MINERAL RESOURCES OF UNITED STATES ii 



development of hitherto neglected deposits, and thus con- 

 stitutes the greatest source of danger to the stability of many 

 of these giant undertakings. What is perhaps to be most 

 deplored is that these organizations, on their present basis, 

 impose upon the industries dependent upon them a Ijurden 

 of fixed charges which must handicap this country in its 

 struggle for an increasing share in the world's markets. 



While the record of the achievements in mining, quanti- 

 tively, has been extraordinary- in this country- during the past 

 fifty years, we may look back with even greater satisfaction 

 upon what has been accomplished qualitively, if we may so 

 term it. It cannot be stated in an array of figures, but con- 

 stitutes even greater glory to the captains of industry and 

 the engineers and inventors who deserv^e the credit for it. 

 It is expressed in the more complete utilization of the natural 

 resources, as in the increase in the total extraction of the con- 

 tents of a coal bed. It is in evidence in the capacity to utilize 

 bodies of ores lower and lower in grade. It is proven by 

 ability to produce from rebellious or impure ores metals 

 nearly chemically pure and commercially available for a wider 

 and wider range of consumption. It is measured by an ex- 

 pansion of markets which may be due to the fact that technical 

 progress has proceeded more rapidly in our country than in 

 others. 



While it is true that in these early days our miners and 

 smelters rose to the occasion when they were called upon to 

 meet special conditions, the general fact is apparent from a 

 study of our development that generally we first copied and 

 then adapted the methods approved by experience in Europe. 

 There were some verj- notable exceptions. We were forced 

 to and did create hydraulic mining to collect the gold from 

 alluvial deposits. We developed the preparation for anthra- 

 cite for the market. We had nothing to guide us in the han- 

 dling of the native copper rock of Lake Superior. The Washoe 

 process was worked out to treat the silver ores of the Comstock 

 lode. There were no precedents for methods in the petroleum 

 industries and we had to learn by ourselves how to collect, 

 distribute, and utilize natural gas. We taught the world how 

 to use the steam shovel in mining. We have pushed the 



