C'OIJ.IX'TIONS IX KCONOMIC (JKOLOtJY AND MKTALLrKGY. 191 



Eijiht s[)i'cinuMis illustrati- tlicsiibjt'ct Iutc, ami a<-oiMi>lete collection 

 frotn New Alinadcii is sliowii further on : 



(1) Fri'o moiciuy, ciuiial);ir. ;iiul <|ii;irl/,. Anifiiraii Miiir, I/ikr ('(niiily, faliforiiia. 

 (i:.118.) 



(2) Ciiiuabar and (iiiart/.. <Joorj;ia Mine, Souuma Comity, California. (1.'jU74.) 

 (;?) Ciiuiabai ami <iiiart/. Oakland Mine, Sonoma County, ('alifornia. (ir>12tj.) 



(4) Cinnabar and iiiiarl/.. (Joysj-r Min*;, Sonoma ('ouuty, California. (1.'>1>7U.) 



(5) Cinn.ibar and «|nartz. (JcyHcr Minn, Sonoma County, California. ((>.'j31G.) 

 (G) Cinnal>ar and <|nart/,. \Vaslioi> County, Nfvada. (fiCilTO. ) 



(7) Mi-nury, distilK'd from California cinnabar. (:!i;{01.) 



(H) Iron Uask, iu wliicii mercury is trausportcd. H(dils 7i)^ poundH of nusrcury. 



NEW ALMADEN MINES AND WORKS. 



The quicksilver mines and reduction works of New Alinaden are 15 

 niile.s south of the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California, in 

 the Santa Cruz Mountains, at an elevation of I, Too feet above the sea. 

 These mines were first worked for quicksilver in 1845, but the opera- 

 tions were on a small scale, and uo record exists earlier than 1850. 

 They have been, and now are, the most productive quicksilver mines 

 in the world, excei)t the mines at Almad«'n, Spain. They are developed 

 to the depth of 2,300 feet, and the workings extend horizontally over 1 

 mile S(]uare. 



About 500 men tind steady employment, the work being actively 

 ])r()secuted throughout the year. From the 1st of January, 1864, to 

 the .Ust of December, 1887, the number of feet of drifting and sinking 

 amounted to 224,022 feet, or 4-J.GO miles, at a cost of >«1,018,457.L'0. 

 This does not include the excavations made in extracting ore. Fcr 

 the ground opened up during the ])revious ])eriod, from 1850 to 18G4, 

 15 miles of drifting and sinking can be added. 



The reduction works consist of eight furnaces and include the most 

 improved methods for working quicksilver ores. They may be consid- 

 ered as one of the most complete and perfect in every respect in the 

 world. In the early days the ores were very rich, averaging 30 per 

 cent, and more of (piicksilver, and the amount of ore extractetl was 

 comparatively small. The ores have gradually grown poorer, and now 

 the percentage of mercury is about 2. In order to keep up the i»roduc- 

 tion of mct:il large amounts of ore have to be extracted. 



In the lirst full y«'ar of which there is a record, July. 1850, to June 

 30, 1857, 1,070.717 jionnds of ore, averaging 3r».7l per »ent. of mer- 

 cury, yielded 2'{,s75 liasks, while in the year 1887, <!4, 151,300 pounds of 

 ore, averaging 2..38 per cent, mercury, yielded 20,000 tlasks. Th.' t ital 

 production to the end of 18S7 has been 8(!L',78S tlasks, weighing 70.^ 

 poun«ls each. 



Tlie collection Irom t lie mine includes a full series of characteristic 

 ores, tlu' vein liliing, and the wall rocks, together with an excellent 

 glass model of the mine. The operation of the reduction fiirmicrs is 

 fully illustrated bv II specimens. To the specimens are added an ex- 



