July 9, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



47 



have stimulated production and a general 

 mining advance has set in." Summarizing 

 the special reports at hand, Director Smith 

 continues his review: 



The six months' record in iron is reassuring 

 in that hopes at the beginning of the year 

 have been realized. Ore shipments from the 

 Lake Superior mines have begun well. May, 

 1915, showing a 30 per cent, increase over May, 

 1914. The pig iron output is also promising 

 in its steady increase month by month, so that 

 a reasonable prophecy is for a greater total pig 

 iron production for 1915 than for last year. 

 Enlargement and extensions at the iron and 

 steel plants furnish unmistakable evidence of 

 returning business confidence. 



The half year period just completed has wit- 

 nessed great changes in the copper industry 

 and in every particular the improvement has 

 been notable. Prices, output and wages have 

 shown an upward trend, and prosperity is the 

 word in the copper districts of the United 

 States. 



The demand for spelter and lead, with the 

 present high prices, have given a double im- 

 petus to mining in the zinc-lead districts. In 

 the Joplin region old mines are being reopened, 

 new shafts are being sunk, and prospecting 

 is most active. Smelters are pushed to capac- 

 ity operation. ~The six months' period has been 

 altogether favorable for zinc mines and 

 smelters, and the June advance in the price of 

 lead makes the outlook bright for all lead 

 mining. 



In the minor metals, the first American 

 mine to be extensively operated for molybde- 

 nite has been opened in Colorado ; a tin smelter 

 is reported as being built in New Jersey; and 

 the Colorado tungsten mines are working full 

 handed on full time; an antimony smelter in 

 California has resumed operations and a new 

 one has been erected in the same state to work 

 California ores; and antimony ores have been 

 shipped from Nevada and Alaska. The de- 

 mand for quicksilver has increased with the 

 result that the California, Nevada and Texas 

 producers are expected to work at top capacity. 



An unusual feature affecting coal mining 

 has been the loss of bunker trade at the At- 



lantic ports, which is only partially ofFset by 

 increasing exports. Eeports from the west on 

 the other hand show an increase in coal pro- 

 duction over last year and in the east the coke 

 output has increased considerably of late, thus 

 showing at last the effect of the recent activity 

 in iron and other metals. 



The petroleum production for the six 

 months just closed is believed to exceed that 

 for the corresponding period last year. Un- 

 fortunately for the producers, this increase 

 has not been in response to a demand expressed 

 in higher prices. On the contrary the per- 

 sistent flood of oil from the Oklahoma fields 

 and from the new pools in Louisiana and Texas 

 has prevented any permanent advance in 

 price. 



Eeports from the survey's western offices 

 are in the main optimistic. Colorado already 

 shows an increase in gold output over the same 

 period in normal years, and while the six 

 months has shown no increase in tonnage for 

 other ores, there has been a large increase in 

 value and the present high prices give the 

 promise of increased mining activity during 

 the rest of the year. Utah is expected to reach 

 a record output and Nevada mines are being 

 operated at usual capacity, with new activity 

 on the old Comstock. The lead and silver 

 production of Idaho has only recently been 

 stimulated, but a large increase in zinc output 

 has already been shown. In Montana, the 

 copper mines have about reached normal con- 

 dition, the zinc production already shows a 

 notable increase, and the gold output wUl be 

 larger. New Mexico reports increases in gold, 

 silver and zinc, while lead production has 

 fallen off. The six months' output of copper in 

 New Mexico was probably equal to one-half 

 last year's output, so that there is good expec- 

 tation of a better total for the year. Arizona, 

 as a copper state, has shown the usual im- 

 provement during the six months, while the 

 gold mines promise a record-breaking year. 

 No large increase in Arizona's output of lead 

 or zinc is expected in 1915 over other years. 

 In California some gain in gold yield is re- 

 ported and copper conditions are much im- 

 proved over last year. Oregon shows a slight 



