The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1888-02-24
SOURCES OF WEALTH.
Sew Material Added to the Nations Re.
nonrcaa hv Scientific E.aflor.

WNAfETtaA Added Nations
sources by Scientific Labor.
The discoveries that are still fire.
quently made by explorers in our land
and the new processes by which our
undeveloped wealth is turned into
material blessings are calculated to
convince us that our country is not
thoroughly explored nor its resources
adequately understood. Exploration
and science still find plenty of employ
ment in the study of this continent.
We no sooner learn the great practical
utility of natural gas than we discover
its existence in parts of Ohio and Il
linois where it was hitherto unknown.
Just as we are awaking to the fact that
our processes of refining petroleum are
crude and wasteful, and that its useful
ness is likely in time to be vastly aug
mented by its employment as fuel and
in many chemical industries, we learn
of the discovery of great petroleum
fields in the far West
The Geological Survey has just issued
the report of Mr.. Kunz, its expert in
gems, upon the recent considerable dis
coveries of valuable stones in the United
States. The finds of garnets, anne
thysts, and other stones during the past
year have already proved of some COM
mercial Importance. We are chiefly
indebted to the California and National
Geological Surveys for the discovery
of our vast deposits of borax which
have already placed us among the
largest producers of borax in the world.
These surveys also discovered the large
petroleum fields in California and Col
orado. The Geological Survey has
shown that large quantities of crude
petroleum exist near the surface in the
far West, and this petroleum is now
under examination in the laboratory
to discover the best methods of refining
it.
The Survey has also found in the
West great quantities of soda depos-
tied by natural process. so that the
cost of its production is about one
third less than that of the soda found
in Germany and other parts of the
world. Its researches have also led to
the discovery of vast deposits of sui
phur, and there is now no danger that
we shall ever lack the essentials for
the home manufacture of gurpowder.
Considerable deposits of phOsphates
used as fertilizers have also been dis
covered by the Geological Survey,
chiefly in the Southern States.
The testimony of Prof. Powell before
the Joint Commission two years ago
clearly showed that in his opinion the
Geological Survey was achieving many
valuable results in the investigation of
coal, iron, copper, petroleum and soda.
The Joint Commission, in its majority
report, reached the same conclusion,
and we have reasons to expect from
this survey and from the various State
surveys discoveries in the future that
will make no insignificant contribu-
tiOns to our wealth. The researches of
the Geological Survey, for instance,
point to the probability that some of
our Western Territories will in the fu-
ture rival the Lake Superior region in
the production of copper. 1t is GER
tain that further scientific labor will
not only add new materials to our
wealth, but will also improve the
methods by which these materials may
be utilized and made to pay.-M Y
Sam.