The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-04
START MICA MILL
Topeka Is to Have a New Indus
try Worth While.
Will Be in Operation Within a
Weeks Time.
MACHINERY is SET.
Topeka Company Owns Mica
Mountain in New Mex.
One Car Load Has Been Received
Ready to Mill.

Within week Topeka will have in
operation the fourth mica mill in the
United States using the dry ground
process. The mill is located at 119
Quincy street in the building formerly
occupied by the Topeka Alfalfa Mill
ing company.
Mr.. S. B. Rohrer, president of the
mica company, is now installing mill
Tor grinding mica with a capacity of
two and one-half tons a shift. w. B.
THOMAS, formerly manager of the
American Mica company of Denver,
has been employed by the company as
manager of the plant at Topeka and
will direct the operations of the mica
mine at Ribera, N. M, where the COM
pany has an unlimited supply of mica.
Mr.. Thomas has just returned from
an inspection trip over the property in
New Mexico, where he placed Mr.. r.
M MoseIey, a competent man, in
charge of the production of crude
mica.
1.-THE Topeka company's property in
New Mexico compares most favorably
with any mica deposit 1 have ever
seem" said Mr.. Thomas this morning,
containing an inexhaustible quantity
of high grade mica. When the pres
ent plans, now contemplated, are COM
pleted, we can deliver mica on board
cars at Ribera at cost not to eX-
coed seven dollars a ton. Ribera, be-
Oh TIE Uldln llI1S VI Tic Santa Il e
offers exceptional advantages in ship
ping the crude mica to Topeka, where
we will mill it and ship on to ST. Louis
and Chicago, reaching steady mar
ket at thirty-five to forty-ive dollars
ton.
''Muscovite. or white mica, enters
into manufacturing quite extensively,
continued Mr. Thomas, especially
along electrical lines, mica being the
highest known insolater. In this con-
nection, the ground form of mica IS
used in the manufacture of insolators
for all overhead trolley work and high
power transmission. The coarse
ground material is used in large guam
titles for roofings, boiler tagging,
steam pipe coverings, sound deaden1ng
in high class buildings. The finer
meshes are used in fireproof and acid
proof paints, hard rubbers of all char
acters. decorating and lubricants. 1t
is quite possible that we will add
machine to prepare lubricants to the
Topeka plant as soon as we are oper-
ating steadily.
Few people in Topeka realize the
enormous demand for mica products.
One firm, the Ford Manufacturing COM
pany of Vandalia, ILL.,, uses 1900 tons
of mica annually and would use twice
the amount if obtainabie.
There are twelve other manufacture
ing concerns each using several hun
bred tons annually.
This mica business is a. big one. The
demand is constant and increasing
much faster than it can be produced.
The only question with the mica COM
panies is to secure enough raw ma
terial and in the case with the company
operated by Mr.. Rohrer, their supply Is
inexhaustible and easily accessible.
From the indications at the crest of
the mica mountain, the Topeka COM
pany's property will develop splendid
sheet mica and this you know is al
most worth it's weight in gold. Sheet
mica in sizes two inches square is
worth 40 cents a pound, sheets four
inches by five sells for two dollars and
sixty cents pound, six by eight inch
sizes for nine dollars a pound and six
by twelve inch sheets find an enor-
nous demand at twenty-seven dollars
a pound, then the scrap mica when
ground and sacked commands a price
varying from thirty-five to forty-five
dollars a ton. owing to the fineness to
which it is ground.
There is no question but that our
mill will be taxed to its capacity, that
other units will be added to meet the
demand, that the production and
preparation of mica will be one Of To-
peka'S strong industries"