The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1896-01-23

Utah, the newest Of the States, Seems
To be neurological freak. Mr.. Georse
Eldridge of the Geological ouINs ~. ,ba
sent out there few weeks ago loI III
purpose OF looking up certain naturai
resources. and he has returned Win
most interesting report. among oe t.,
things, he found great deposits Oh I'M.
eral rubber-enough to make gum slio
for a large part OF tn nseo po IF this sub
stance about eight inches square am
an inch thick was lying on ms uesh
yesterday. 1t was black, ana IL Iooheu
and felt exactly like ordinary rupbeI;
you see. 1t is quite elastic, sa anae ars
Eldridge. bending 1t with his nhseIs.
There is no telling how many Valuapie
uses II may be put to in the future, put
I imagine that 1t will be employee
largely mixed with the vegetaple Iup-
Der of commerce. For rooHhs mo
terial IL has already been proved eA-
celient In the mining towns of Utah
mineral rubber is utilized commonly Ior
roofing. being prepared In sheets con
sisting of a layer of burlap with inc
rubber on both sides. Nothing copl n
be more thoroughly WATERPROOF. De
cause II is so raw, not much is Known
about this peculiar stuff and Its posi-
Utilities, only few tons of 1t have
been mined near the Uintah reserVa-
ton, where II is chiefly found. IL oc-
ours In veins, but the number anu size
of the latter are not reilapiy khoWh a.
yet
MINERAL WAX.
Mr. EIdridge took up from his desk
uueer-looking blackish chunk or soine-
thing not easily identified and handed
1t over. 1t was somewhat SOIL 10 tie
feel. too
.sThat is another unexplored miner
al" said he in explanation. very NJ
tie is known about 1t as yet Is
called mineral wax. In parts OF utah
II is found in veins, ike the mineral
rubber. Its scientific name is cocker
ite.' The mineral rubber we know a.
elaterite.' Sometimes the ozokerite oc'
ours in pockets between layers OIL siane
II has not been mined at all Many
uses for il are likely to be discovered II
the future TO electricians 1t VIII %
valuable doubtless, inasmuch as IL
one of the best insulating materials 10
employment In their business. Bu
here is another interesting mineral SUI
stance from the same state. VIVA
should you take 1t to be!
GUM ASPHALT.
The object referred to by Mr.. III
bridge was about as big as his nan
and looked exactly like piece OF OF
sidian, or black volcanic glass. IL wa
hard as any rock. u,t
"ThHt Is gum asphalt, saw Nv
chief business In Utah was TO eNaihih
the deposits of this mineral 1t IS
wonderful substance and represents
great mineral resource that mas ilaiui
been touched as yet However, II ha
been mined to a small extent, ana IVY
companies are at present engaged !
taking 1t out of the ground. 1t Is noti
ing more nor less than an eXceedlnsl
pure kind of asphalt and its importai
usefulness is in the manufacture
varnishes. You must observe ths
varnishes ordinarily are given to ctacl
ing, but no so any varnish mace lrol
this stuff. Here is sheet
tin covered with such varnis
You see. l can bend and crun
pie 1t as much as / choose without
crack; the metal will break before u
varnish. That is because the gum
phalt is elastic
finder what conditions is the su
stance found?' inquired your CORE
pondent.
.'Under conditions so extraordina
that nobody has been able to accou
for them very satlstactorily repll
Mr.. Eldridge. 1.-THE deposits are fou
chiefly within and in the neighborho
of the Uncompahgre reservation.
are walking across the country, let
suppose, and you come upon que'
looking streak that runs straight as
arrow flies. Perhaps the streak Is
of ribbon along the ground, over
and dale, so that, standing upon it,
can follow 1t with your eye for mil
This not so much by reason of Its co
as because 1t makes a sort of sWf
through the vegetation. The SURF
sand supports a few plants, put u
do not grow to advantage. You brl
away the sand and beneath It you f
that the streak Is perfectly black.
is a vein of gum asphalt.
.aThere are many such veins near
eastern edge of Utah, and some of tn
run over into Colorado. They hav'
tendency to run parallel to each oil
with a trend from northwest to sou
east They vary In width from qu
ter of an inch to eighteen feet, and I
are from half to six miles In lens
Nobody knows how deep they are.
ia believed that they extend to a de
of at least 1000 feet, so that the qua
~ of material obtainable is enorm,
The greatest depth thus far reaches
1875 feet Thus far mining for the S
has hardly got beyond the prospect
stage The veins are perfectly vert
For n few feet from the surface
substance is more or less impure, ov
=. to weathering, but lower down II Is
tirely free from impurities. Digt
for II is the hardest work imagine
owing chiefly to the dust. The atr
phere of the shafts becomes liter
loaded with asphalt dust, which
highly explosive The body heat n
1t, SO that it forms brown coat
over a person exposed to 1t. Soap
water are no good at all for washir
off; the only thing that will remo'
is kerosene A tank of kerosene is
handy, so that everybody who &C
out of the mine may take bat
can state from personal experience
kerosene baths are not so agreeabl
the ordinary kind, but they are a
ury under such conditions"
.sHow did these veins of gum asl
some to be formed. Mr.. Eldridge!'
THEORIZING FOR GUM.
"They represent cracks in the
OF the earth, made in a distant geo
epoch and subsequently filled in
the gum asphalt. The stuff has l
OF the hardness of jet, you observe
course, 1t is only useful for ma
black varnishes. No, Ii will nevt
used for paving streets, unless, per
as an admixture with ordinary as
to Improve the quality of the Il
1t is too valuable, you see. ca
tell you from what source the
stance was originally derived. 1t
iieved that all asphalts are OF vege
origin. We know that during the
forming period vast accumulate
t,crfuFuagl FYY nnnn