Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-17
[From the Alta California, Feb. It'll.
Rorax in California.


We alluded about week ago to the discovery
OF valuable deposits of boraX, east of the Sierra
Nevada; but the matter seems to be of sufficient
Importance to deserve more attention.
BOrax 1.-THE biborate of soda) is used TO the
amount of about $500 tons annually IN Chris
tendon, mainly in welding and working iron
glazing lire pottery, medicine and the toilet.
The greater part of the supply comes from Tus-
cany, and so much oil it goes into the hands of
Woods & Sons, of London, that they NAV be
said to have monopoly Of it, and they fix the
price at such rate that the consumption keeps
pace with the production. The price in Europe
is about Is cents per pound, and in the United
States, under high tariff, rs cents or $500 per
ton. Its high cost greatly restricts its consump-
ton, especially in glazing the cheaper pottery
and in the toilet, and it is impossible to know
how great the demand would be if the price
were reduced 80 or go per cent, as there is
reason to hope that it will be in few years. by
the help of the deposits lately found in Caifor-
MIA and Nevada, whence it is supposed that 20, :.
900 ions can be obtained annually for many
years, at an expense Of not more than cents
per pound, or Sl00 per ton,
The newly discovered deposits of horax, or
minerals with which boraX can be produced, are
flats or sinks at the end or near the course of
various streams, and lie nearly in a straight
line, extending from Pyramid Lake in south
westward direction $50 miles to the vicinity of
Fort Moiave. These flats include the sinks or
paipp WI kuC sliho Vi lHe lruCheS,
Carson, Walker, Fish Lake, Owens, Amargosa
and Mojave rivers, Within few days, a tract
off 5000 acres, rich in borate lime, has been
found near Hot Springs, is miles east of Wads-
worth, on the Central Pacific railroad. The next
noteworthy deposit going aouthward, is 40
miles from the railroad, near Carson l. ke and
covers 5000 acres. Another borax fiat of unknown
size, but supposed to be large, lies between d cad
Horse Wells and the Hot Springs, east of Walk,
er Lake, 90 miles from the iron track. The
largest and richest known deposit is in Coluu-
bus Flat, and has an area of 10000 acres, 100
miles from the railroad. Teal Marsh, west of
Columbus, has 10000 acres from which borax
can be obtained, and Fish Lake valley, 10 miles
south OF Columbus, has 5000 acres bearing
boraX, horate of lime and boracic acid,
All the Oats mentioned above are in Nevada,
and going farther southwark we now enter Cal.
itornia, and fnd large deposits OF borates near
Owens lake, and some of the mineral has been
sent TO this city, but we have not heard the re-
suit OF the venture. In Death Valley, Amargosa
Valley aud MoIaye Valley there are various
tats, containing, according to report, consider,
able deposits, but they have not been carefully
examined, because they are not conveniently
accessible, and the Indians in the vicinity are
troublesome,
A few tons have been brought from Columbus
Flat TO San Francisco, and are now being pre-
pared for the market, The experiment so far
promises very well, for Il Is SAID the expense will
not DC more than 1--we cents per pound, leaving
0 large margin for profit. Even at ten cents,