The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-13
RARE METALS ARE
NOW IN DEMAND
Tungsten, Especially, Is Calling
for Good Price in the
Steel Industry.
MISTAKES THAT THE
MlNE-0WNER MAKES
PrOspectOrS Attempt to Secure
Prices for Property That
Are Unreasonable.

Tungsten,-All of the tungsten ores
have become OF constantly increasing i'm
portance during the past few years. and
are destined 30 he OF stll greater consc-
ouence shortly. Their consumption by
the European steel Industry has been con-
sideraby augmented Of late while the
production OF tungsten ha- by no means
kept pace with the demand. The result
has been q large increment IN the value
OF all tungsten ores. This should Stlnu-
late their production In The United States,
1t is really nliSnOmor to class tungsten
as q rare mineral" fOT IL Is systcmati-
cally mined In various parts OF The world,
and Is produced IN apprecnblc quantities
in Australia, says the Mining World The
three Important tungsten minerals are
wolframite. scheelie and nubnerte, Of
which the first TWO only are OF any great
Industrial Importance. Iubnerite has
been mined in such small quantities that
it cannot he considered seriously from a
commercial standpoint.
Wolframite is the best known tungsten
mineral and ny reason Of its high per
centage OF tunsstic acid tWo$l is the
most sought after. it l. a jungstate of
iron and manganese, ANA chemically, an
lsomorphous compound OF Fe WO4 and
Mn WO4. 1t is usually black or brown
l5h- black in appearance, and generally
possesses Il metallic or adamsnline lus-
tcr- Pure .wotranite contains I6 per
cent OF WOO. but the commercial pro-
duct Is generally sold on n oasis OF so pei
cent WO5 which is considered a stand
ard quality. This generally contains from
10 per cent TO 20 per cent fcrrlc oxide
lfcOD. The Wolframlte produced In
Boulder and Ouray counties, Colorado
che current chief source Uf supply in
the United States is generally shipped
in the form OF concentrates which analyze
from 60 TO 20 per cent WOE.
Scheelitc is found In larger quantities.
than wolframite but scheelte is not so
which make treatment difficult. in color
schcelitc is usually yellow or broNniEh
yellow with white streak. a good quail
lty Of scheciite viii concentrate To from
zu 10 to per cent WOO. and these con-
Gentrates are readily marketable ut some
what lover prices than are obtained for
woliramltc. HuOnerite. named after the
German mincralosist. Hubner, is, indus
traily considered. the best OF the tuns-
stem ores, but II is the most uncommon.
/, frequently contains as much as rs per
tllat II Is Very valuable commercials.
This ore has been produced III small duan-
Arizona. which is practically the only
source OF supply in the United States.
This supply is small and uncertain. sug-
gesting that hubnerite is not destined 10
be extensively used inGuSirially.
The chief sources OF the American sup
ply OF scheelitc are san Bcrnardno coun-
~ Cal. near johannesburg and Rands-
burg; and Montana. Considerable quaint
ties have been shipped from the Cali
fornia mines during the past two years
Most OF this has beer exported 10 Europe
demonstrated that tungsten ores occur In
quantity also In Arizona. Washington.
Oregon. Idaho and Nevada. So far how
ever. the production Of tungsten minerals
in the United states is relatively unIm-
portant. which is due not alone TO the
lack OF demand, but to various other
causes
The 1905 report OF the United states
geological survey gives the production of
tungsten ores in that year as sos short
tons, 4 worry fair estimate. This. how
shows increase Of only SiStN-
three tons over the total for the proceed
Ing year, manifestly a poor showing. The
was given as $lSi.oo. while that for 1905
was S2sS.676, an increase Of ssi,676. II
VIII be seen. therefore that the relative
increase IN value was 46 per cent and
nSures apparently demonstrate that the
deposits Of tungsten ores in the United
States arc small. since even consdera-
bic rise In the price OF tho metal does not
stimulate production. In reality. how
ever. the situation is far different. The
known deposits In this country have mul-
last few years, but their development |
has, II anything, been curtailed. This is
que to certain apparently well-deGned
causes, enumerated below
First-1srorance OF the average miner
regarding the value. uses, demand and |
methods Of concentration and shipment of
past few Years hundreds of communica- |
tions from mine owners and prospectors |
In various parts OF the country requesting |
information OH these points,
Second--The dtsinclination Of capital 10 !
invest in tungsten properties, owing TO |
lack ol knowledge regarding same. the |
numerous failures Of such mines In the |
past. and the more certain and profitable |
indications in mining the better known |
metals.
Third-The extravagant demands of |
prospectors Tor their claims, and their ex-
asgeyated ideas Of the value of the lands.
rhIs deters capita! from entering upon |
operations, as the initial cost Is too high |
20 make the venture appear profitable.
Tourth-The general rise In price of |
copper. silver. antimouy and other metals |
This has caused tho Investment OF enor- |
nous amounts In the Development of cop |
per and silver mines and prospects. large
" TO the exclusion Of the development |
OF other properties: The profits In the |
gold mines during the last three years |
have been uncommonly large. which has
naturally attracted much capital and |
stimulated the search for such deposits |
The Inducements 10 operate and develop |
tungsten molybdcnum and titanium de- |
posils have not. therefore. seemed sufn- |
erable exploitation Of these minerals
II may lie said here that the causes !
hnoVe enumerated apply 10 other rare !
minerals min as well as 70 tungsten. The re-
p!obably contains as important deposits |
OF tungsten, molybdenum. platinum |
tantalum. etc. as any other section OF |
the globe, their development has so far |
not been commensurate with tbeir I'm.
portance The work of the United Statcs
geological survey and Its Investigations in
this direction cannot he too highly. com
mended. as u is tending 10 famillarize |
potential producers with the Character
1stics and market of the less widely
known minerals.
The chief use OF tungsten is in the