The producing mines in the Althouse district are all placers and are the Deadman Gulch, Goldsby, Little Homestead, and Rambler.

There is one producing placer in Applegate district and one in Briggs Creek district.

In the Galice district is the Almeda Consolidated Mines Co. and the Argo, both deep mines, and the Crescent and Martin & Daniels, placers.

Grave Creek district has one deep mine and several placer mines. The placers are the Archer, Goff Abbott, Steam Beer, Browning, and Tom East hydraulic mines, the last named being the most important.

The three hydraulic mines in Josephine district are the Canyon Creek, Gold Leaf, and Anderson.

In Jump-Off-Joe district the deep mines are the Grants Pass and the Goodnow; the hydraulic mines are the Cook & Howland and the Swastika.

In Waldo district there is but one deep mine and there are two hydraulic mines, the Deep Gravel and the Simmons-Cameron.

In Wolf Creek district the Bend, the Ruble, and the Blue Channel are hydraulic mines, and the Copper Knob and the Sarah Bell are sluicing properties.

In Illinois district there is one productive deep mine; in Kerby district, 1 sluicing mine; in Pickett Creek district, 2 placers; in Sucker Creek district, 1 deep mine; and in Williams district 1 hydraulic mine.

LANE COUNTY.

In 1913 Lane County produced 343.37 fine ounces of gold, valued at $7,098; 1,820 ounces of silver, valued at $1,099; 7,565 pounds of copper, valued at $1,173; and 59,204 pounds of lead, valued at $2,605 a total of $11,975, as compared with $53,303 in 1912. This was a decrease of $41,328, there being a decrease of $42,736 in gold and a slight increase in all the other metals. There were 2 productive deep mines in Blue River district, the Consolidated Lucky Boy and the Mitchell. In Bohemia district were the West Coast, the Vesuvius, and the B & Z mines.

MALHEUR AND WHEELER COUNTIES.

The total yield from Malheur County from 3 deep mines and 11 placers was $82,041 in gold and 3,355 fine ounces of silver, valued at $2,026; a total of $84,067, as compared with $43,680 in 1912, an increase of $40,387. The gold increased $38,611 in 1913. There was 1 placer mine in Dry Buck district and 1 in Humboldt district. In Malheur Basin district are the Moy Kee, Littig, and Quartz Gulch hydraulic mines. Mormon Basin was the principal producing district of the county. The hydraulic producers are the Archer & Hansen, Colt Brothers, and Glengary. The productive deep mines are the Red, White and Blue and the Humboldt Consolidated gold mines, the latter by far the most productive in the county. The property is equipped with a 20 stamp mill.

In Wheeler County the total yield was $833 in gold and $5 in silver, as compared with $1,826 in gold and $8 in silver in 1912. The output was from 2 hydraulic mines in Spanish Gulch district.

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PUBLICATIONS ON GOLD, SILVER, COPPER, LEAD, AND ZINC IN OREGON.1

DILLER, J. S., Mineral resources of southwestern Oregon: Bull. 546, 1914.

The Bohemia mining region of western Oregon, with notes on the Blue River mining region: Twentieth Ann. Rept., pt. 3, pp. 7-36, 1900. $1.50.

DILLER, J. S., and KAY, G. F., Mineral resources of the Grants Pass quadrangle and bordering districts, Oregon: Bull. 380, pp. 48-79, 1909. 40c.

DILLER, J. S., The mines of the Riddles quadrangle, Oregon: Bull. 340, pp. 134-151, 1908. 30c.

LINDGREN, WALDEMAR, The gold belt of the Blue Mountains of Oregon: Twentysecond Ann. Rept., pt. 2, pp. 551-776, 1901. $2.25.

Copper deposits of Snake River, Oregon: Twenty-second Ann. Rept., pt. 2, pp. 629-634, 747-752, 1901. $2.25.

MACDONALD, D. F., Notes on the Bohemia mining district, Oregon: Bull. 380, pp. 80-84, 1909. 40c.

PARDEE, J. T., Placer gravels of the Sumpter and Granite districts, eastern Oregon: Bull. 430, pp. 59-65, 1910.

Faulting and vein structure in the Cracker Creek gold district, Baker County, Oreg.: Bull. 380, pp. 85-93, 1909. 40c.

The publications for which a price is given are no longer available for free distribution but can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.; others can be obtained free on application to the Director of the United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C.

COPPER.

By B. S. BUTLER.

INTRODUCTION.

In the production of metallic copper suitable for commercial purposes at least three distinct processes are usually required, namely, mining, smelting, and refining. The Lake Superior native copper district is the only important producer where these three processes are not entirely distinct. It is possible, therefore, to ascertain the copper output of the country by collecting statistics from the mines, from the smelters, and from the refineries, and each of these sets of figures has its advantages. The mine figures have the advantage of giving the most accurate distribution of the production but are less accurate in total quantity of copper recovered; the smelter figures permit of reasonably accurate distribution and also furnish the actual recovery of copper from the ores treated during the year; the refinery figures furnish the best measure of the copper made available for commercial uses during the year, but at this stage of manufacture the accurate distribution to the State of origin, or even the separation of copper derived from domestic and from foreign sources, is uncertain. Statistics for 1913 showing the production of each of these stages of manufacture have been collected by the United States Geological Survey, and are presented in the following report.

Since the same material passes through the three processes of manufacture at successive periods, usually requiring two to three months from the time it is taken from the mine before it reaches the stage of refined copper, the year's production as recorded for the different stages does not represent the same materials—that is, the refinery production for the calendar year 1913 represents the mine production from about October 1, 1912, to October 1, 1913. The three sets of figures representing the successive stages of manufacture do not therefore necessarily agree, although they should not differ greatly if the condition of the industry is normal. The mine and the smelter figures will differ by the difference in the quantity of ore, matte, etc., in stock at the beginning and at the end of the year and by the difference in the quantity of copper reported by the mines and that recovered by the smelters. This difference is due to the fact that considerable copper is recovered from sulphur, lead, zinc, and siliceous ores carrying values in copper so low that the mines do not receive pay for and frequently do not report the copper content of the ore, although it is eventually recovered by the smelters. The smelter and refinery figures will differ by the increase or decrease in stock of blister, etc., at the beginning and at the end of the year and by the loss in refining.

Since the smelter production permits reasonably accurate distribution as to source by States and also gives the actual output of copper, it is adopted in this report as the production of the country. It is made up of the production of blister copper and of furnacerefined or ingot copper of the Lake district.

SUMMARY OF STATISTICS.

The following statistical statement summarizes the copper industry in the United States in 1910, 1911, 1912, and 1913:

Summary of statistics of the copper industry in the United States in 1910, 1911, 1912, and

Production of copper in the United States in 1912 and 1913.

GENERAL CONDITION OF THE INDUSTRY.

The smelter production of copper in 1913 showed a slight decrease from that of 1912. This decrease was due to abnormal conditions in certain districts, otherwise there would have been a substantial increase. These conditions affected especially the output of the Lake Superior district, where a strike of miners was in progress for over five months of the year. The decrease in Alaska was due to the partial destruction of the plant of the largest producer of that Dis

trict, and the decrease in Montana can be attributed in part to unusual conditions.

There were no important new producers added during 1913, but there were notable increases made in the production of several companies that have recently entered the producing class.

The refinery production was the largest in the history of the industry, the excess over the smelter production resulting in a material reduction in the stocks of unfinished material.

There is no doubt that the cost of producing copper was considerably higher for 1913 than for the preceding year. This may be attributed to several causes, the most important of which is probably the decrease in the metal content of ore treated from an average of 1.71 per cent in 1912 to 1.67 per cent in 1913. Among other causes are increase in taxes, and increase in cost of labor in certain camps, due to a decrease in working hours. A compilation of the cost per pound by companies giving this item in their annual reports, the Lake mines excepted, shows an average increase of 0.65 cent a pound. The selling price of copper for 1913 averaged about 1 cent a pound less than for 1912. It is therefore evident that the profits for the year were materially lower than for the preceding year, though there was a good profit on most of the copper produced.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the industry for the year was the improvement in metallurgy. Most earnest and, in many places, successful efforts are being made to increase the percentage of recovery from ores. This has resulted in the partial or complete rebuilding of several smelting plants and in important changes and additions to concentrating mills. One of the most interesting and important activities has been the experimentation with leaching processes for the treatment of mill tailings and low-grade oxidized and partially oxidized ores. Leaching has long been employed in the Clifton, Ariz., district, and in 1913 some copper was recovered by this method in the Butte district. Experimentation was carried on by numerous companies and there is little doubt that the next few years will witness the construction of several leaching plants. The successful operation of this process on a commercial scale will result in the addition to the reserves of the country of many millions of tons of ore that has not heretofore been considered of commercial grade, besides greatly increasing the recovery from the type of ore now treated and probably recovering much copper from the tailings of earlier operations.

Several of the disseminated deposits contain large bodies of oxidized and partly oxidized ores overlying the sulphide ores, and with a successful method of treatment they will be added to the commercial ore. There will also be important additions from other types of deposits.

Both domestic consumption and export of copper showed increase in 1913 over 1912, and the stocks of refined copper were small at the close of 1913.

It is apparent, however, that during the last few years the producing capacity of the world has increased faster than the consuming capacity, and that if all mines make their greatest possible output a surplus of copper will result. It is almost inevitable, however, that the producing capacity of some of the districts will be restricted on account of unusual conditions prevailing temporarily. The Mexican