Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-15
MINES BUREAU GLAD
TO HELP NEWARKER

CONTINUED from First Page.)
giving her the material to work with.
Pseudo scientists and writer's about
their work have been giving out the
impression that radium and the min
erals which enter into its generic
qualities come from the mines in
Austria. The fact of the matter is
that the source of the worlds present
supply is right here in the good old
u. S. A.
1t is even believed that the minerals
with which Nine. Curie is making her
experiments at the present time were
sent from this country.
The scientists of Europe have
bought every molecule of the valu-
able mineral in sight. In doing this
they have established such q demand
for it that the price for nome use
is SO prohibitive that American scien-
lists have not been able to buy it.
To overcome this a band of American
scientists and their friends have
allied their forces to hold some of
this valuable mineral at home and
with that end in view have organized
the National Radium Institute.
Referring to DR.. Reinhold's sup
posed discovery at his laboratory, in
Newark. DR.. Charles L. Parsons said:
1.-THE Newark investigator may have
in his possession either carnotite or
pitchblende. These are two we'll
known uranium bearing ores. Carno-
tite is yellow yellow mineral, usual
ly found in pockets of sandstone de-
posits. The mineral may be in the
form of light. yellow specks dissent
mated through the sandstone, or as
yellow incrustations in the cracks of
the sandstone; or may be more or
less massive, associated with blue,
black or brown vanadium ores.
''Pitchblende is a hard, blue-black
ore that looks something like mag
netite, but is heavier. It is, found in
pockets and veins in igneous rocks.
This mineral is not nearly as widely
distributed as carnotite. Occasionally
1t is found associated with an orange
mineral called gummite. These min
erals up to the present have been
found in Colorado and Utah.
Test for Ores.
1.-THE best way to test these ores"
said DIR. Parsons to the Star man, lis
to wrap, in the dark, Photographic
plate in two thicknesses of black pa
per. On the paper lay a key and
then. just above the key. suspend two
or three ounces of the ore, and place
the whole in a tight box. Pressure
of the ore on the key and plate should
be avoided. After three or four days.
develop the plate in the ordinary
way. and if the ore is appreciably
radio active, an image of the key will
be found on the plate"
If DIR. Reinhold or any other person
has any radioactive ores they will
do well to confer with the bureau of
mines in this city, or with DR.. How
ard Kelly of the Johns Hopkins Hos
pital in Baltimore. In order to keep
some of the supply of radium bear
ing ores at home a fund of $3.50, 900
has been put up to organize the Ma
tional Radium Institute in BaIrImore.
This company mas obtained the right
to mine twenty-seven claims in Para
dox Valley, Col, among which are
some of the richest radium bearing
mines in thte world.
The men who compose this COM
pany are interested in science more
than in making money. Several other
companies controlling the radium
output are in it solely for the benefit
of their private purses. That is the
reason the entire output of the mines
was sold to Europe last year and
American scientists could not obtain
a grain of the precious metal for use
in the hospitals and laboratories OF
this land. @
The National Radium Institute has
been formed for the special purpose
of procuring enough radium to con-
duct extensive experiments In radium
therapy with special reference to the
curing of cancer. 1t also expects to
carry on Investigations regarding the
physical characteristics and chemical
IN,
time to be able to assist or perhaps
even duplicate the effects of these
rays by physical means.
Ore containing 2 per cent of ura-
MUM contents now brings from $40
to $95 a ton. The price of radium
appears for some time to be holding
steady at about $3.50 per milligram
of radium metal. This does not mean
that the material is bought in the
elementary condition, but that the
radium chloride and radium bromide,
which are on the market, are paid
for on the basis of the metallic RAJ
payment is a distinct advance over
the old method of paying the same
price indiscriminately for the chloride
or bromide. This price of $120 per
gram of the metal is equivalent to
approximately $751; 900 per gram of
radium chloride; or $4,000 per gram
of anhydrous radium bromide.
Material Is Limited.
The supply of the material is limit
ed and no large resources are in
sight. Only one estimate was pub
lished of the carnotite deposits in
Colorado. and that was 900 grams.
This estimate is at least five times
as large as that made by any en-
ployee of the bureau of mines. taking
all the known deposits in the whole
American field, even including ma
terial too low to be marketable.
Besides the radium. the uranium
and vanadium present in carnotite
are available assets, and recent de-
velopments indicate that all the
uranium produced will soon be read
ily sold, while it is well known that
there is ready market for yanadium
'.The total value OF the radium of
the worlds OUTPUT last rear waa q