The copper era., 1905-09-07
A DISCOVERY OF VANADIUM
On the Larrieu Property, Near the Town of Charleston, San Pedro Valley,
 Arizona.
Arizona.

Special correspondence of the Mining Review.
 have just had the pleasure of visi- ting a mining property in the sub urbs of the deserted city of Charles ton, south of Fairbank, which is en- tirely out of the ordinary. The prop erty belongs to Jo. Larrieu, and is within the shadow of the crumbling adobe walls, still standing as remind CT of the departed glory of the "Queen of the San Pedro Valley" which fourished in the early sos in the days when Jerry Barton did the ar tistic act with everything from his fist to pump gun.
 The propery referred to consists of one claim, about which several others could be located to advantage. The product shows many different forms of lead, some of it being steel galena running, as high as 60 per cent.
 The feature is however, the least interesting in the case. The lead in the proposition takes the form of vanadium. The concentrates of van adium, according to Professor Burn suoc of Tucson, as good authority on metallurgy as the Territory has, are worth one thousand dollars a ton. From them vanadic acid is manu- factured, which possesses greater hardening properties on steel than tungsten, and is in special demand by the Krupp people in the manufacture of high-power guns. Vanadic acid is worth $2.5O per pound. Vanadium was first brought to the notice of the scientific world in the year 1880 by Professor Sefstrom, and has been in demand ever since.
 The property is in it's intinal stage of development. The work consists of an open crosscut, laying bare some thirty feet of ledge matter. The vanadium is in strong evidence, occur ing in seams, resembling bees wax, and in the form of multitude of crystals, and is also found in small masses uniformly distributed through out the extent of the ledge. It is es- timated that thirty tons can be con- centrated into one. So far as one can observe at the present stage of de velopment, there is no limit to the supply. The ledge matter is mostly half decomposed porphyry and can be readily reduced by the ordinary economic roller process.
 As an evidence of the value and inn portance of this mineral I may state that the tailings of the Mammoth mine have recently been cyanided for the exclusive purpose of recovering the vanadium.
 That the mineral has exceptional values above and beyond the lead properties contained in the proposi- tion, is well known to every mining man. In the meantime the lead itself is fairly calculated to defray the ex- penses of development and treatment of the ore. MT. Larrieu has already had many inquiries in regard to the property and is very naturally wait ing until he can decide on the most advantageous proposition.
 WlIAlH Sl hd44 LuC Ill Paso & SouthwesterR railroad depot, with $ery conceivable facility for de- velopment, shipping and treatment, and being a mineral of such excep- tional character and in such rare de- mand, the property is attracting a great deal of attention.
 Incidentally this discovery goes to vindicate the claim of Arizona, to the broadest, the richest, and the greatest variety of mining properties in existence. The wise "hombre" who stated that there was nothing new un- der the sun evidently never investi- gated the San Pedro Valley and the sunny foot hills by which it is sur rounded. FRANK ALLEY.