Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-12-07

south Dakota MICA, concerning wnlcl!
peared in the newspapers Of the coun-
try, is found only in the Black Hills,
and is therefore, correctly speaking, Il
Black Hills product. The mica belt, of
which Custer is the center, is almost
entirely confined to Custer county, there
being, thus far, but little, if any mined
in the Hills outside of its limits. The
mines that have been operated in the
past, as well rs those now being oper-
ated are all located within a radius of a
few miles from this city, and for this
reason the consistency Of the above
caption, Cluster Mica" will not be call.
ed in question. The magnitude and
importance OF this industry when fully
developed is very dimly imagined by
people of this community, nor will it be
fully understood and adequately appreci-
ated until it is operated upon a
much larger scale than has hitherto
been attempted. The vast increase
in the consumption of this valu-
able mineral, due to its extensive
use for electrical purposes, coupled
with the fact of its largely decreasd pro.
ductionH in North Carolina and Cinada,
by reason of the partial failure of the
mines, has created a demand for the
product in the United States, which the
aggregate output of all known deposits,
when operated at full capacity, would
fail to supply. While we haye not late
statistics at hand, showing the amount
Of mica used in this country for %eIectri-
cal purposes, we can safely state upon
the most reliable information, that Il,
greatly exceeds the amount used for all
other purposes combined. In a single
city, st. Louis, there is said to be more
than two million dollars worth Of the
product consumed annually for %electri.
cal purposes.
The vast and inexhaustible deposits
Of this mineral that is known to exist
In close proximity to this city, and the
large and constantly increasing demand
for the same, is ample reason upon
which 10 base the strongest hope Of the |
eventual establishment Of a permanent
industry here which will by far o~utclass
in its measure Of general benft to this
place, all others heretofore established. |
1t is a matter for public graduation that
our mica deposits, which have been per-
mitted to lie dormant for years, are now
beginning to attract attention in the
east, and that already one ofthe wealth.
est business firms Of st. Louis, Messrs.
Miller & Worley, representing millions
of capital. has become interested in our
mines, and through their agent and
general manager, Joseph Major, are
pushing the work of development upon
three different claims in the district,
with the intention of much more ex-
,ensive operations in the future.
In addition to the claims already
owned 10y this company, for which full
payment has been made in cash. it is
the intention to make further invest
ments in mines, purchase the output of
mines operated by local ~prospectors
and. in time buy up the waste mica now
lying upon the various dumps, which
will be ground and shipped to the east
ern markets. Mr. Major has recently
established an office near the corner of
Fifth and Harvey streets. and has also
made arrangements for the trimming
and boxing Of all the mica taken from
his mines, preparatory to its shipment
east. He informed a CHRONICLE re.
porter on Tuesday that he was employ
ing ten men at the mines, and that !he
outlook for a large output of excellent
mica was growing brighter as the work
OF development proceeded. His first
shipment Of five hundred pounds, he
stated, would be made in a day or two.
and that regular shipments would follow
in the future.
The mica being produced from these
mines Is largely of the wine colored
character, which by reason Of its SUI
pericr fire proof qualities, is much more
desirable for electrical purposes than
the whittier grades. The white product,
while it is less durable, is preferred for
stove purposes IN account Of its more
brilliant appearance, but the demand
for it is comparatively insignificant as
compared with the demand for the
darker and more firm and durable
grades for electrical purposes.
The industry, which at present has
not passed beyond the incipient stage,
promises to develop in time, to one of
far reaching importance and should
meet with the fullest measure of en-.
enlargement by all Of our citizens and
the community at large.