The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-03-27

over Iour million short tons This es-
innate Is believed to be very conser
vative and the available tonnage may
well be- expected to exceed ten mill
lion tons. which would supply the
country, at the present rate of con-
sumption Of potash. for thirty years.
At any rate. it appears that this To-
caiity constitutes very important
source of potash in probably readily
available commercial form.
Methods of separating potash from
brines are now under investigation by
the bureau Of soils.
Borax Lake, or Searles Lake, is one
OF the many playas or intermittently
| wet and dry lakes common through
out the arid regions Of the West 1t
lies between the Argus and Slate
Ranges in the Mohave Desert OF
Southern California, Borax Lake was
the original scene Of the famous 90
mule team borax mine, the borax be-
ing hauled in great wagons drawn by
20 to 2S big mules to the Southern
Pacific Railroad at Mohave. a distance
of 80 miles. The lake or flat is about
10 miles long and miles wide, and
has received the drainage from the
surrounding hills for many thousand
of years. vast quantities Of dissolved
minerals being thus concentrated in
1T. The water has been evaporated
under the intense heat of the long,
hot seasons, but the salts have re-
NAMED, so that for most of the year,
In fact. often throughout the year,
the bed is glistening plain Of white
salts. In attempting to cross which
under brazen sun men have lost
their lives.
The mirage plays 1t strange tricks
here, and at the dryest places the
traveller can generally see what ap-
pears to be a broad expanse Of water
covering the bed little way ahead
always little distance off. until he
approaches the shore of Borax Lake.
Then when he looks behind him, he
sees the water appal emily covering
the ground over which he has just
come. The lake occupies valley
made by faults-breaks and slips in
the earth's crust-where a great area
hHs been dropped down. Borings
have been made through the mud and
water underlying the lake to a depth
OF some hundreds Of feet, the deepest
borirss made bringing up hot mud.
reconnaissance Of the general re-
gion was made by one of the geolo-
gists Of the United States geological
survey in 1900 and Is described in the
Su:v yor's Bulletin 900, now out If
print. BoraX Lake itself. however.
was not visited. The lake is also shown
on a map in Water Supply Paper 224
of the survey, some Desert Water
ing Places in Southeastern California
and Southwestern Nevada" It's near
est railroad Is the Owenyo branch of
the Southern Pacific, running from
Mohave past Owens Lake. Borax
Lake is situated about 20 miles from
the station of Searles, on this railroad
Many useful and curious minerals
are found in the muds and other de-
poslts Of Borax Lake, including, Of
Course. borax. Among them are gyp-
sum. glauberite, carbonate and sui
phate Of soda, salt. thenardite and
hanskite. The last carries as much
as 2.33 per cent of potassium equiva-
lent to 4.44 per cent Of potassium
chloride.
The salts are not evenly dstribut-
ed over the surface of the lake. Bo-
rax was found plentifully over about
three square miles, common salt is
everywhere. and sodium carbonate
and sodium sulphate are widely dis
tributed. One boring is said to have
passed through 2S feet of solid trona
(hydrous carbonate of soda) Of great
purity. At other places there is 25
feet of solid mixed sulphate and car
Donate of soda. with smaller quantities
OF other salts. Although the lake bed
Is dry most of the time. a few inches
under the outer crust there is always
water-a bittern heavily impregnated
with salts
Several years ago an English COM
pany attempted to work the soda de-
posts on an extensive scale, but for
some reason the work has not been
pushed This comnapv ,,,nL - ,,,,,~,