The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-24
AND MANGANESE
MINERALS RARE IN THIS COUNTRY,
FOUND NEAR GREENCAsTLE.
A City Board of Health Chemist Dis
covers livery Valuable in
Tile Making.

Two valuable minerals have been found
in Indiana without the help of the state
geologlst, and plans are under way for the
organization of a company to mine them in
what is now believed will be paying guam
titles. The two minerals, which it was not
believed were to be found in the United
States in any quantities, are cobalt and
manganese, both of which are now i'm
ported, the first from the HartZ mountain
district Of Germany, and the second from
northern Austria. Both are principally
used in glazing fancy tiles, and two car
loads of the Indiana product nave been
bought and used by the United States En-
caustic Tile Company of this city with
satisfactory results. The cobalt gives thai
familiar light blue tint TO glazed tiles,
while the manganese gives a rich brown
color. Both minerals are expensive when
imported. and this furnishes ground for the
belief that, if the present strike develops
as expected, the Indiana product will not
only revolutionize the tile-making industry
but will do much TO make Indiana the CEN
ter of this business.
The discovery was made by a. chemist
employed by the City Board of Health, dur
ing a trip he made some time ago prospect
ing for coal veins along the Lcaisville divi-
sion of the Monon road. south of Green
castle junction. While pursuing his investi-
cations. aided by several miners from Bra
zii, he found d rich deposit of porcelain
clay and shipped a barrel of it to Indian
apolis, where he found that it was so SUI
perior TO other kinds usually found. that it
could be nodded into shape and baked with
out any treatment whatever to prevent
cracking. As his investigation had nothing
whatever to do with the qualities of the
clay as to its baking qualities, he did not
follow the usual formula and dry it slowly
before putting it into the furnace, but.
when he took it out, he found it ,uncracked
and properly baked.
In digging for the coal deposits, a stra-
tum of peculiarly colored earth was uncov-
out on the ground, where, for several days,
no attention was paid to it. Finally, at
tracted by its beautiful coloring, the chem
list brought a sample of 1t to indianapolis
and, on Analysing it, found that he had
cobalt in surprising quantities. The analysis
showed about % per cent. of the mineral in
the sample and he hurried back to the ex-
cavation and loaded a car with it, having to
haul Ii overland twenty miles in wagons to
put it on the railroad. 1t was brought TO the
United States Encaustic tile works and S Id.
AS the chemist had taken no pains TO as
certain what the stuff was worth, he ac-
cepted the first offer of the company, and
1t Melted him a good profit. Shortly after
ward, while continuing his work, the man
ganese was found, and nothing was said
about either deposit at the time. The holes
were filled in and sufficient time allowed to
elapse TO enable people who knew of the
work to forget il. AS soon as the company
is organized it will buy all the land on
which the minerals are found and extract
them in large quantities. The porcelain clay
is not so promising, as examinations have
shown that the veins are irregular in size
and widely scattered