The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-08
MINES BESIDE COPPER.
Production of KaoIin Yielding Good
Returns to the Investors.
lnneapolis Tribune.

1hAhhcdpOiS 1tluuut.
"By the way, this district has other mines
Houghton mining engineer while talking
with a number of friends concerning mines
and stocks. THE fact is not generally
known, even I'm this part of the country,
nevertheless the properties / refer TO are
quite important and have been profitable
producers for years: Have your ever heard
of kaolin? Some of his interested auditors
had and knew its Importance in the COM
mercial world.
"Well Ontonagon county has several kao-
lin mines that produce an excellent grade
of the mineral and bring good returns TO
their respective owners. / was over at
Rockland the other day and while there 1
went out 10 one Of the properties. l found
a few men at work getting out large blocks
OF the stuff. The mines are along the bank
of the Ontonagon river west of town. The
first one is about two miles distant, located
on Joseph Voghlin's farm. The owner works
there himself off and on and manages to
make numerous shipments during the year.
Another mine is located on the Emoo farm.
stfll. further west, and an Akron (O:) firm
owns and operates another property in that
vicinity. The Ohio firm uses Its own prod
uct. There is always a market for the out
put OF the other mines. Small forces OF
men are kept at work summer and winter
and the product amounts TO considerable. 1t
is shipped by rail from Rockland, mostly
to Ohio points.
nearly forty years and are known to old
Ontonagon residents. Joseph Voghlin has
been at work at his mine for n good many
years, but the deposit Is far from exhaus-
ton. Mining kaolin in Ontonagon county
is more of a quarrying than mining propo-
sition. The stuff is taken out In blocks and
piled up to dry. 1t Is nearly white when
dried and consists of fine, smooth powder
like clay. The product is very pure, so pure,
in fact. that it is shipped without being put
through the usual washing process TO rid II
Of grit and other Objectionable foreign sub
stances. Kaolin, as ordinarily found, has to
be refined. There are few districts in the
country where the clay Is found In as pure
a state as In Ontonagon county, where 1t
occurs I'm sedimentary deposits. Nature has
performed the refining process, the river
washing the kaolin free of mica and field
spar and depositing the clay in beds along
its banks.
The two most important uses of kaolin are
for the manufacture of china and paper.
Much of IL is used for both purposes. AS a
rule the purest kaolins make the best china
clays. The paper trade uses about the same
quantity of kaolin as the china trade. The
essential qualities of a good paper clay are
white or nearly white in color and freedom
from grit. The clay gives weight to the
paper and a good surface for printing. Much
of it is used in the manufacture of wall
paper, where Ii forms a body for the colors.
The properties impaired TO a paper by ka0-
lin are opaqueness, whiteness, increased
SOftneSS on the surface and an increased alb
sorbing power for printers ink, thereby al
lowing clear impressions of the type to be
run off rapidly. The percentage of clay used
in paper manufacture varies with the grade
of the paper.
Considerable quantities of kaolin are used
in the manufacture of thing and for white
and enameled brick, wis - it serves the
same purpose as in china ware, namely, to
furnish a white body to the ware. The
prices of kaolin range from So 10 $40 a ton,
depending on, the quality of the clay.
Large deposits of the clay are found in
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Indiana MARYLAND; Masssaehusetts.
lima and