El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-09-12

sea and that the nitrate came from
rbe decaving of the nlI 5enOLs SCI
weed Another theory i ~ 81 belj-
rnonia which arose from tHS 90 oSus
- s-,7ano in the Islands OF the west
coast was carried by lhe " LLlus ~ tuS
mainland where II COlleg - s -.
united with the olneT CIlSi4t 49, -,
oil TO form the deposits a tllLu s sly-
r,oefrion is that the nitrales came from
certain electrical dischaI ges OF the
h-ies which combined with the ar so
as to make nitric acld' w aS.u S
ing deposited in these Deus III Ine
form of nitrate OF SOFA --.t.s-..--
None Of these theories Is sa1tsLaclory'
and vet the scientists have httle oetter 10
- mr. Walter S Tower OF the Chi
-, ,,,,iJ-ersitv- SAYS they have come from
a 9reat lagoon which was loIIneo IN ms
region by the rising OF ne - ~ "a 49,
a Wv that Il formed the nome % q "oLL9
. - I5fs The lagoon was SHALLOW and
The birds waded through u anu Leu On -
shores Their dropping formed suaH9' ~
- s,-srorarion went on this combined with
49, lbaT1icals in the water and soil and
ft7e resuIt was nitrate OF SODA AT any rae
ne nitrates have been preserved uy me
irv1ess OF the desert Wnlch les Ho Lllols-
- - 1esrb them out OF the soil
Land PIoy-eS TP by Giants
v,,,.-s she mining IS done the land looks
as though it had been ploWe9 W ~ sl@htS MS
rho earth lies in mammoth COOS OF al
gbanes and sizes, and beyond are nothing
but bleak and bare SAND IheIs Is no sen =.
OF vegetation nor NE OF az ~. N steS -
sna ana H. a.. 80 1sces white and in others
yellow gray. lemon colored or green Inc
nitrate lies in beds or strata AZ some US -
raDca under the surface; ana the ueLhou
- Getting IL out IS TO bore a round mole a
foot in diameter through Ine layers OF sa l u
and rock above it and blow 1t out with
i, ~ rdy3tier is made on the spot and
+ts+ out of nitrate similar to that which II
is to blow up me OaS my l,li-5,,- Tbs eT
,Iosior, breaks up the earth for a radius OF
a. feer around the charge. and the charges
are put in in rows 50 ma ny liit---i i -
bssr broken il is dug up with picks and
~rovbars II is broken up into Jumps OF
80. and be taken TO the factories where
II IS further reduced by machinery made
-O' me Reduction Plants
Thar have been but few changes in the
r,a+bods 81 nitrate reduction since 1 visited
this region now more than 10 years ago
: There are many more officinas, as the
nitrate factories are called anu the OUT
1ur has been uuadrupled; but the methods
Z q working are just about the same Inc
] average officina is a COLLECTION OF greaI
/ buildings with tall smokestacks rising above
them II has thousands Of dollars worth
OF costly machinery, vast tanks Tor ooliins
the nitrate rock and crushers IKE those OF a
snelter that break the rock 10 pieces II
has settling watts in which the liquor con-
tanning the pure nitrate OF SODA is ieLL'
until il has dropped its burden OF Ealuaoie
.
the salts and shipping them down 10 the
+ seacoast over the railroad, o.,
Some Of the largest plants OF TINS KIND
{ cost millions Of pesos and some OF them
( employ hundreds Of men Some have an
Z output OF half million pounds Of nitrate
Der day. and there is one which markets
Z in a good season as much as zuv.OvO'vO.
Enough to Last World for so Years
In nv talks with the nitrate experts OF
Chile I have learned much as TO the pres
emf extent Of the fields and their future
Agencies Limited. estimates that Ihere j.
enough salt in sight 10 run the world IoI
I so wears more at the present rate OF con-
sumption, and there are others VINO sa.
that the nitrate fields Will last for more
! rban a century There are three provinces
500. 600 OOO. 600 pounds others OF the estl'
! mates are lower. some claiming mat there
B are now left only about -OO,OOU,vuV.uJl
J pounds These estimates do not take into
] account the new fields which are sure 70
! be found nor the possibilities OF working
still contain a large percentage Of nitrates
| Indeed one OF the great opportunities Iol
the inventors Of the future lies right here
1 in these arid deserts Of Chile The callcnt
} as il is brought from the mines seldom
I averages more than Is percent Of nitrate
! Of soda and by the present methods Of re-
duction fully S percent Is LETT In ths
l refuse That means that 40 percent OF the
I nitrate contents are still in these greal
/ dumps. surrounding the officinas, and thai
I II this can be saved II will add 10 ms
/ world 40 percent OF all the nitrate so Far
D taken out Of the earth Such product
{ would be worth hundreds Of millions Of
J dollars -
| These fields have been mined since 1880
and in 1859, at the time Of the Peruvian