SECTION IV. BREAKING, CRUSHING, AND GRINDING ORES. Chapter LXXVIII. Breaking and crushing.. Chapter LXXXIII. Wind as a motor in the mining districts........ PART V. METALLURGICAL PROCESSES. Chapter LXXXIV. General remarks LXXXV. The Reese River process-The Mettacom mill............... LXXXVI. New leaching and chlorination process for silver ore. LXXXVII. Bruckner's process for chloridizing silver ore. INTRODUCTORY LETTER. WASHINGTON, March 16, 1870. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith my report on the statistics of mining in the States and Territories west of the Rocky Mountains, including Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana, which are not wholly within that category. I estimate the bullion product for the year 1869 as follows: The falling off. as compared with the product of 1868, is less than the severe drought, affecting the placer mines, the disastrous conflagration in three most important silver mines, and the disturbances caused by miners' strikes in various localities, would lead us to expect. In fact, the decrease in the placer product has been partly counterbalanced by an increased yield from quartz mining; and it is especially encourag ing that the causes of decrease have been temporary, like a bad season in agriculture, or the accidental destruction of buildings in manufactures, while the causes of increase have been such as may be expected to operate with augmented effect hereafter. I cannot but consider the prospects of our mining industry in the precious metals as far more promising than they were a year ago. One phenomenon, which is almost universal, carries better augury for the future than any number of new and startling discoveries. I refer to the reduction of wages and other items of hitherto unreasonable expense. This relieves mining enterprises from a burden which they have in general not been able to bear, and which has been laid upon no other industry in this country in the same degree. I beg to call particular attention to that part of the accompanying report devoted to the mining law, and to ask that it may be considered in connection with the more extended discussion of the principles under lying this subject, in my last report, which I have not felt at liberty, merely for the sake of literary or logical completeness, to repeat. With regard to the wisdom, propriety, and necessity of a national school of mines, I see no reason to change the 'opinions expressed and enforced to the best of my ability in my former report. Time and more extensive observation have only confirmed me in the views there laid down, and the plan of such a school as there sketched would, I think, be the best now practicable. The pages devoted to mineral deposits in general, mechanical appliances, and metallurgical processes, do not, of course, exhaust the subject. Their object is to give such a general view as will be of service to our own citizens, and at the same time demonstrate to the world the high excellence in many respects already attained by American miners and metallurgists. We have proved with overwhelming evidence that the mineral resources of the country are unequaled in the world. It cannot fail to strengthen our national reputation and financial credit, if we show with equal clearness that we possess the necessary skill and experience to utilize those resources, and to maintain the commercial power which is sure to arise on such a foundation. I am deeply indebted to a large number of gentlemen, in various parts of the country, for most generous and valuable assistance in the preparation of this report. Frequently this has been rendered without any reward; where money has been paid, it has seldom exceeded the amount of expense actually incurred by the parties; and in every case I have paid less than the same service would receive from ordinary employers. Wherever practicable I have mentioned the names of these gentlemen in connection with the information furnished by them, but in many cases I have taken such liberties with their notes and reports that it would not be just to hold the authors responsible for contributions which I have combined and altered, or estimates which I have overruled. I can, in many such cases, only give the following general acknowledg ments, and say that while the credit of their generous labors should attach to these gentlemen, any hostile criticism arising by reason of the results of those labors as they appear in this report should probably be turned upon the commissioner. I desire to express my acknowledgments in this place to the following gentlemen, besides those named in the course of the report. California.-Mr. Walter A. Skidmore, who superintended for me the distribution of blanks, and managed the necessary correspondence in that State with great judgment and industry; Mr. J. F. Nesmith, of Grass Valley, for notes on the progress of mining in that locality; Messrs. Ashburner, Louis Janin, Hittell, Harte, and others, of San Francisco, for general assistance. Nevada.-Messrs. J. H. Boalt, C. A. Stetefeldt, Eugene Riotte, C. C. Lane, A. A. Curtis, John Howell, and D. C. McKenney, of Austin, for much valuable information concerning Eastern Nevada, principally collected and arranged by Mr. Boalt; Messrs. C. A. Luckhardt and Alexis Janin, of Virginia City; Messrs. E. F. Dunne, C. B. Dahlgren, W. S. Keyes, George H. Willard, and others, of White Pine. Oregon. Messrs. S. G. Reed, J. C. Ainsworth, S. C. Mills, Mark King, of Portland; Rev. T. Condon, and Mr. A. Edgar, of Dalles City; Silas Day, Jacksonville; W. V. Rinehart, J. L. Miller, Dr. Horsley, Cañon City; E. W. Reynolds, Baker City; J. B. Griffin, Ruckel mine. Idaho.-W. A. Atlee, P. S. Buckminster, and others, Boise City; H. Walbridge, J. M. Adams, and others, Silver City; R. Hurley, Warren's Camp. Montana.-Mr. Augustus Steitz, of Helena, prepared the greater part of the report on this Territory, but is not wholly responsible for its present form. In addition to him, thanks are due to Messrs. Granville Stuart, S. F. Dunlap, Charles Besserer, Judge Lovell, and General Wilson, for raluable statistics of their respective counties; to Mr. George Weare, of Helena, for an excellent paper on the country east of the Bell Range; and to Messrs. Hendrie, Irwine, Town, Metcalf, Rollwitt, and many others, for courteous assistance. Colorado.-Among many who received me with cordiality and assisted me with zeal, I would mention particularly Messrs. Byers, Thomas, and Jones, of Denver; Messrs. Clark, Bradley, and Von Schulze, of Central City; and Messrs. Cushman, Huepeden, Wolters, Brückner, Stölting, and Kurtz, of Georgetown. New Mexico.-Mr. William Brückner, whose investigations furnished the notes for these chapters, desires acknowledgments to be made to Captain N. S. Davis, M. Bloomfield, Mr. Stürnberg, J. A. Miller, Charles Keerl, R. B. Willison, (United States mineral surveyor of New Mexico,) Dr. H. Hilgert and Dr. A. Blatchley, for assistance rendered him. Wyoming.-Notes. from this Territory, also, were collected by Mr. Brückner, who received valuable aid from Dr. H. Hahn, Mr. Erwin, A. Steck, Judge Rockwell, J. W. Anthony, J. Morin, S. Ettlinger, Charles J. Hazard, (editor of the Sweetwater Mines,) and Messrs. Taylor, Roberts and Eddy. The part devoted to mechanical appliances of mining is the work of Professor W. P. Blake, and I believe it could not have been in better hands. Limited as to time, space, and means, Professor Blake has nevertheless succeeded in presenting a general view of the subject intrusted to him, which shows his great familiarity with the whole field, and will be, I trust, very serviceable to the country. I would acknowledge further the assistance of Dr. P. H. Van der Weyde, of New York, in the preparation of a chapter upon wind as a motor; and the very intelligent co-operation of Mr. A. Eilers, mining engineer, in the labor of editing and arranging the whole report. During my annual journeys of 1868 and 1869, amounting in all to some 23,000 miles, and embracing portions of California, Oregon, Sevada, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado, I was officially the |