Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-01-22
HUNTING FOR MONAZlTE.
A ,Jew Industry in the Piedmont
Section Of North Carolina
The People of That Vicinity All 0u'
Crazy over tho Strange Discov
ery-,Gow the Mineral Ii
Obtained.

Obtained.
The enthusiasm with which the
search for monazite is now peihg Pro
ecntcd in the Piedmont section OF
North and South Carolina is something
Men, women ana chi
dren talk about it, dream ABOUT IL,
scarc,, for it, and would perhaps cat u
IL it could be prepared SO that 1t would
DO palatable. For two hundred years
the planters on this coast stumbled over
phosphate rocky which had been
brought to the surface, and considered
It of no value. Finally, says the new
York Sun, after the late war, man OF
scientific turn of mind began to investi-
gate this rock, and as result an IN
dustry has sprung up that now amounts
to millions of dollars annually.
In like manner gold miners year
after year in their search for gold
along the streams of this Piedmont
section have been finding in their pans
| a heavy yellowish sand which they
| cast aside as worthless. This has all
been completely reversed in the last
| twenty months, and nowadays pros
| hector viii cast aside fair specimens OF
| cold while prosecuting his search for
| monazite. To obtain monazite from the
hundred little streams that are found
| in the monazitc belt the prospcctor
sets out provided with shovel ana pan.
With his shovel he scoops ont hole in
the bed of the stream or near by it. He
goes through the alluvial deposit until
he strikes a wllitish sand and gravel.
Of this he takes painful and washes it
out. carefully examining quality and
quantity. After prospecting in several
different places, he is able to decide
whether the branch" as these small
streams are called in the south, is
worth working. If i. promises well a
trial is made.
Contra ctors do most of the mining,
taking leases and paying royalty OF
from one-scvcnth to onc-ffth. Occa-
sionally the monazite privilege is bought
straight out, and in some instances two
hundred dollars an acre has been paid
, Sometimes, however, the owners work
, their own lands.
Common, unsliilled laborcrs are EN-
ployed to do the work "Strippers'
are the hands who clear away the TOT
l soil, removing all timber growing
4 thereon. They go down to the sant
q and gravel. The gravel gang come
= next. They carefully lift out all CT tn
monazite sand and turn it over to tn
washers, who get out all gravel, silver
v and clay, leaving mixture of heav
< material behind. This goes through
: second washing, and the material let
q, is marketable monazitc.
4 The washing is done in woodc
- trough from twelve to eighteen feet j
3 length, twelve inches wide and twelv
70 deep. There is cast iron pcrforate
20 plate at the upper end of the DO,
e through which the monazitc drop
l. while the lighter stuff and clay flo;
10 away. "A stream of water flows throug
: the box. Expert washers receive OF
- dollar a day, but there arc plenty
~ men who do this work fairly wei
Is and are anxious to work at sixty-ii'
TX cents per day. Ovcrseers and tim
of keepers receive one dollar and hal
ia This is considered fair wages dow
south, where there is little demand +
day labor now.
90 The sand is about as current as 60
on dust, six cents a pound being the ave
so age price. 1t is estimated that gro'
% of wcll-managed hands will ma
rs twice their daily wages. Letters OF
IS uuiry come from all countries seelSil
20 information about monazite, and, JUG
Is ing by the number and character
"a these received by the geological surv
SO from various European countries, t
nd industry and the amount of rlon
he brought into this Piedmont section
,is monazite this year will hardly anor
to less than one hundred thousand d
lars. Monazitc has been found
"a small quantities in Russia, Norw'
Oh Bohemia, and in gold washings in B
iii and in the mica veins at Ouch
ed but nowhere has it been found in s,
nd enormous quantities as in this belt.
A Gloucester IN. j. company is
only concern manufacturing mona1
0 in this country. The value of sand
er ponds upon the rare metal, thori,
Oy- which it contains, which is separa
the from the associated material by v
The complicated chemical processes, VIII
nts are kept secret from every one exc
Il those who manipulate the operate
III" It is then used in the manufacture
incandescent gas burners OF differ
= 90 forms
2 50 The finding of monazite is the
> 20 thing that has ever occurred for
% 50 poorer people of the section in whic
y y GO 60 Is found. Hundreds of day labol
% 90 are now feeding their families with
50 money made in this industry.
IL 90
g. 90 AMERICAN PLUCK.