The Mines of the West: A Report to the Secretary of the Treasury (Classic Reprint) - Tapa blanda

Excerpt from The Mines of the West: A Report to the Secretary of the Treasury

This is a decrease of from the product of 1867, which showed a falling off of some as compared with that of the year before. Montana, Idaho and Colorado manifest a satisfactory im provement; but there is a decrease of from California, and from Nevada, the latter being due to the exhaustion of many of the Comstock ore-bodies.

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Excerpt from The Mines of the West: A Report to the Secretary of the Treasury

Sir: An appropriation having been made by Congress to enable the Secretary of the Treasury to collect reliable statistics of the mineral resources of the United States, a special appointment was conferred upon Mr. J. Ross Browne, under which he performed this service in the States and Territories west of the Rocky mountains.

To Mr. James W. Taylor the duty of collecting similar statistics east of the Rocky mountains was assigned.

The position held by Mr. Browne having become vacant, and it being in the opinion of the department important that the work should be continued, you have this day been appointed a special commissioner for the collection of statistics in the western division above specified. A copy of the instructions under which Mr. Browne performed his duties is herewith enclosed.

Inasmuch as his preliminary report, printed by Congress in 1867, and his subsequent report for 1868, now in the hands of the public printer, cover the material points embraced in the instructions, it will be unnecessary for you to enter into similar investigations in detail, except in cases where omissions may have occurred, or where the information obtained may appear to be erroneous or imperfect.

The most important subjects for inquiry at present seem to be -

First. As to the different processes of treating the ores, their chemical combinations, and the system demonstrated by practical experience to be the most successful.

Second. The relative merits of the various inventions, machines, and mechanical contrivances now in use or projected for the reduction of the precious metals, and for all other purposes connected with the business of mining and metallurgy.

Third. The special needs of the great mining interest, how it can be encouraged and rendered most productive, how far individual enterprise should be left untrammelled by legislative action, and to what extent and in what instances government might properly lend its aid to facilitate the development of the mines and thus arrest the present annual decrease in the production of bullion.

Fourth. What has been the experience, of other countries, resulting from the establishment of national institutions for the education of miners, and how far would the systems prevailing in Europe be applicable to our people or appropriate under our government?

General suggestions of this kind cannot of course always be implicitly carried out, but it is expected that your scientific and practical experience will enable you to furnish valuable information on the subjects indicated.

It will be necessary, in the performance of the duties assigned to you, that you should visit in person the principal States and Territories embraced within your division.

You will be pleased to submit your report to this department on or before the first day of October next.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.