324 COPPER MINES present augmented price of copper, and with the aid of improved processes for extraction of the metal from its ores, this region may be- come a second Cornwall. The deposits of cop- per ore in the mesozoic sandstones of Con- necticut and New Jersey were formerly work- ed to a considerable extent. From those of Belleville, in the latter state, large quantities of ore were shipped to England as early as 1731. From the irregularity .of these deposits, and from the fact that part of the metal is disseminated through the sandstones in an oxi- dized condition, and not easily extracted by the ordinary smelting processes, these mines have been abandoned. Very lately, however, rich deposits of valuable copper ore have been opened in these sandstones in Chester co., Pa. According to the census of 1870, there were in the United States 40 copper-mining estab- lishments, with 93 steam engines of 6,318 horse power, 3 water wheels of 70 horse power, and 5,404 hands, of whom 2,157 were employed above ground, and 3, 247 under ground ; capital invested, $7,789,374; wages paid, $2,706,264; value of materials, $586,844; value of product, $5,201,312. The mines were distributed as follows : STATES. |
a G 1* l! I 1 Value of product. ? 25 72 4,188 20 105 7 620 355 12 $2,500 157,000 5,866,374 8,000 80,000 80,500 550,000 1,000,000 100,000 $7,000 71,500 4,812,167 30,000 96,000 7,800 310,000 358,845 8,000 Maryland 2 21 1 2 86 85 5,943 Michigan Nevada North Carolina... Pennsylvania Tennessee 1 2 2 2 1 1 '*2' 1 1 80 '126 50 40 Vermont Virginia The more important of the Maryland mines is in Frederick co. ; the other is in Carroll co. The Nevada mine is in Humboldt co., the North Carolina mine in Chatham co., the Tennessee mines in Polk co., and the Vermont mines in Orange co. Of the Michigan mines, 11 are in Houghton co., product $3,231,888 ; 6 in Ke- weenaw co., product $823,477; and 10 in On- tonagon co., product $256,802. The following table exhibits the product of the Lake Supe- rior mines since 1858, in tons of 2,000 Ibs. : YEARS. Copper. YEARS. Copper. YEARS. Copper. 1858.. 1859.. . I860.. . 1861.. . 1862.. . 4,100 4,200 6,000 7,500 6,300 1868 1864. 1865 1866. . . . 1867 6,500 6,500 7,000 7,000 8,250 1868. . 1869. . 1870. . 1871. . 1872. . 9,987* 12,250 12,950 12,850 12,125 The product of Vermont for 1872 was between 400 and 500 tons; of Tennessee, about 750; and of the United States, nearly 14,000. The imports of copper ore for the year ending June 30, 1872, amounted to ],355 tons (2,240 Ibs.) valued at $85,622 ; of unmanufactured copper, 2,280 tons, worth $1,040,458; the manufac-
- Also 8 water wheels of 70 horse power.
tures of copper imported were valued at $800,- 478. Of the ore, 1,091 tons were from Chili, and 248 from Canada; of the copper, 1,671 tons came from England, 290 from Cuba, 123 from the British West Indies, and 115 from Chili. The exports of domestic ore were 1,778 tons, worth $101,752 ; of domestic copper, 120 tons, worth $64,844; the value of domestic manufactures of copper exported was $121,139. The exports of foreign copper and ore were valued at $7,406. The imports of brass and brass manufactures were valued at $173,515; domes- tic exports, $229,458; foreign exports, $1,966. The production of Canada and Newfoundland may be seen from the imports of ore and reg- ulus into Great Britain from those colonies. The imports from the Dominion of Canada in 1867 were 1,062 tons, worth $51,155 ; in 1868, 5,270 tons, worth $277,435; in 1869, 3,152 tons, worth $97,335 ; in 1870, 2,907 tons, worth $191,830; in 1871, 2,083 tons, worth $153,670. From Newfoundland were imported in 1867, 4,120 tons, worth $189,849 ; in 1868, 8,061 tons, worth $254,325; in 1869, 6,237 tons, worth $159,220; in 1870, 4,162 tons, worth $259,570; in 1871, 1,887 tons, worth $91,375. There are important copper mines near Santiago in Cuba, from which about 25,000 tons of ore, averaging 16 per cent, of metal, were shipped to England in 1850. The shipments of ore and regulus in 1867 were 7,257 tons, worth $477,150; in 1868,. 10,861 tons, worth $744,445 ; in 1869, 3,869 tons, worth $298,645. The working of the mines was interrupted by the insurrection, and in 1870 and 1871 the shipments amounted to only a few hundred tons. Chili is the chief copper-producing country of the world. In 1853 the total copper product was 55,700 tons, of which Chili yielded 14,000 tons, or 25 per cent. ; while at present that country produces about one half of all the copper mined on the globe. The exports of copper from Chili for a series of years have been : YEARS. Tons. YEARS. Tons. YEARS. Tbns. 1862.... 1863 1864 1865 43,109 82,540 47,500 48,372 11866.. . . 1867 1868 j!869 44,820 44,654 43,669 54,867 1870 1871 1872 49,139 41,200 46,000 The value of the exports in 1870 was: bars, $8,067,178 ; regulus, $4,250,898 ; ore, $204,967 ; total, $12,523,043. The total product of the country is estimated as follows: in 1808,46,- 500 tons ; 1869, 55,000 ; 1870, 48,600 ; 1871, 44,- 900 ; 1872, 40,500. The mines at Corocoro, 15 leagues S. W. of La Paz, in Bolivia, yield abun- dantly, though without machinery for drain- age or working. The native copper of the de- posit, disseminated in sandstone, is extracted by crushing and washing. The product, known in commerce as barilla, was in 1869 from 3,000 to 3,500 tons of ore. Small quantities of copper are shipped from Peru to Great Britain. The most productive mines of Australia are in South Australia, the largest being the Moonta and
