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Show UTAH .MINKS 1917 OUTLOOK By the unusually severe winter ot 1916-1917, the production of the mines of Utah was reduced so that the State's output of all metals in the first six months of 1917 will not exceed that for the corresponding half of 1916, according to V. C. Heikes', of the U. S. Geological Survey, Sur-vey, Department of the Interior. Many of the mining camps were at times isolated by snowslides, which blocked the transportation of ore from Park City, Tintic and the Cottonwood Cot-tonwood districts. Ore received at the smelters from the mines outside of Utah accumulated in the railroad yard and unloading was delayed on account of freezing in the cars. Then a prolonged shortage of coal and coke caused smelters and mines alike to be operated at reduced capacity. As a climax, a strike for an increase in wages closed for a short time one of the large smelting plants. Extensive Exten-sive improvements and enlargements of smelters and milling plants in the State indicate a greater production produc-tion in the second half, which may offset any decrease during the first six months. In 1916 the copper output reported report-ed by operators in Utah amounted to 240,275,222 pounds, over . three-fourths three-fourths of which came from the Utah Copper property at Bingham. The company's 4,000-ton leaching plant for treating the oxidized ores that cap the sulphides is nearing completion, com-pletion, and when the units recently added to the Magna and Arthur mills are in operation the plant should be treating nearly 50,000 tons of copper cop-per ore daily. At present about 38,000 tons of ore are treated. In April this company produced 17,-231,512 17,-231,512 pounds of copper, and the production for the month of May is expected to be more than 19,000,000 pounds. " A higher recovery of metal not only copper, but lead and zinc is being made at these mills, as well as at other mills in the State, by the use of flotation concentration. The production of silver in 1916 amounted to 13,253,037 ounces. The increase in 1917 depends on the out-' out-' . put of lead ores, which promises another an-other record yield. The output of lead in 1916 amounted to 201,490,-075 201,490,-075 pounds. Success has been achieved at Silver Sil-ver City, in the Tintic district, by the use of the chloridizing-roasting process pro-cess in treating low grade silicious silver ores containing some gold and copper. Several cars of silver bullion bul-lion have been shipped to eastern refineries re-fineries since the beginning of 1917. The production of zinc will probably prob-ably show a decrease, as the output from the Tintic and Promontory districts dis-tricts in Beaver county has fallen off greatly. In 1916 the total State output out-put of recoverable zinc was 29,572,-528 29,572,-528 pounds. At Park City an electrolytic elec-trolytic zinc plant was started early in 1917, but is still in the experimental experi-mental stage. The total value of the production of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc in Utah in 1916 was $89, 268, 648, which may be exceeded in 1917 if the present prices continue. con-tinue. a |
