The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-05-16
uTAH.s PET FREAK.
Deposits OF Mineral Rubber Which Grov
Like Potatoes.

L
| Deposits OF Mineral Rubber which Grow
Like Potatoes.
Utah, the newest of the states, seems
| to be meteorological freak. Mr.. George
Eldridge, of the geological survey, says
a Washington ID. C.) correspondent
was sent out there a few weeks age
for the purpose Of looking UP certain
natural resources, and he has returned
with a most interesting report. Among
other things, he found great deposits
of mineral rubber-ehough to make
gum shoes for large part of the popti
lation of the United States. 1t is black,
and it locked and felt exactly like or
binary rubber.
You see, it is quite elastic, said Mr.
Eldridge, bending piece with his
fingers. "There is no telling how many
valuable uses 1t may be put to in the
future, but I imagine it will be EN-
ployed largely mixed with the vegetable
rubber of commerce. For a roofing
material it has already been proved
excellent. In the mining towns of Utah
mineral rubber is utilized commonly
for roofing, being prepared in sheets
consisting of layer of burlap. with
the rubber on both sides. Nothing
could be more thoroughly waterproof
Because it is so new not much is known
about this peculiar stuff and its posi-
bilities. Only few tons of it has been
mined near the uintah reservation,
where it is chiefly found. 1t occurs In
veins, but the number and size of the
latter arc not reliab bly, known as yet.
Mr.. Eldridge took UP from his desk
n queer-looking, blackish chunk OF
something not easily identified, thai
! felt soft to the touch.
"That is another unexplored min
eral." said he. cit is called mineral
wax. and is found in veins like the mir
eral rubber. 1t has not been mined at
oil, but many uses for it are likely to be
. discovered in the future. To electri-
, clans it will be valuable, doubtless, i'll
asmuch as it is one of the best insulat.
J ing materials for employment In their
. business. But here is another interest
. ing mineral substance, also from Utah
The specimen of this latter looked
exactly like piece of obsidian, or black
volcanic glass. 1t was hard rs any
rock. "That is gum asphalt" said the
expert. "My chief business in Utah wac
to examine the deposits of this ma
terial. 1t is wonderful substance and
!. represents a great mineral resource
that has hardly been touched as yet
It is nothing more nor less than an ex-
. ceedingly pure kind of asphalt, and Its
!, important usefulness is in the manu-
facture of varnishes.
1.-THE substance is found under con-
/, tlitions so extraordinary that nobody
: has been able to account for them very
satisfactorily. The deposits are chiefly
|, within and in the neighborhood OF the
Uncompahgre reservation. You are
!. walking across the country and come
a upon a queer-looking streak that runs
4 straight as an arrow flies. You brust
: away the sand and beneath it you fine
!. that the streak is perfectly black. Il
. is vein of gum asphalt.
8 There are many such veins near thu
n eastern edge of Utah, and some of then
J. run over into Colorado. They have {
d tendency to run parallel to each other
9 with trend from northwest to south
= east They vary in width from quar-
ter of an inch to Is feet, and they arr
from half mile to six miles in length
Nobody knows how deep they are. Th'
greatest depth reached is 1875 feet. Thu
!. far mining for the stuff has hardly go
:, beyond the prospecting stage. In
| veins are perfectly vertical.
r. .These veins of asphalt reprcsen
n cracks in the crust of the earth, mad
!, in distant geological epoch and sub
|, stantially filled in with the gum asphalt
- The stuff has much of the appearance
,, and hardness of jet. Of course it is onl
:, useful for making black varnishes. NJ
it will never be used for paving street
n unless, perhaps, as an admixture wit
n ordinary asphalt to improve the quaiit
n of the latter; it is too valuable, yo
- see. cannot tell you from what sourc
IS the substance was originally derived
% 1t is believed that all asphalts are
" vegetable origin. We know that dul
st ing the conforming period vast a.
E. cumulations of vegetable material wer
d; laid down in beds and became trans
70 formed in various ways, subsequent
" by chemical processes. According
Ell conditions governing, they were metz
70 morphosed into deposits OF coal, p'
is troleum or bitumen-the last bein
N what we call asphalt. st. Louis IL
(, 70 public.
g AT ANY COST.