The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-13
Nation Becomes Independent
in Important Industry.
Little Sulphur Is Now Imported
by Uncle Sam.
FINDS MADE IN LOUISIANA
Holland Says Sulphur Mines
There Surpass All Others.
Frasch System Has Revolutions
lied the Industry.

New York, May 13.-Statistics recent
ly received from Washington justify
the courage and confidence with which
the late H. NICK. Twonbley. who was
until his death in intimate business
and personal relation with the Van
derbilts. made investment in the ex-
ploitation of a natural resource of Lou
isiana. Mr.. Twomb ley's judgment was,
in fact, justified, some time before his
death three years ago. 1t was discov-
cred after his death that an Investment
which he made three years earlier in
process devised by a German man OF
science, Herman Frasch. was begin
ming to yield him a very large income
and the value Of his investment had al
ready increased many fold.
The apparatus perfected by Mr..
Frasch, which is based upon very SIM
pie process, has within a few years
completely changed the relation of the
United States to foreign nations so
far as the purchasing of sulphur is
concerned. The statistics received
day or two ago from Washington re-
port that ten years ago the entire pro-
duction of sulphur in the United States,
excepting that obtained through
treatment of iron pyrites, was 3,14l
tons. We imported at that time near
iy 10000 tons of sulphur. The greatest
part of this came from Italy.
Today the United States is practically
independent, 50 far as her need of sui
phur is concerned, of any foreign coun-
try. We were producing last year near
ly 100000 tons of sulphur, and only
about 10000 tons were imported from
Italy. Within three or four years we
shall in all probability obtain all the
sulphur needed for the arts and sci
ences and agriculture in the United
States. 1t is a commercial fact which
shows the Importance of sulphur that
, the manufacture of it from pyrites-
the glittering mineral which has so Of
ten deceived amateur prospectors, who
have thought it gold-made 1t neces-
sary to construct an independent rail-
road in New York state. 1t is one of
the few exclusively commercial rail-
roads in this country. 1t connects with
the New York Central system at a point
little east Of Ogdensburg and it
stretches from that junction into the
foothills OF the northern Adirondacks.
some eight or nine miles, having it's
terminal at the large pyrites mines
there. From these mines no small por-
ton Of American sulphur extracted
from pyrites is obtained, and the i'm
portance Of the rnine is demonstrated
by the necessity or constructing a rail-
way to furnish transportation from the
mine to the New York Central sys-
tenn.
Comes From Louisiana.
While the Adirondack pyrites mines,
which have been operated almost who'll
ly for the purpose of obtaining sulphur,
are probably the largest in the north
and in the east, nevertheless this prod
uct has been very greatly surpassed by
the recent exploitation of the appar-
emily inexhaustible sulphur deposits in
Louisiana.
The United states geological bureau
long ago knew of these deposits. So,
also, did men of capital, but it seemed
almost as though the suggestion of Edi-
son that apparatus could be devised for
obtaining the gold held in solution by
the oceans of the world was as practi-
cable as would be any attempt to Sc
cure this Louisiana sulphur. Frequent
borings have been made in southwest
louisiana within the past % years, but
these tests are very different from
those which were made for the purpose
of discovering whether great pools or
streams of oil were deposited beneath
the surface in adjacent Texas. The
drill that bores for oil may at any
time strike pool or stream so that
there is immediate demonstration of it
and all that capital and science have to
do is to capture the oil which thus.
flowing violently upward, yields itself
to the prospector.
The drilling which was made for the |
purpose of testing whether or not sui
pflur in commercial quantities lay be-
meath the surfaced Louisiana demon
strated that great pools or reservoirs |
of sulphur there deposited in prehistoric |
times were of an average thickness of q |
hundred feet. but were about four |
hundred and fifty feet below the sur
face. Sulphur. however, is a sluggish |
and somewhat unyielding semi-liquid |
mineral 1t would not force itself to |
the surface as oil does. Many were the |
propositions which were made by en-
gineers and men of science with intent |
to conquer for commercial purposes |
these vast s1bterranean sulphur de-
posits. Some suggested the digging of |
deep shafts. following in general the |
principle adopted by science for sink |
ing shafts in the copper or precious |
metal fields. But it was discovered that |
vast and far-reaching layers of quick |
sand prevented the digging of shafts |
in this way. Some of the engineers |
suggested that the quicksand might be |
frozen as was done at the time the |
foundations for the Mills building IN |
Broad street of this city We're con-
structed. But while freezing of quick
sands might be practicable few feet
below the surface, the process was |
simply impracticable-even impossible /
at a great depth.
Timid Capital Declines.
These were the natural difficulties
which caused men of capital to shake |
their heads decisively when asked to
invest in one or another plan by which
it was alleged the sulphur deposits
could be obtained for commercial profit
At last Herman F'rasch, after doing a
great deal of thinking and experiment.
ing, was persuaded that it was possible
to drive an iron pipe or well from the
surface to the sulphur beds very much
as shafts are sunk for the purpose of
securing oil or natural gas Having
sunk these pipes Mr.. Frasch's plan in
volved the sending down of very hot
water and hot air through the pipes,
heated, in fact, To such intensity of
high temperature as to cause the sui