Year 
Rated 
primary 
capacity 
(thousand 
short tons) 
 
Primary production 
 
Average 
U.S. ingot 
price per 
pound 
(cents) 
 
 
Quantity 
(thousand 
short tons) 
Percent of 
national 
total 
Value 
(thousands) 
 
1968                            
1969                            
1970                            
1971                            
1972                            
988 
1,012 
1,012 
1,147 
1,147 
775 
1,003 
1,023 
934 
1,066 
24 
26 
26 
24 
26 
$394,261 
541,834 
569,377 
516,407 
535,247 
25.1 
26.5 
27.8 
27.6 
25.1 
plc. 
 THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF WASHINGTON 751 
 
Table 7.—Washington: Primary aluminum plant capadty and production
data 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
report nearly 29 million tons of measured and indicated ore averaging 0.354%
copper with additional values in molybdenum, tungsten, gold, and silver.
There are an additional 18 million tons of ore indicated with the copper
averaging 0.433%. 
 The most important mineralized structure in the Basin is the Sunrise breccia
pipe which at the surface is about 650 feet long and up to 250 feet wide.
At the 3,000-foot level the breccia is an elliptical zone with the long axis
about 1,000 feet and the short axis about 400 feet. Bren Mac has a total
of about 11,900 acres in claims including 16 State mineral leases, all in
eastern Snohomish County. 
 Another large deposit of low-grade copper was reported about 5 miles north
of Snoqualmie Pass. The U.S. Development Corp. reported extensive drilling
in addition to about 2,000 feet of adit. 
 Gold-Silver.-—Gold production at the Republic camp in Ferry County
may end in about 2 years unless higher prices for gold and silver allow the
mining of lower grade material than the present cutoff point. 
 The Wind River property in Skamania County was reopened by the Baxter Mining
Co. One shipment was sent to the Tacoma smelter. 
 Lead-Zinc.—There was quite a bit of exploration activity in the lead-zinc
districts of the State, some encouraging, some not. A new tabular zinc ore
body in the Yellowhead horizon was discovered on the west side of the Pend
Oreille River across from the present mine of Pend Oreille Mines & Metals
Co. The company was sinking an inclined shaft from the present underground
workings, and hcrped to intersect the new ore body sometime in 1973. 
 The Caihoon property in Stevens County was drilled by the J. R. Simplot
Co. of Boise, Idaho. The firm also worked on the Nevada Consolidated, Inc.,
property. Wash- 
ington Resources, Inc. negotiated with an American-Canadian combine to reopen
the Cathoun zinc mine about 7 miles south of Northport. Concentrates would
be shipped to Trail, British Columbia, rather than to Great Falls, Mont.,
a distinct saving in freight from the operation by the American Zinc Co.
It was reported that the Callahan Mining Corp. decided not to undertake development
of the Van Stone property. 
 The Bunker Hill Co., a subsidiary of Gulf Resources & Chemical Corp.,
did geophysical and geochemical work and diamond drilling at the leased State
Creek property, 14 miles northeast of Metaline Falls in Pend Oreille County.
Vanguard Exploration Co., which was phased out early in 1972 as a subsidiary
of Gulf Resources, was the original lessee. 
Magncsium.—The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) through application
for sales tax deferral on investment, revealed plans to start construction
on their $50 million magnesium plant near Addy in Stevens County. The plant
buildings were estimated to cost $20 million, with equipment and machinery
adding another $31 million. Alcoa planned to use a magnatherm process from
France for electrochemical production of magnesium, with silicon as a byproduct.
Initial capacity was planned for 24,000 tons of magnesium per year produced
by a work force of about 250 peoMINERAL FUELS 
 
 Coal.—Output of coal in 1972 more than doubled the production for
1971 in the State. The strip mine of the Washington Irrigation & Development
Co. accounted for 98.6% of the total output. This coal is used entirely for
the company's powerplant. Equipment at the power generating plant failed
to keep air pollution below acceptable levels when operating more