El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-27
Radium Wasted In America
Most Treasured of Metals Is Worth
$2,50,OOO an Ounce; Colorado
Has Ore Containing 1t.
. by 4 rederic J. HnsNin-
ASHINGT0N II q Az

&
! " valuable of earthly substances
until recently has been produced only
in Europe, although the United States
has larger supplies of radium-produc-
ing ores than any other country. What
has been carefully treasured and con-
served in European mines has been
thrown on oump pies as waste in
America
ounce It happens that the toIal
known supply in the world today
amounts to only a little less Ihan an
ounce and a half. The most minute
particles are treasured and guarded
with more zeal and care than ever were
the crown jewels of a tyrant. And this
is the sort of stuff, we have been vast
ing!
American Radfum Produced.
Until last year all Of the radlum-
producing ores mined in this country
were shipped to Europe An 1nVesu-
! cation by the United States Bureau
of Mines developed this fact, and, at
the same time, the more important
one that the American supply Of ores
was the greatest IN the world Until
the present year no American radium
was on the market and only one firm
in this country was actually producing
it. Within the past six months three
other laboratories have entered the
field, but the value of their product
is as yet problematical
In the meantime American scientists
are paying fabulous prices in Europe
for radium. which probably has been
made from American ores. ALI such
ores as are not up to the high stand
ard required by the European labora-
tories are thrown away, although much
of the rejected ore may contain suf-
ficient high percentage of radium to be
worth treating in this country.
Radium is an element 1t is re
covered from pitchblende and other
ores 1t was discovered by Nine. Curie
in experimenting with pitchblende
taken from a mine at St Joachimsthal,
in Bohemia Immediately upon the an
nOuncement of the discovery the Aus
trian government assumed control of
the mine. 1t entered into an agree
ment with the Academy of Science Of
Vienna, under which the pitchblende
ores were to be worked up for eXper-
iment in an Austrian radium institute
Austrian Mine Exhausted.
Radium institutes have been estab-
lished by the governments Of Austria,
England, France and Germany, but the
United States government has mani
tested no direct interest in the subject.
The experiments made in all OF these
institutes especially in that Of AUS
tria- were conducted with the greatest
care because the scantinesS of the ore
was recognized It is said that the St
Joachimsthal mines already are prac-
tieaIIy exhausted Less than six tons
of pitchblende was mined in 1911, and
none at all in 1872
United States Apathefie.
The universal recognition Of the
wonderful properties of radium, which
followed close upon its discovery, caused
the worldwide quest for ores that
would yield it Small deposits were
found in Cornwall, England, and in Aus
tralia- Both were promptly placed
under government control. Little at
tention was paid to the matter in the
United States. However. a few weeks
ago, the Bureau of Mines announced
that the United States led all the coun-
tries of the world in its resources of
radium producing ores This announce
ment created no little surprise in the
scientific world, and a movement IS
now on foot TO bring about the con-
servation of these resources for the
benefit of the world at large and of
American scientists, particularly.
Pitchblende has been found in Con-
necticut and in the feldspar fields Of
North Carolina. but the largest and
richest deposits known anywhere are
located in Quartz Hill, Gilpin county,
Colorado. This body of ore was dis
covered in 1899 by two Frenchmen,
who were prospecting for gold. Amer
lean pitchblende has been found car
rying as high as so per cent of uran-
ium, although the average is. not so
rich.
discovered American ore called carno-
tite, yields radium Carnotite re-
sembles fine sandstone, and is bright
yellow in hue. It occurs in pockets
and is easily mined. It averages about
two per cent in uranium content, and
IS marketed in New York for ship
ment abroad for about SIS per ton.
A ton of cOrnotite will yield a speck
of radium about the size of a pin
point
Story is n Romapce.
The story of radium is a romance. 1t
began with the love of a young Polish
girl for a French scientist. She loved
also his science and married him that
she might help him in his work. He
aided her studies and researches, and
they lived together in a laboratory,
seeking the undiscovered secrets of
nature. In the opinion of many scien-
lists it was only the gallanJry Of a
loving husband that accorded to Nine.
Curie the credit for discovering radium,
thus giving her the title of the
greatest woman scientist in the world
Those who take this view insist that it
was professor CUrie who discovered
the new element although they admit
IhaI he was aided in the laboratory by
his wife and by an assistant a young
scientist named Beaumont.
Much Expected of Radfum
When radium was first discovered its
wonders were exploited in the press
as were never those Of any other
SclenIlIlc accomplishment No limit
save that Of imagination restricted
the prophecies concerning it
Physicians. particularly, hoped for
much. Already cases of cancer have
been successfully treated with radium.
but the supply is too small to make ex-
periments on a sufficiently large scale
to determine definitely the full cura-
tive powers of the substance The
price OF radium is about $40, 900 per
gram. Consequently, only a very few
of the largest hospitals in this coun-
try have been able to make any "a
dunn tests, In. London it is possible
to rent a small supply Of radium from
the radium institute, to be used in the
treatment Of a special case. The es-
Establishment of such an institute is he
ing discussed in New York
Conservative physicians are extreme
~ loath to publish their experiments
in the use Of radium, although they
are being made continually. At the
meeting of the American Medical as
ISOLATION, in Minneapolis last month.
much consideration was given to the
treatment of skin diseases bv radium
In Berlin interest has conferred in ex-
periments looking to the cure of rheu-
matism and govt by the use Of ra-
dunn
Some tests have been made in the
treatment Of tuberculosis, but the sun
ply is too small to give much aid in
overcoming the white plague"
Radium bromide the form in which