INTRODUCTION. OXIDE 
Lead is abundant in certain ore bodies, and may run as high as 70 per 
cent, but it is not possible to give the aggregate production of this metal 
in the district, for the reason that it is seldom accounted for in the mint 
statistics. In the Census reports for the year 1889 its value is given as 34 
per cent of that of the total metallic product, the balance being silver. 
It has not been found possible to obtain figures of production directly 
from the mines in all cases; hence this method of determining the aggre- 
gate silver product of the district had to be abandoned, and recourse was 
had to the only other available source, the records of the mint at Denver, 
which were gathered for it by different individuals in different years, and 
hence are liable to a large personal error. They may include some ores 
not strictly belonging to the Aspen district, the returns being made as from 
Pitkin County. In the following table, made up from these data, there 
having been no return given by the mint official for the year 1885, the 
amount for this year was determined by interpolation between the preced- 
ing and following years, and for the year 1889 the figures of the census 
were taken as having probably been estimated with more care and detail. 
Finally, the figures for the year 1895 were obtained by calculating the 
tonnage given by samplers as the average contents in silver given by 306 
assays of average ores, and adding 225,000 ounces shipped direct from 
mine to smelter. 
Silver product of Aspen mining district, 1881 to 1895, inclusive. 
Year. Ounces of silver.| Coinage value. 
TGS Tae eee tah ee eee 23, 204 $30, 000 
1882s es2 St ass a aes ae 23, 204 30, 000 
1883 4-22 usec eeeebee esses 42, 540 5d, 000 
OB Ae et ane eee ee eae 464, 073 600, 000 
SSS 2s ee ae AS yeas 460,000 | 594,734 
SSCP eae eee eee eee 454, 247 587, 296 
TSSTMeeine eS ae Soe 639, 336 826, 597 
1SBG peers ees atlas Ce 5, 536, 649 7, 158, 327 
SOO Rae ie sey opy he Seer 5, 677, 308 7,340, 184 
VES 0 Bee eee es sao. eee tes 5, 246, 458 6, 783, 145 
ICO a cee peas Saaee eee asee 6, 963, 289 9, 002, 830 
Sc eee ae SIE 8, 256, 467 10, 674, 722 
LUC) Sete era ie, eae Ne 4, 443, 310 5, 744, 749 
SOAS a: RE ss eee een 6, 039, 799 7, 808, 850 
BO EH ot oe ae eee 4, 963, 690 6, 417, 555 
Totalee4ae eos see 49, 233, 574 68, 653, 989 
