales port wine channel siskiyou you county the lode mines tributary there was some activity a among to sawyers bar and etna mills i in n the salmon river t it 4 country bisou siskiyou you county but the largest output was made by hydraulic mines in the same vicinity and near happy camp on the klamath the blue ledge copper mine near the oregon line was sold to the american smelting smelling Sm elting refining co which is also reported to be negotiating for the gray eagle mine now controlled by the mason valley smelter co trinity county I 1 ifal the chief item of interest in trinity county is the large production from the dredges operated by the gardella estabrook lewiston and trinity dredging companies all of which were in operation throughout the year extensive hydraulic enterprises were under development at salyer bar big bar nugget bar and dedrick and a number of smaller placers were productive few deep mines were in operation in the county but the island mountain copper mine shipped fluxing flexing ore carrying some copper gold and silver tuolumne county the shawmut mine operated by the tonopah belmont mining co was the largest producer in tuolumne county but work was stopped there in november A new mill including cyanide equipment has replaced the old clio vindicator mill at chinese camp and the harriman mine is to befi be reopened opened at columbia the experimental gulch and springfield tunnel drift mines were operated the app mine at quartz was reopened miscellaneous notes in alpine county development work was under way on several properties and the alhambra reported the opening of a good body of mill ore at hayden hill lassen county the juniper was not operated the blue lights mine in silverado canyon orange county was a considerable pro ducer of silver lead ore in placer county the greatest activity was in the drift mines at forest hill iowa hill and michigan bluff though some deep mining was done in san diego county the old chariot and hubbard mines were productive the nacomas co operated seven dredges at t natoma sacramento county on the american river and made a good output the la grange dredge in stanislaus county also made a good output in yuba county the largest producer of gold in the state the yuba consolidated gold fields laid off three small dredges in midsummer because its ground was worked out the five boats remaining are all of the 17 cubic foot bucket type the marigold dredge broke a spud but was out of commission only a few weeks and made nearly a normal run |