Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-07-23
A RARE MINERAL.
European Firms Trying to Buy Kryolith In
the United States.


the United States.
A representative of the house of
Toepke & Leideloff, at Magdeburg,
Prussia, who are very anxious to OBJ
tain supply of kryolith in this coun-
try, but have failed, owing to the pecu-
liar contract which the Pennsylvania
Salt Manufacturing Company of this
city has with the kryolith mine of
Handling Selaskabet, of Copenhagen,
is in the city.
Manufacturers and merchants in
Europe and America are making con-
slant inquiries in scientific circles as to
the truth of the recently published re-
port that the valuable and extremely
Fare mineral, kryolith had been found
in one of the Western States by ex-
plorers connected with the United
States Geological Survey. Any thing
appertaining to kryolith has particu-
lar interest to Philadelphia, as it is
only imported at this port on this side
of the Atlantic and under such re-
strictions that it is practically not OBJ
tainable in the market. Kryolith or
ice-stone can be used for variety of
purpOses-for instance, for the manu-
facture of lye and caustic sodas, tor
aniline colors and recently for the por-
celain-lined hollow-ware so popular
for kitchen use and for the manufac-
ture of the milk-white lamp-globes.
To the representative of the Prussian
firm the president of the Philadelphia
company has made some interesting
statements concerning kryolith. The
N
isolated instances in the Ural Mount
aims, Russia, and piece was worth its
weight in silver, mostly for cabinet
purposes. About 1857 the Danish
Government sent scientific men to
their ice-bound possession, with in
structiOns to gather up specimens of
the clothing, weapons, fishing tackle,
utensils, etc., of the Esquimaux for an
exhibit in the Danish Museum. When
this collection arrived in Copenhagen
a savant discovered that all the
| fishing nets were weighted with
the same and found them to be
pure kryolith of great value. A COM
pany was at once formed for the OPEN
ing of a mine, but this first company
failed because chemistry had not sue
ceeded in extracting the valuable prop
critics of the mineral at a paying cost
1t cost about $1.03 to obtain 81 worth
and the enterprise was doomed to fail
ure, when Prof. Thompson made dis
covery by means of which kryolith be-
came of immense value to various
manufactures.
The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacture
ing Company was the first responsible
concern to appreciate kryolith and was
wise enough to enter into the contract
which gives them perpetual monopo-
ly in America and an absolute control
of thrcefourths of all the kryolith
mined in Greenland. The mine has
now reached depth of four hundred
feet, but the kryolith taken out at that
depth seems to be as good as that found
on top and from calculations made the
present visible supply will last forty or
fifty years, The mine can be worked
only in the spring months. When the
average quantity has been obtained the
ocean is let into the mine. An ice
crust of ten feet thickness forms quick
ly and thereby protects the mine
When spring approaches hole is bored
through this crust and the water
pumped out. If this precauton were
not taken the mine would be lined
with ice and could not be worked at all
The great value of kryolith has led to
many searches for its existence in this
country. Not long ago stones resemb-
ling kryolth were found near White
Peak and forwarded to the scientific
gentlemen of the Interior Department.
One of the professors wrote to the pres
ident of the Pennsylvania Salt Manu-
featuring Company in regard to this
discovery and sent him several samples
of the stone found. The president pro-
nounced them to be kryolith of an in
ferior quality and at once wrote to his
scientific friend to secure him ton of
the mineral, even should the ton cost
$4,000. The answer came that all the
kryolith in existence at White Peak
would not amount to ton. The SAM
pie specimens were shipped to Copen-
hagen with request for their return
The vessel on which they were re-
turned was shipwrecked and the speci-
mems Philadelphia Times.