The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-08-02

! -
The North Carolina geological
and economical survey has, during
the past two or three weeks received
| great many letters regarding the
occurrence of cobalt in North Caro-
lima, and 1t has been thought that a
short article giving description of
the occurrences of the cobalt and the
localities where it is known to occur
in North Carolina would be of in
terest.
Cobalt is a material that is very
/ similar to nickel and nearly all the
| minerals in nature that contain one
of these metals contains also a small
| percentage of the other. There is
/ great similarity between the two
metals and in the reduction of the
/ ores both the nickel and cobalt go
/ into the matter, which is afterwards
! refined and the two metals separa-
rated from each other. "On account
/ of the small demand for cobalt,
there has not been a great deal of
prospecting directly for deposits of
this metal; while on the other hand,
the demand for nickel has constantly
increased so that deposits of min
erals containing this metal have
been prospected for in, many sections
of the country. Up to the past two
years all the cobalt has been OBJ
tanned in this country, and Canada
has been as a by-product either in
nickel or lead mining and smelling,
and there has been no direct mining
for cobalt ores. Recently, however,
new sources of supply of cobalt ores
containing but little nickel has been
found in Canada, which have result
ed In the production of cobalt in
some quantity and this could be in
creased very largely if a sufficient
demand for the metal could be
created. These deposits are along
the line of the Temiscuming &
Northern Ontario Railway, ninety
miles northeast of the town of Sun
bury, Canada. These cares carry
a considerable percentage of cobalt
and are rich in native silver, which
makes the ore very profitable min.
ing.
Missouri Cobalt Ore.
In the United States the only Co
bait ores that have been mined tC
any extent are the lead ores at Mir
La Motto, Mo-, which contain con
siderable percentage of cobalt ant
very small quantity of nickel
These are melted to a Stag contain
ing lead, nickel and cobalt, which
is afterwards refined. The princi
pal use of cobalt which is in thu
form of the oxide, is in manufactur
ing pigments, the principal one beint
known as cobalt blue. With nickel
however, the principal use has beel
as a steel hardening metal and som,
experiments have been made will
cobalt for this purpose. There 4
not, however, distinct enough
property of the two metals to war
rant the use of cobalt to any eXten
as a steel or iron hardening meta
as long as it's cost is so much higher
than nickel. If, however, a specia
use can be devised for it, as hai
been advocated by Mr.. Thomas Edi
son, in the manufacture of storage
batteries, there should be consid
cradle increase in the demand TO
the metal, which would warran
more prospecting for sources of sup
ply, although the present know
sources of supplies of this meta
can satisfy very large increase IL
the demand.
There are a number of mineral
that contain a considerable percent
age of cobalt, principally in the form
of sulphides, arsenides az | oxides
The principal minerals and the one
more constantly met with in natur
are as follows:
Linnaeite: A pale, steel gray
brittle mineral which furnishes quit
readily to a copper red color is a
hard as steel, has a rpecific gravit
of about 8; it is quite commonl
found in octaherval crystals, bu
also occurs to massive. 1t is cobal
sulphide containing sometimes a con
siderable percentage of nickel Thi
mineral is also known as cobal
pyrites.
White Cobalt.
Cobalite: This mineral is CO
bait arsenic sulphide of silver gra
to steel gray color, sometimes wit
tinge of red or violet. 1t is of a til
white color and also massive, vhel
the color is apt to change to a stee
gray or a grayish color. 1t is as har
as steel and about 6.5 in specifi
gravity. 1t is known also as til
white cobalt and gray cobalt.
These minerals have not bee
found in any large masses, but ar
more apt to be more or less spar
ingly disseminated through rock
and also through veins containin
other minerals. These mineral
in decomposing would form carbo