Bisbee daily review., 1913-09-16
RICHES IN RAD|Uh WILL BE CONSERVED
Productive Ores Formerly Wasted in United States Contain Vast Wealth.
tBy Frederlek J. Haskln.l

hadluLls the EafeSt and most val
 uable of earthly substances, until -e-
 gently Els been produced only in Europe. although the United States
 has larger supplies Of radium-produc. ing ores than any other country. W nat has been carefully treasureo
 and conserved in European mines las been thrown on dump piles as
 waste in America.
 Radium now is worth S2,5OO,0OO an
 ounce. Pt ,appens that the total kTown supply ID the world today amounts to only a little less than an ounce and a half. The most mi- mute particles are treasured ana guarded with more zeal and care than ever were the crown jewels of ty- rant And this is the sort Of stun we have been wasting!
 Until last year all of the radiuni- producing ores mined in this country
 were shipped to Europe. An inyestl- gatlon by the United States bureau
 of mines developed this fact, and at the same time the more important one hat the American supply of ores was the greatest in the world. Un- til the present year no American Ta- dium was on the market and only one firm in this country was actual ly producing it. Within the past siN
 months three other laboratories have entered the fieiG, out u1e value D. their product is as yet problematicaL In the mean time American seiea lists are paying fabulous prices in Europe for radium which probably has been made from American ores All such ores as are not up to the high standard required by the Euro peans laboratories are tnown away. although much of the rejected ore
 may contain a sufficiently high per
 centage of radiUm to be worth treat
 ng in this country.
 Radium is an element It is recoy.
 cred from pitchblende and other ores.
 It was discovered by Mme Curie h experimenting with pitchblende taken from a mine at St. Joaehimsthal, H Bohemia. Immediately upon the an- nouncement of the discovery the Aus.
 tran government assumed control oi
 the. mine. 1t entered into an agree mentment with the Academy of Sci-
 ence of Vienna under which the pitch blende ores were to be worked up
 for experiment in an Austrian radi- um institute. Radium institutes have Jeen established by the governments of Austria, England, France. and Ger many cut the UnIued States govern menf has manifested no direct intel est in the subject. The experiment. made in al, OI these institutes, espe- cially in that of Austria, were con ducted with the greatest care be- cause the scaintiness of the ore sup
 ply was recognized. It is sad taat ! the St. Joachimsthal mines already are practically exhausted. Less than six tons Of pitcbDlende were m.ned | n 1911, and none at all in 1912. The universal recognition of the wonderful properties of radium, which | followed close upon it's discovery. caused the worldwide quest for ores
 that would yIeId it. Small deposits | were fund in Cornwall, England, ana | in Australia. Both were promptly placed under government control Little attention was paid to the mat CT in the Uinted States. However. | a few weeks ago the bureau of mines announced that the United States led ! IaI the countries in its Tedlu. pro i ducing ores. This announcement ere ated no lttle surprise in the sci3n' tifiic world, and a movement $ now
 on foot to bring about the cCnserva' tion of these resources for the bene' it of the world at large and of Amer can scientists particularly.
 The story Of radium Is romance | If began with the love of a ycaB2 H1lish gir! for a French scientist She loved also his science and mar red him that she might help hin lin his work. He aided her studies and i researches. and they lived togetEel in a .aboratory, seeking the undi= covered secrets of nature. in the lopinion of many scientists it was iony the gallantry of loving bus
 band that accorded to Mme Curt'
 the credit for discovering radium
 thus giving her the title Of the great
 est woman scientist in the world Those who take this view insist that ltt was Professor Curie who Giscov
 cred the new element, although they
 IaCmit that he was aided in the labor
 story by his wife and Dy an assist
 ant, a young scientist named Beau
 1 mont