New-York tribune., 1912-12-23
English Company in Possession.


Ergla nd also is Interested. as the For
cign Mines Development Company, Of
London. is now in possession of the prop
crty The developments at Washington.
which point to international entangle-
meuts. tend further To cOmplicate the sit
Uatiou.
on one side is the Foreisu Mines De-
vclopment Company. the greatest mining
organization in the world. This corpora
tion. which mas vast interests in Europe.
Asia America and Australia is i'm Writ
ual possession OF the <l.,0poJ0 works at
the lake through a mortgage which IL ls
seeking To forcclose against the California
TrOna Company.
The foremost opponents IF the English
capitalists are the German producers.
The second faction comprises an official
of the Standard oil Company and c. f.
Dolbear. an original locator Of the salt
lake claims both OF whom hold interests
i'm the Trona company. OF which they re-
fuse to dispose unless permitted to retain
pro rata share i'm the development Of
the potash deposits under California
company that is about TO be formed
The third circle Of contestants COM
! prlses a number Of men who forcbly OH
! tained claims at the lake. and who must
/ perfect these claims by performing their
assessment work before the close Of 1912
Pressure has been brought on Prcsi-
/ dent Taft and his Cabinet and members
of Congress 10 pass legislation that would
! forever bar a foreign corporation from
/ possessing American potash fields. while
/ Germany. now the sole producer OF potash.
| quietly. but firmly. through diplomatic
channels. Is opposing American govern
| mental action, realizing that ii would end
the ambitions Of German producers to
control the potash output Of the world.
ON the other hand California men.
among them f. II. Merrill. head of the
| iubricatius oils department of the stand
ard oil Company and a stockholdcr in the
rrona Company; G. +. Dolbear who rc-
! located the Searies lake property six
years ago. and Frank Smith. known as
! "GoraN' smith, whose Death Valley hold
! iugs are threatened with depreciation, dc
! sire To prevent German control. hoping to
! 49, in the profits with tho present hold-
crs through possession Of stock or through
purchase. Colonel Merrill holds an option
! 10 purchase ltlt pidll lbl Sit'Vf'''
Americans Will Control.
The new company will be n 5000 ooo
| corporatiol formed either I'm California or
| Nevada. and in spite OF the representa-
! tions OF interested persons at Washington
practically will lac under American con-
| troll
! For the last four months representatives
! 8 81. igI, aNsyIfsatg a "a h.tn N Ean
| Francisco pcrfecting tho plans for the
! California Incorporation They are Baron
! De Ropp and Guy Wilkinson. the former
| German agent of the Foreign Mines Com
pany and the latter the representative Of
! Lord Gray English capitalist and head
of the syndicate.
The Foreign Mines Company had in
tended selling the lake property after the
| foreclosure Of its mortgages. This was
/ i'm accordance with the custom OF English
syndicates TO finance and not to operate
mining property. The discovery of pot
ash however. tripled the value of the
| lake. and In the early part Of 1917 re
newed the tagging activities of claimants
aud caused the English financiers TO re-
solve 10 hold the lake.
| The situation assumed a new phase
| through the invention by John W. Horn
| sey. Of the General Reduction Gas and
| By-products Company. OF No. Al Wall
| street New York. of a method for OBJ
| tanning precipitation OF all the salts In
| the vast sink from the brine Instead OF
! from the crystals as heretofore. Through
! this invention the cost OF production was
cut to almost nothing. Brine pumped
! from the lake. reduced into its salts. en-
| ahled the TrOu2 Company 10 do away
! with the costly work Of hauling the salt
| crystals to the reduction works IL was
| this handicap that caused 'BoraX
! smith TO abandon his Searles Lake claim
! years ago for more accessible deposits IN
| Death Valley