Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-02-20
ALUM AND SODA.
Great Deposits Of the Former Near
Wagon Mound Have Been
Located.
SODA LANDS In THE SOUTH
Saltpeter Is Said to be Worth $l00
Per Ton, That is Found Near the White
Sands, or Gypsum Fields in South
ern New Mexico.

Attention Is again being given to the
large alum deposits thirty miles east of
Wagon Mound. The alum supply seems
inexhaustible, and it is constantly grow
ing. The quantity washed away by
rains is enough to supply the trade of
the United States says AN expert. Six
teen hundred acres of land covering the
alum deposits have been located by
Capt. J. G. Greenway, of Pittsburg; J..
Davis, Of Chicago; Judge S. B. New
comb, Pedro Martinez, Martin Lob
man and Prof. and Mrs. j. c. Carrera
of Las Cruces. Experts have pro-
nounced the alum to be the best ma
ter1al in the market for paper making
1t is worth $25 to $50 per ton.
The following is the report of the
chemists concerning the alum deposits
Silica 0.S9 per cent
Aluminium ................. 7.l9 per cent
Magnesium oxide. e.......... 20 per cent
Sulphur n.SS per cent
Volatile matter. 1912 per cent
IOlal ..................J w 56 per cent
OF the 719 per cent aluminium, 77.87
per cent Is soluble In water. AS this
aluminium Is in the form of aluminium
sulphate, 1t might be bleached out of
the rock and evaporated to form nearly
pure aluminium sulphate. AS the vola-
tile matter In the above analysis Is
largely water Of crystalization, it
should not be classed as an impurity.
Deducting the 2O.S9 per cent Of silica,
which can be removed by dissolving in
water, we should have an article of ap-
proximately the following composition:
aluminium ................ 9.l3 per cent
Oxide of calcium. .35 per cent
Oxide of magnesium. ....... .25 per cent
sulphur ....................15 10 per cent
Volatile matter. rs. IA per cent
Total ...................99 1897 per cent
Nine and thirteen -hundredths per
cent aluminium is equivalent to 1922 per
cent oxide Of aluminium, and 1910 per
cent sulphur is equivalent to 1924 per
cent sulphuric acid. The latter element
Is in excess Of the theoretical amount in
pure aluminium sulphate, an analysis
Of which we give below:
Oxide of aluminium. 1873 per cent
Sulphuric acid. 1927 per cent
Water .................... 42.95 per cent
There being no iron present in this
material, 1t should be an excellent "pa-
per-making" alum.
A car load of the alum has been sent
east to Pittsburg, Detroit, Chicago, and
the Western Chemical Company at
Denver for test purposes. The Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad has
offered to make special rates for the
transportation Of the alum when min
ing operations are commenced.
The nitrate Of potash or saltpeter de-
posit ten miles from Tularosa, in Otero
county, is also attracting attention
since the completion Of the Ell Paso &
Northeastern offers railroad facilities
The stuff is said to be worth about $1OO
per ton for commercial purposes. 1t Is
used in making powder for medicinal
preparations, to cure meats and various
other objects. The deposit covers f1f-
teen or twenty acres, and is very deep.
There Is more soda in Otero and Dona
Ana counties that there Is probably in
the rest Of the world the ocean except
ed, according to the opinion Of an ex-
pert. These soda deposits are near a
pure white field of powdered gypsum,
which covers 500 square miles Of land