Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-09
Minerals More Serious

wasted on a .conSlderaDle scale by De1ng
allowed to flow continuously when not
needed, or in excess of actual need.
Minerals More Serious
"Other mineral resources are being
wasted on as large scale as is true of
water but their waste is even more
serious a matter for the reason that the
supplies are not reproduced as in the
case of water, but when once exhausted
are exhausted permanently. No better
illustration of this fact can be found
than Is seen in the deserted mining
camps, deserted after the mines have be-
come exhausted. In connection with
metallurgical processes there is often a
waste of materials which also prove in
furious, such as the large quantities of
sulphur and arsenic vapors that are
turned loose from the chimneys of the
modern smelters. This waste is prevent
able and should be prevented, for the
double reason that these materials have
a commercial and economic value and
they are destructive of adjacent vcgeta-
ton. This destruction of vegetation al
lows the rains to evade the bare land
surfaces and deposit the transported soil
into the adjacent stream.
'srhe waste in metal mining and treat
ment of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc,
iron and other metallic substances, under
old time practices. was frequently as
high as from 20 to so per cent; but the
modern mining, milling and smelling pro-
cesses have of late been developed along
the lines of increased efficiency.
Reduce Loss
"Under these more modern practices
waste Is now being reduced to from 5 to
usually less than rs per cent. Modern
chemistry and metallurgy Is also devel-
for tha ant nf
grade ores which formerly were left in
the mines or on the dump, or were used
in the construction of walls or public
roads, just as they have developed pro-
cesses for the profitable re-treatment of
the enormous piles of refuse accumulated
under cruder methods of treatment prac-
ticed a few years since In the mining
and treatment of some of these metalifer-
GUS ores there is still opportunity for de-
cided Improvement along these lines.
TN the mining and utilization of
miscellaneous minerals, existing prac-
tice is a great Improvement over that
Of the recent past, and the future Is
full of promise. Thus, in the utiliza-
ton of the mica deposits, formerly
only cut sizes of mica Were used; now
the smaller scales are being collected,
ground and used for a number of pur-
poses. The former waste in the quarry
amizing public highways, for mixing
with cement and sand in the construc-
tion of concrete buildings, or for use
in a variety of other ways.
Utilize Old Products
"The waste piles about some of the
coal mines, and other mines OF the
past are being taken back into the
mines and new waste materials are
being retained in the mines for the
building of supporting pillars and in
filing space otherwise left open
through the extraction of the mineral
deposits, thus greatly diminishing the
need for timber and permitting a much
larger extraction of valuable material
from the mines.
waste In the utilization of fuels is a
problem that in an especial manner
concerns the general public, for the
reason that the fuel supplies are COM
ing to be regarded, like the water and
forests as public utilities. They fur
nish our heat, light and power; they
serve as the basis of industry and of
transportation, and are, therefore, alb
solutely necessary to the welfare OF
the nation. But Notwithstanding their
vast Importance II is in the mining and
utilization OF these fuel resources that
we practice the greatest waste.
Persons now living can recall when
the great gas wells were seemingly In
exhaustible in Ohio, Indiana, West Vir-
ginia and Pennsylvania In many OF
these fields this gas supply was wasted
in manner wellnigh criminal, and the
exhaustion has been so complete that
there is no ground for believing that
other supplies of gas will be discovered
in many of these special regions
By-Products Not Used
Petroleum in the past has, In like
manner, been wasted, both in enormous
overhows and the burning OF material,