Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-10-20
IRON ORE IN THE BLACK
SANDS OF OREGON
May Revolutionize the Iron In
dustry - Supply to Draw
From Is Unlimited.

In the Monday edition the snbjoined
article on the value that the govern
ment neurological experts have
found that the black sands of South
ern Oregon possess OF the chief
values the expert found in this black
sand is magnetic iron ore. This iron
is Of the best kind, but not so vslu-
able as chrome iron, Of which a num-
Der of big deposits have been found in
Josephine county, This iron is used
In the manufacture of chrome steel
and there is big demand for It at a
price that would make it profitable
to develop the deposits in this county
so soon as railroads are built into
the outlying sections of this district.
The Pacific Coast is singulsrly de-
fioient in a general distribution Of
iron deposits and it is certain that
the time is not distant when Southern
Oregon will have great iron works
and be able to supply the foundries
and machine shops of the West with a
high grade Of iron, at price less
than II can be imported for.
Dr. David I. Day, chief of the
United States Geological Survey, is
enthusiastic over the results Of ex-
periments with the black sands Of the
Pacific Coast. From ton of sand he
got 6S3 pounds OF iron ore.
This Is a discovery of the greatest
Significance, he said THAT 6S3
pounds OF iron ore should be found in
one ton of black sand is a fact OF the
utmost importance, for it may revo.
lutionize the iron industry.
This magnetic iron ore, when
smelted, makes the finest iron in the
world, equal to the famous deposits
on the great lakes. Right here in
Oregon, at Oswego, there has been a
blast furnace lying idle because it
was said there was no iron ore Tor 1t.
" An inexhaustible supply is open to
it. The iron is very easy to separate,
about all that is necessary is to run it
over the concentrating tables. All
the sand is smooth grain, with no
clay, nor other Objectionable features.
The supply to draw from is unlimited,
for there is the whole ocean to take
from. We have gone down 80 feet in
getting samples, and the farther down
we go, the richer are the values.
1.-THE iron ore Is by no means the
only thing of value in the sands.
The quartz Is very fine material for
making sand lime brick. know this
to be so, for we have made samples of
the bricks right here. Monazite and
zircon are metals whose presence was
not even Inspected, and they are in
quantity almost sufficient to pay for
working the sand, and make most
valuable by products. "
Or. Day il not at liberty to give
any information yet as to the cost of
working the sand, but George Il.
Woodbury., on whose concentrator
much Of the experimenting has been
done, furnished few figures.
I" A portable or moving foundation
or plant for working material could
be built for about $4,000, probably
less," he said "The plant would
consist of AN engine TO pump water.
run by gasoline; an elevator to raise
the material, screens and concentra-
tor Probably 30 tons a day, to make
conservative estimate, could be
worked. The cost of handling the
material is very light. For power for
80 tons, from 300 to 81, say 3 cents "A
ON, might be allowed. The cost Of
handling would be about 10 cents "A
ton, and with all extra expenses, 30
cents ton should be big allowance.
"By the methods employed, from
90 to 0S per cent of values can be
: we'd, which is u great advance ON
WV why Ah NhlNn WV ~ HhuultU.
The difficulty before lay in the fact
that all apparatus used in saving the
material has been crude 10 method of
separating. RIFLES and excessive
amounts of water have been en-.
ployed. Too much water carries of
the fine values In the apparatus
used, very little water in u thin
sheet is thrown across the couoen-
traitor table; there is no current, and
consequently no agitation.
ITO separate the different metals
after they have been concentrated il
also very easy The concentrates,
with the values obtained, can be-
treated by smelter, or bcttor, by eva.
hide process, thus saving the gold, at
u cost of about 10 cents ton. "
Mr. Woodbury. is the inventor of
the Woodbury. concentration OF tie
concentrators which have been EN-.
ployed by the Government in the ex.
periments are tho Pinder, the vii.
fey and the Christensen.