The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-05
VALUABLE GYPSUM DEPOSITS.
Mines Near Hawthorne to Be
Wor<ed-Machiner Required.

WoTkeo-m acntnery required
A dispatch from Hawthorne, New,
states that a company is being formed
to operate the immense deposits of
gypsum three miles north OF that place
which are covered by a group of
claims known as the White Swan.
There is over 1900 acres in the group
Of claims which were located only a
few weeks ago by Frank Reagan and
others. The gypsum occurs in vast
quantities and Is declared to be 95 per
cent pure.
For many years this deposit has been
known, but was never worked. The
property is located about six miles
from the railroad with a down hill
pull over a good road
The incorporation will probably be
called the White Swan Plaster COM
pany. Tt will be incorporated under
the laws of Nevada and the principal
place of business will be in this city
It is the Intention Of the company to
Ell ect a mill on the property. Ar
Yerington of the Southern Develop
ment company for water with which
to supply the mill.
Active development work has been
begun and, as the owners are all ac-
tive men and have plenty of money, it
will be but a few months before it will
be in full operation. A market for the
product is being arranged for in
number Of large cities.
Utah as well as Nevada has many
fine deposits of gypsum and there is
little doubt that the day is coming
when they will be turned to profitable
commercial account. It viii be in
teresting 20 many gypsum claim own
he fe
to plaster of paris, the character of
machinery and equipment required to
do it, the cost. etc, and on that ac-
count the following description of
plant and process will be interesting.
How Gypsum Is Treated.
1.-THE gypsum rock is reduced by a
jaw crusher (cost $1,000 to about one
inch cube As this material is mined in
large cakes, the opening must not be
less than 20x12 inches. When crushed.
the rock is dried in a rotary direct
heat dryer (cost, about $2.5OO). The
products of combustion used in drying
this material should not pass through
the material on account of the danger
Of colOring if, that is, the drying must
be done on the outside of the dryer
only. The size of the dryer will de-
pend upon the capacity required; it
should connect with a chamber to set
tie the dust, which is valuable.
After the gypsum is thoroughly
dried, 1t is again thoroughly crushed
on an ordinary pot or bowl crusher
cost 5000. It should then be ground
to about S0-mesh. French buhr-stones
are generally used (four of these. at
$500 each) The ground gypsum IS
then passed into a caicining kettle
Ccost, $1,000 each), usually eight feet
diameter and eight feet high, with
gears, hues, fire-fronts, CRATES and
doors, also with upright shaft
and stirrers near the bottom
driven with heavy gears above.
The ground material is slowly passed
into the calcining kettle, which soon
begins to boil. More material is grad
ually added, until the kettle is full.
From the gypsum rock that has been
crushed and dried thoroughly. a por-
ton can be caIcined within about one
and one-haIf hours, the time depending
upon the dryness of the gypsum and
the quality Of the finished product.
The material contains enough mofs-
ture to boil it thoroughly for a short
time, after it comes TO a dead state;
then it will boil a second time, and in
many cases even a third time; the
more it bOils the quicker it will set. For
ordinary plaster work only one boiling
IS required, but for fine work or plas-
ter Of paris two boiIfngs are neces-
sary.
This calcining kettle is where the
mechanical change takes place After
It is sufficiently calcined or boiled. as
it were, 1t should be Immediately emp
tied and placed in hoppers or bins
made of iron or brick, after which it is
ready 10 be conveyed and elevated to
storage bins, from which il is packed
into sacks or barrels ready for the
market As soon as the kettle is emp
tied, another charge should be immedi
ately put in
ITO manufacture, say, 100 tons of
plaster per day, it will require the ma
chinery mentioned above, with the adj
dition Of the necessary hOppers, bins.
cOnveyors, elevators and the power. If
l. be desired to make this material into
wall plaster, it win be necessary to
add further one sand dryer and a hair
picker; also the necessary apparatus
for mixing the different materials"
YANKEE LET'S CONTRACT