Our mineral reserves

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 867029366

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-93011

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Smith, George Otis http://d-nb.info/gnd/117634530

Title:: Our mineral reserves

Place of publication:: Washington, DC

Publisher:: Gov. Print. Off.

Year of publication:: 1914

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (48 Seiten)

Collection:: Economics Books

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MINERAL PRODUCTS. 41 tant, because sulphuric acid is so extensively used in the chemical industries that its consumption has come to be regarded as a gauge of chemical activities in general. MAGNESITE. Up to the present the United States has been dependent largely upon foreign sources for its supply of magnesite or carbonate of magnesia, the imports in 1913 amounting to 172,591 short tons, as compared with only 9,632 tons produced in this country. It is interesting to note that the major portion of the imports (163,715 short tons) came from Austria-Hungary, one of the belligerent nations, and that most of the remainder came from Greece, and was landed for calcining at Hamburg and Rotterdam before being re shipped to this country. The question of the adequacy of the domestic supply to meet our needs therefore assumes much impor tance. Magnesite is valuable for a variety of purposes, which may be summarized as follows: (1) Various refractory uses, as brick, furnace hearths, crucibles, etc.; (2) as magnesium sulphite for the digestion and whitening of wood-pulp paper; (3) in crude form for the manufacture of carbon dioxide; (4) calcined and ground for oxychloride or Sorel cement; (5) miscellaneous applications in crude or calcined form ; (6) miscellaneous uses of refined magnesia salts. The magnesite from Austria-Hungary is received chiefly at Phila delphia and is used in the manufacture of refractory brick. The Grecian magnesite enters chiefly at New York and is used for all the purposes enumerated above. The dependence of American users of magnesite on the foreign supplies is due to several causes. One is the location of the American deposits in California, at so great a distance from the eastern markets that the freight rates have been prohibitive. The establishment of water transportation through the Panama Canal may be expected to alleviate this difficulty. A second cause is the difference in composi tion between the magnesites of Austria-Hungary and those of Cali fornia. The former generally contain 6 to 8 per cent of iron, which appears to be beneficial in the manufacture of refractory brick. With the cutting off of the Austro-Hungarian and possibly of the Grecian supplies there would seem to be every reason why the Cali fornia industry should be materially advanced. The deposits in that State are numerous, and many of them are fairly large and of high grade. In the opening and development of these mines their near ness to railroad transportation seems to have been of more impor tance than the character or extent of the deposits. Certain deposits, notably in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, are known to be large in extent and of good character of material, but they lie idle

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