STATISTICS OF THE PRODUCTION OF LEAD ORE. 



HIGHLAND DISTRICT. 



This district comprises the mines in the vicinity of Highland, Centerville, and the 

 Crow Branch diggings. The furnace is a reverberatory. The amount of ore smelted in 

 the district is not very large; exactly how much could not be ascertained. It is about 

 500,000 pounds per annum, or seven and a half millions since 1862. 



From the foregoing statistics, the following general results may be deduced. There 

 are now seven reverberatory or Drummond furnaces in operation, with an average daily 

 capacity of 7,000 pounds of ore each; and five blast furnaces of two hearths, and two of 

 one hearth each, the average capacity per hearth being 100 pigs, or 10,000 pounds of ore 

 per 24 hours. In addition to these there are nine blast furnaces of two hearths each, 

 not at present worked, but nearly all in good repair. Some of them have been sup- 

 planted by the reverberatory furnace, which is preferred for fine ore, and some by new 

 furnaces built in adjoining localities. 



Combining now the several amounts of lead ore already given as the product of the 

 different districts for the several years since January 1, 1862, we find the total produc- 

 tion of the Wisconsin Lead region to have been as follows : 



Total Product, Total Product, 



Year. Ibs. Year. Ibs. 



1862 17,037,912 1870 13,754,159 



1863 15,105,577 1871 13,484,210 



1864 13,014,201 1872 11,622,668 



1865 14,337,895 1873 9,919,734 



1866 14,029,192 1874 9,625.174 



1867 13,820,784 1875 9,179,395 



1868 13,869,619 1876. to Oct. 1st .... 8,747,543 



1869 13,426,721 



Total from January 1, 1862, to October 1, 1876 190,974,784 



Besides the smelters already mentioned, there are numerous others operating outside 

 of the Wisconsin Lead region, in Illinois and Iowa. The following information was ob- 

 tained relative to their production : 

 The parties smelting in Dubuque are : 



J. & W. G. Walters, annual amount 900,000 Bbs. 



Coates and Brunskill, annual amount 900,000 flbs. 



Fern and Simpson, annual amount 650,000 ffi>s. 



Parties smelting in Galena are: 



Thomas B. Hughlett, annual average since 1862 ] ,800,000 tt>s. 



Spensley's Furnace, present annual average 1,000,000 fi>s. 



Richard Bowden, or Galena Furnace, smelted as follows: 



Year 1874 930,000 Ibs. 



Year 1875 850,000 Ibs. 



Year 1876, to October 1st 630,000 fts. 



Hon. Henry Green, of Elizabeth, Illinois, smelted as follows: 



Pounds. Year. Pounds. 



1873 575,113 1875 615',406 



821,720 1876, to October 1st .... -142,602 



Mr. Green remarks that seven years ago the mineral field which supplies his furnace 

 produced three times as much ore as at present. 



