The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-04-21
WHAT IS BEING DONE
s73 IN THE MINING WORLD

talite, worth wholesale 81 pound, on
account of containing large percentages
of the rare elements tantalum, niobium,
tungsten, yttrium, erbium and cerium.
the latter used in twenty-five different
medicinal preparations. or course more
was wanted, but when ii came-about
fifty pounds-there was not a trace of
yttrol lantalite in the package; but in
stead, a somewhat similar looking min
eral known as ''indurated gilsonite." or
'Uintahite.' a variety of asphalt. black,
brilliant and lustrous. non-conductor
of electricity. but electrically excited
by friction. 1t is about the only arti-
Gle that can be used to prevent the
fouling of ships bottoms in sea water,
as barnacles will not adhere to it. 1t
is taking the place of ozocerite for the
insulation of electric wires, and proper
ly applied electricity can be carried
over a hundred miles by wire without
the loss of more than ten per cent of It's
energy and power. Gilsonite has
ready market at over $40 ton crude
mineral The gentleman who sent me
the gilsonite stated that the vein is
four feet thick and that many thous-
ands of tons can be mined.
One of the most recent arrivals here
is fine sample of yellow mineral, much
greater value. 1t came from Montrose
county. Colorado. and it took more than
days hard work to determine its true
name, 'Uranonhane. If. as / am as
sured it is in large quantity. it will be
worth more to the state and to the
public at large than many gold mine.
| The large sample averages over hfty
per cent uranium oxide, tUO3.) With
out uranium the Xrays are CONNER
| cialy useless. With uranium and tung-
sten (the latter already referred to) the
best Krupp steel is made. as the two
elements combine with the steel to in
| crease the resistance to shot and shell
nearly forty per cent. think in a few
years very little steel will be made
without these two elements. and also
molly ybdenum (also already referred toD
| Tine rarity OF the three mas restricted
their use to small fractions. but when
your great state is a little more devel-
oped the supply will surely be forth
coming to meet the demand.
Further investigation of this miner
al may reveal thorium. vanadium act
| ium and radium. IL we find three per
| cent of the former employment can be
! given Immediately to more than 5000
men on that account alone, provided
| the crude mineral is there to justify
working so large a force. The metal
| thorium is now worth ST20 a pound
wholesale and there are great corpora
| tions in Europe. as well as America.
| fairly begging for 1t at that price. or
even higher. 1t was declared by
prominent scientist in England only
few months ago that the less than
one pound of radium then produced
4 had cost about 81 900, 900, and that if it
could be had at half that price the de-
mand would be astounding. Radium
Is a tewly discovered element. capable,
it is said. of giving out a. light from
within itself equal to sunlight. and
artificial light for a lifetime to u large
| room.
Much more could be written about
! the wonderful resources of your won
derful state. and not a word mentioned
about your vast wealth of gold. silver.
copper. zinc. lead. coal and petroleum.
numerous stamples OF all of which
have. except the petroleum-and there
will be a long line of those as soon as
the Durango field is developed-but
think | have gone far enough in one
communication. And with it ALL may
have called attention in everything
mentioned to that already well known
| by you. for found personally in every
part of Colorado visited men and
women of the highest intelligence and
| culture. and with such fund of knowl-
edge that this article may prove | am
not even abreast with the procession.
of the good people of the greatest gold
Gill nrn6nripp "