The Roros copper-mines used to produce from 600 to 700 tons
of copper, and about 20,000 tons of pyrites for export, but with
the new works, the production will be considerably increased.
From 1646 to 1897 the Boros copper-inines have produced
73,000 tons of copper, and from 1880 to 1897 about 260,000
tons of pyrites for export, the aggregate value'being 133 million
kroner, of which the pyrites exported represents 47a million. The
net yield may be estimated at 36,000,000 kroner for all these years
taken together. The mines are owned by a Norwegian joint-stock
Company.
The Sulitjelma eopper-miges, in SaJten in Nordland, are worked
for the same ores as the Boros mines. They produce partly copper
and partly pyrites for export. They were not opened for exploitation
until 1887, yet in 1897 they employed from 600 to 700
men, and the annual output is about 30,000 tons of pyrites for
export, while the smelting ore yields about 350 tons of copper.
At the mines, which are worked by a Swedish joint-stock com-
pany, there are several considerable lodes of cupriferous iron pyrites,
and the output will probably be considerably increased.'
The Aamdal copper -mines in Telemarken produce copper pyrites,
which is dressed and exported. The mines are old, and have been
worked partly by Norwegians and partly by'-Englishmen.
During the years 1876 to 1897, the output of copper-ore has
yielded a total of 5,700 tons of copper.
Besides the copper-mines here mentioned, there have been
a considerable number of old mines that are now closed, such as
Meraker or Selbu copper-mines in Meraker, Lokken copper-mines
in Orkedalen, Dragset in Meldalen, Boilestad mines in Froland.
Some mines have been worked partly for cupriferous iron
pyrites and partly for pyrites for export.
The most important of these were the Vigsnes mines, which
were worked by a Belgian-French company from 1865 to 1894,
with a total output of about 900,000 tons. The works were
closed in 1894, when the mines had reached a depth of
2410 feet.
Other important, partly cupriferous, pyrites mines have been
worked at the Yttero works on the Trondhjem Fjord, and Yalahei
mines on the Hardanger Fjord.
Important ores of pyrites occur at the Foldal mines in Fol-
dalen, and in the Undal mines, but it has hitherto been impossible
to work ‘ these mines for 'export, as they are situated in the
interior of the country at too great a distance from railway
stations.
Iron ores occur in many places in Norway, and the Country
previously had a considerable number of old, but unimportant
iron works such as Bserum, Moss, Hakkedalen, Eidsvold, Hassel,
Eidsfos, Fritzo, Hollen, Bolvik, Egeland, Froland and others.
The result of the rising price of charcoal and the condition
of the forests, which did not permit any great increase of the
coal production and the whole working of the ores, was that these
works were closed about the sixties. The sole exception to this was
the Nes iron works near Tvedestrand, which get their ore from the
Klodeberg mine near Arendal. The Norwegian iron produced
from the ore from the Arendal mines is noted for its good quality.
Some iron fields in Nordland and Telemarken could be made to
yield considerable quantities of iron ore, if they were connected
b^Jrail with some port..
A number of nietcel mines have been worked for magnetic
pyrites containing nickel# the working of these mines commenced
towards the end - of the forties-, at Ringerike and Espedalen.
Afterwards several nickel-works were established, such as Bamle,
Evje, Sigdal, Askim, Senjen, Skjsekerdalen, where the oré, as a rule
containing 2 °/n of nickel, was\smelted.
These nickel works were flourishing during the years 1870—
1880, when prices were high on account of the small supply of,
and the great demand for this metal, for small coins. At the
present time these nickel works are not being worked, but the
ores sometimes occur in great quantities.
The Modum cohalt mines were first worked in 1772, and were
worked up to the year 1898, when they were closed. They were
owned by a Saxon company. The most important ore at the
Modum cobalt mines was cobaltite, which was dressed.
Chromite occurs in several places in serpentine, the most important
ores occurring in the vicinity of Boros.
Zinc-hlende has been extracted from the Birkeland mine in
Saude, and galena at the Konnerud or Jarlsberg mines in Skoger
near Drammen.
A little rutile and molyhdena is produced. Thorite, containing
the rare mineral thorium, is found in scattered lodes, from Lange-
sund towards Arendal. Some years- ago it fetched a very high