Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-10

dnction of potash on large scale dates
hack only to 1851, when mining opera
tions were begun in the German potash
deposits. These are located near Stass-
| furt. Their discovery is alleged 10 n ma e
| resulted from somebody's theory that
.. numerous saline springs in the neigh
| borhood must flow from subterra-
mean deposit of salt. Borlngs We're
made and the richest known deposlls
of potash, besides salt and gypsum
were found. ..-
Further investigations have shown
that the bed of potash at Stassturt Is
from 80 to 1870 feet thick and extends
over a very large area. There are ue-
posits of salt and gypsum oVerlylhs
| the potash to a depth of many teet
These deposits of mineral wealth nave
an interesting natural history. Scleh-
lists say that in some prehistoric age
the region about the present site OF
| Stassfurt was covered by the sea. Ihen
a volcanic CONFUSION occurred ana
mountain ranges were heaVed up "a
! either side thus inclosing vast Ia
| COON or arm of the sea.
The water is supposed to have been
boiling at that time, as the tempera-
ture of the earth was very high. EVap-
ora ton was most rapid, and as the
water in the lagoon turned to vapor IT
| was replaced by more water from the
| sea. After a time the lagoon became so
intensely saline in character that the
potash, salt and gypsum were deposit
| ed on its bed. Later the sea. receded
and the lagoon completely dried up,
| leaving the existing beds of potash, etc,
| to be covered by the vegetation and
other formations of succeeding ages
Nobody has explained how or why the
sea was so full of potash in prehistoric
times. 1t certainly is not now So
Ever since the enormous value of the
German potash deposits became known
to the world people in America and
other countries have been seeking SIM
liar deposits in every likely place
Biologists say there is no reason they
know of why potash should not exist in
large quantities elsewhere than IN
Germany, but they have not yet found
it, although Canada and one or two
other countries produce small quanti-
ties of the mineral. There are few
things which are not found in the
United States, and a large deposit of
potash is one of them. Some years ago
a number of deep wells were sunk in
the Louisiana salt district in the hope
of finding a potash mine there, but the
search proved unsuccessful
1t may seem natural that the Ger
man monopoly in potash should lead
TO ID6 CTGdllOll VI Nllthb - POI iAStRf' NAAN
greatest trust in the world, so far as
absolute control over a single product
and absence of competition are con-
cerned. The potash trust is known as
the Kali syndicate. Organized in 1879,
It controls practically every concern
that produces potash. Last year nine
new mining companies were added to
its membership, and this year thir-
teen more new works will go into OPP
Grafton. The capital of this combina-
ton is less than $2OO,O0O,OO0, which is
small in comparison with the capital
of some great American corporations.
It has $4,000 miners and other en-
ployes on it's pay roll.
The annual sales of potash aggre-
gate nearly $25, 200 in value and the
potash trust has agents all over the
world exploiting its product with a
view to increasing sales. At this rate
it is estimated that even in case no
other potash deposits are discovered,
the German mines will be able to sup
ply the world for several centuries.
Following the approved habit of
trusts, the Kali syndicate practices dis
elimination in it's business. 1t extends
favors to the German trade with the
result that Germany consumes nearly
half of the potash produced. America
and other countries take what is left
and on the terms of the German syn
dictate. 1t is not surprising that the