The Elk Mountain pilot., 1903-04-21
Rare Minerals in coloraao.

The Denver Republican prints the fol-
lowing letter from Henry c. Deming,
geologist. mineralogist and chemist, OF
Harrisburg. Pennsylvania:
During my short trip to Colorado
last November and December it was
Impossible, while on the ground, to
make mention with positiveIe ess of all
the numerous minerals which were
handed or sent to me for identitica-
ton.
One mineral. several samples of
which obtained at La Plata City, OF
La Plata county, was a puZzler. 1t
much resembled resin, but it was too
hard for that, and too lustrous. Some
gentlemen who had been through that
country pronounced it tin ore and
likened it to the tin ore found near
Durango. Mexico. | brought home a
liberal quantity. analyZed 1t in my lab
.oratory and ascertained that 1t was
garnet of the andradite variety. not
heretofore mentioped as one of the
minerals of your wonderful state. Nu-
merous andradites can be found in the
La Plata valley, and the mountains on
either side: and. as some OF the pieces
are large enough for gem stones, the
discovery is important. The color of
the stone. when cut and polished. is a
ight-brownish yellow. or cinnamon.
and has a very attractive luster. This
color in andradite garnet is very rare.
the most found being greenish or black,
and this garnet in these colors may yet
| be found in the La Plata range of the
Rocky mountains. The specific gravity
of the piece found was 4.12, and | had
no difficulty in determining in them the
constituents of silica, alumina, iron,
magnesia and calcium. The alumina
| and magnesia were found, though in a
very small quantity, characteristic of
andradite garnet. .
Judging by the liberal pieces sent
me- there must be very large deposit
of molly ybdenites in Chaffee county. Col
| orado. At present 1t is principally used
| in the manufacture of molybdic acid.
AS molybdenum oxide is now selling at
S1.25 per ounce. and the metal at 25 cents
| for Is grains, there ought to be fine
| prospect for its manufacture in your
| state. Pure molybdenite. like that sent
| to me at my hotel in Denver. contains
| nearly Mxty per cent. molybdenum and
nearly forty per, cent. sulphur The
| sulphur could easily be extracted for
sulphuric acid or pure sulphur, and the
molybdenum for the molybdic acid.
| With a little experimentation molyb-
| denum could be made to supplant larg-
| ly the graphite in lead pencils, as ii
makes sautiful blush black mark,
| and never has any grit. Thea. If the
| cost were less. molybdic acid would be
| used more freely in chemical labQra-
| tories with ammonia for the detection
| and determination OF phosphoric acid,
| as in iron ores. etc.
IL asst February | received from a
gentleman in Denver a quantity of min
eral marked Graphite At first glance
! / thought 1t was as stated and without
| loss of time. had part of IL mailed to
| one of the largest users of graphite in
| the world The same day or the next
took up the mineral for qualitative an
alysis. and soon found t. was neither
graphite Eor related to it, but a very
valuable mineral known as 'Wad, or
| bog manganese, containing more than
| fifty per cent. manganese dioxide. For
| bleaching purposes, and an lumber
paint Though the mineral itself is
blacil)' there is an Increasing demand
| and a good article is so much sought
| for by steel manufacturers that many
| thousands of, tons are imported. some
of the manganese ores being brought
| from so remote points as Asia Minor
With so much coal and good iron ore in
| .COlOTduO. ana now HdHSdHtSt. youf
state ought soon to take a very high
| rank in steel manufacture.
| Nearly five years ago there was sent
f, to me from near Idaville. Park county
| Colorado. a nearly black mineral of
submetallic luster, known as "yttrotan-
%.%.%x<..%.%s+. .+s< a<+s ::
Wares at the Portland.
The new scale Of wages at the Port
land mill has been agreed upon be-
tween the management and the Mill
| and Smeltermen's Union No. 125'
Western Federation of Miners. Fol
lowing is an exact copy of the agree
| ment:
Scale of wages in force at the Port
land mill, April, 1903, and accepted as
satisfactory by the Mill and Smelter-
mems Union no. 1875, Western FEEDER
alton Of Minel5. I
The following rates are for eight
hours work: ia -