The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-31
BIG FORTUNE FOUND
ON SALT LAKE ISLANDS.
Five and a Half Million Dol
lars Worth of Guan0 to
Be Marketed.

No state in the Union except Utah
can boast Of guano placer mines. The
islands of Great Salt lake contain So
500, 900 worth of guano and the United
States land office has decided that they
can be worked as placers.
In December, 1896. Albert Reichter
and others made a trip to Gunnison is
land, in the Great Salt lake, and after
careful prospecting learned that a de-
post of guano, covering an area OF
fifty acres or more, and varying In
depth from a few inches to over five
feet. had accumulated from the years
of unmolested habitation of myriads
of sea bulls. The deposits were To-
Gated under the placer mining laws.
and after years of struggle against
parties who sought to wreSt the prop
erty from them under contention that
guano was not mineral, and therefore
not subject to the laws governing min
eral entries, a final decision was hand
ed down by the land Office department
a few weeks ago that the deposits
were mineral IN character, and that the
locations made by Reichter and others
were valid. Since that time innumer-
able inquiries have been received by
the owners, and several offers have
been received for their holdings, and it
is possible that the deposits will change
ownership before the winter is over.
The company's possessions cover Gun
nison, Hat and Davis islands, the
former containing about 14S acres,
while the two latter are quite small.
They are located in the northwestern
portion of the lake and close, conserva-
tive estimates place the amount of de-
post on the islands at $500 tons An
average taken from sixteen different
analyses by governments and other
chemists, shows the guano to contain:
Phosphoric acid. IL. 81 per cent
Nitrogen -.----.....-...'..-..-- d-v5 per cent
Potash .----...............-..... e.41 per cent
This product, according to investi-
cations made by the company. will
bring an average price on the market
of s22.S4 a ton, making the aggregate
value of the deposit s., 900, while
careful estimate Of the cost of mining,
loading, hauling across the lake, mill
ing, loading on the cars ETC., shows
that a net average profit Of $3.50 per ton
can safely be counted upon.
The company is now preparing 10
complete the construction of a t0O-ton
boat, work upon which was abandoned
a couple of years since. pending the
settlement of the title to the property,
and whether the present company holds
on or some other combination secures
control, the coming season will wit
ness the erection of mill to handle
the product at some point near a rail-
road, and the employment of a small
army of men to carry on the enter
prise. The most likely point at which
the mill will be erected is near Saltair,
where wharfage, railroad and all other
necessary facilities can be obtained
right at the waters edge From that
point to Gunnison island the distance
is seventy miles, but with the big 400
ton boat completed and the employ
ment of steam or naptha launch TO
tow it when wind is not available. no
trouble would be experienced in keep
ing a Eggplant in constant operation.
Much may be expected from the guano
trade during the next few years