El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-21
CHDEPOSITS
FOUND IN TEXAS
Many Minerals Heretofore
Imported Have Been
Discovered in State.


large deposits of many of the minerals
and mineral products which the trade
If the United States has heretofore
been obtaining from the countries of
Europe, particularly from Germany
Dr. William B. Phillips. Of Austin,
who for many years has occupied the
Dosition of director Of the bureau Of
economic geology and technology of
the University Of Texas, has received
inguiries from many large concerns
which use and deal in certain mineral
substances that they have heretofore
been obtaining from abroad.
They informed Dr. Phillips that they
are in the market for large Quantities
of products of certain kinds
Surveys Reveal Minerals.
The geological surveys which have
been made OF portions OF Texas under
tbe direction of DR.. Phillips revealed
man. valuable mineral deposits that
now promise to be utilized. 1t remains
altogether with the owners Of these
valuable stOrehOuses of nature whether
thew take advantage of the war situa-
ton in Europe and open their respect
i've properties to development
''That now is an opportune time for
the development of some Of the kinds
Of mineral substances that exist in
large quantities in this state, cannot
be doubted" DR.. Phillips said This
&
err than provide the information that it
possesses in regard to the existence and
character of these deposits to those
seeking it, and this we are always glad
to do"
CeIestite Found Near Austin.
Within sight of Austin are two small
mountains of a rare mineral, called
celestite, which is just now in great
demand in this country, because of the
l. ~v-sH I'D
States, which has heretofore been com
ing from Germany, is now cut Off.
Within the last few days DR.. Phillips
has received letters from large con-
Germs in the east that are manufactur-
ers and dealers in the products which
are made from celestite ore, asking to
be placed in touch with the owners of
any mineral deposits of that character
in Texas.
When the fact is considered that
celestite enters prominently into the
manufacture of every particle of red
fire powder that is made in the world
and that enormous quantities of this
powder is used for signaling, for pyro-
technics and various other purposes;
also that it is used in the manufacture
of fuses, for purifying sugar ana Tor
probably various other purposes, It's
Importance as a mineral substance may
be realized.
Good Price Offered.
THE letters that I have received Of
fer SIS to $50 per ton for the celestite
ore" DR.. Phillips said. Besides the
large deposits that exist in Mt Bonnell
and Mt. Baker, close to Austin, there is
another big body of ore in Lampasas
county, Texas, about five miles from
the town of that name, and also one near
StrickIing in Burnet county. There Is
no question as to the purity and guam
tity of the celestite in these Texas de-
pOsits. The tests and examinations
have been thorough in that respect"
No celestite has ever been mined in
the United States, but now that it is
known that the material exists in
paying quantities in Texas and that the
demand for it is large and urgent, it is
expected development operations will
be started. It is considered probable
that other large beds of the ore may
be found in the territory around Aus
tin and in the Burnet, Lampasas and
Llano sections. In appearance the
rock is like CLASSY alum. 1t is found
in pockets, it is stated.
Will Develop IchthyOI Mine.
Beyond the fact that a syndicate of
New York men recently purchased a
n large deposit of asphalt limestone
and that it is the purpose Of the own
ers to install a plant for extracting
ichthyol from the mineral substance,
DR.. Phillips has received no direct in
formation in regard to the plants for
developing this new product. It is
stated that ichthyOl is a highly priced
medicine which has heretofore been OBJ
tanned exclusively from Austria. 1t is
worth about so cents an ounce.
If the plans for extracting ichthyOl
from this asphalt limestone prove the
success that is expected it may lead to
the establishment of a large industry
in that part of the state. Besides the
deposit of raw material which this
New York syndicate has purchased
there is another large deposit of the
same character at Post mountain,
about one mile from Burnet, DR.. Phil
lips says.
Good Road Making Material.
Aside from the possible value of the
asphalt limestone deposits Of Burnet
county as a producer of ichthyol the
rock Is almost unexcelled as a road
making material" DR.. Phillips said. 1T
is almost identical in its properties
with the famous asphalt limestone of
Seysel, in southeast France, which is
used in the construction of the perfect
roads of that part Of Europe.
While on the subject of good roads,
wonder how many people know that
there is located near Marble Falls. in
Burnet county, an inexhaustible supply
of probably the best and cheapest nat
ural road making material in Texas, if
not in the whole country It is gran
lite gravel, mixed with clay. 1t is a
steam shovel proposition and can be
loaded on the cars at the extraordi-
narily low cost of about Is cents per
ton.
The roads of the Marble Falls Sec
ton are made of this material and they
are never muddy, and neither are they
ever dusty"
why is the material not used in
other parts of the state for road con-
struction?' he was asked.
Freight Rates Prohibitive.
Merely because the railroad COM
mission seems not to have recognized
the Importance and value of the de-
posit-the freight rate is prohibitive.
I am unable to understand why the
railroad commission has seen fit to put
in a rate of 81 per ton on iron ore from
Cass county to Port Bolivar, a distance
of about 300 miles, and has not given
similar encouragement to the utiIiza-
ton of the granite gravel Of Burnet
county. Certainly, iron ore is the crud-
est product that is moved by a rail-
road; why should this road making
material that is so necessary and val
liable to the people of Texas not take a
correspondingly low rate?"
That there.is a great scarcity of good
road building material in some parts
of Texas is shown by the many in
quiries which Dr. Phillips is constant
" receiving from contractors and 9TH