Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-04-25
IsoraN.

/ lHeIC Is one aTllcle Ol u1cTCudEulst
enumerated in the new tariff bIll on which
an import has been laid for the purpose
of discouraging its importation and en-
couraglng its home production, which is
largely a California product This Is
borax, OF which large quantities are
gathered in that state and III Nevada.
Few people, except those engaged dill
ectly in its production and sale, are like
/ ly to take much Interest Id the tariff on
borax. aud yet 1t is an article of almost
universal use. Prior to the discovery of
the California and Nevada fields lar e
quantities OF the mineral We're imported
from Turkey and Italy. Its value then
was about thirty-fiye cents pound. At
present the production Of American bor-
AK has depressed the price to ten cents
pound, and it would have gone still
lower and caused the cessation of mining
operations in California. If mining it can
be called, if Congress had not imposed
customs duty upon the foreign pro-
duct. This duty is five cents a pound,
and is to be levied after July LIST. The
local producers look forMard with much
satisfaction TO that period.
The production OF borax in the United
States at present is not sufficient to sup
ply the demand. But it is thought that
when the pnce shall have risen a few
cents under the fostering Influences OF
the duty first imposed the production
viii increase sufficiently to supply the
entire market. At now ruling prices,
borax making IN the Pacific states is not
\ II ~
There are; it is true, immense fields OF
the mineral, but they are in distant dis
tricts, not easy of access, and while the
cost of condensation is not great. the
cost of freightlng is so heavy that there
remains but a very small margin. A
number of Incorporated companies, who,
in the enthusiasm engendered by the
first discovery undertook the business,
have gone the way of all flesh, Some
years ago there was one company WHICH
operated quite successfully In Lake
county. There was in the employ of
this company young engineer who
sometimes struck an idea. The borax
in that particular locality was conduct
ed from the waters of little lake, which
was veri strongly lmpregnated with the
mineral. The engineer, therefore, con-
ceived the idea that if the water ON top
contained so much borax, that under
ground must contain so much more.
He therefore induced the company to
bore at the banks of the lake. The au-
ger went down and struck, not borax,
but good, strong stream of fresh wat
er, which began to flow into the lake,
and thnned 1t so much that it did no
longer pay to condense its waters for the
sake of the mineral.
The borax fields which have been
worked SO far have been generally small
in extent. Only those in the neighbor-
hood of good roads have been operated
upon. These are easily exhausted, and
the operators have to hunt for new bor-
ax-fields. This is the cause and origin
OF the numerous borax mining compan-
les which are incorporated each year.
Several of those lately formed are to
operate in Inyo county, where the borax
fields are very extensive. The water
of Lower Owens lake contains very
large percentage of borax. In early
ldays prospectors loved to wash theirtgray
lor black wooden blankets In this water,
because it removed lot only dirt, buI
also color. They also liked to bathe III
lit, behause the poorest swimmer would
float in its saline fluid. But the water
was not good for drinking or cooking
purposes, and very small quantity Is
sufficient to produce sea-sickness. Tue
use of borax has materially increased oi
late wears. 1t is now used for great
many manufacturing purposes, such as
making agate household ware, pigments,
&c. The trades, also, use it IN hbera
quantities, and SO do the soap-makers
and housewives, who hate grease-spots
and cockroaches. The industry promis'
es to become important in California.