The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-21
ENGINEERS HEAR
TALK ON RAD|UM|
Interesting Paper on Worlds
Newest Mineral Develop
ment Is Read.

L. O. Howard, n Salt Lake mimi
engineer, and associate editor of II
salt Lake Mining Review, gave tai
last evening at the regular meeting
the Utah Society OF Engineers on II
of our radium-beaung ore
Mr.. Howard was in charge of operation
in the Greon River field early in l9l
for Philadelphia syndicate which hs
since developed into the RadIum Con
pany of America, of which Angus Can
eron is president, and which has II
dunn plant at Sellersvillc. Pa Mr.. HoT
ard said in part;
Trough discussion in technical and
rzopular magazines. doubtless propa-
nated TO a great extent by the pub
iicitv furnished by the federal bureau
of mines and the recent hearings Pc
fore q congressional committee on the
question OF Withdrawal or contfoi
of the radium- bearing lands as yet
finiooated on the public domain, ra~
dium has become a matter OF much
interest to Iaymau as we'll as SCI
enlist. It has been the insvltaoie
result Of so, much publicity that the
public has been grossly misinIorned
On the subject. both as to the con-
ditfon of the radium therapeutics and
with regard 10 tho extent and value
of our ores. Concerning our own
Utah deposits, little has been pup.
lIshed of a reliable nature and tho
bulk of the people is unaware or tho
position that Utah has today In the
furnishing of ore for IRIDIUM proouc-
ton.
The impression has been general
that we had TO look for our radium
TO Europe; that We did not know how
10 make 1t in this country; that the
we'll known ability Of foreign chem
lists had placed America in humiu-
ating position It is. however. no
eign supply. We are today making
radium in our own plants In COM
paratlvely large quantities.
In connection with the radium in
our ores there are two other metals
OF considerable importance-uranium
In Utah the ores of vanadiun1,
uranium and radium are found III
several localities In the eastern SEQ
ton. Briefly these localities may
be stated as folowst
In Uintah county; near Inde-
pendenoe, and extending into Wa
satch county; In Ora nj county, at
Moab. Dewey. Richardson and six
teen miles southeast of Thompsons;
in Emery county, near the town of
Greene River, and at Table Noun
tain, forty-five miles southeast OF
Green River, in San Juan county
carnotite has been reported from the
vicinity OF Monticello, near Dry
the southwest portion of the county
in Kane county, minerals similar 10
those at Ricba rdson are found near
Paronh: in Wayne county, in the
vicinity OF Ianksville and Frulta.
and In the Henry mountains, several
Ia lot h.np 1nca n6
AT Table mountain. Beebe and
Browning started prospecting work
on their claims as early as 1908, and
L have found In the Green River
field location notices which We're put
np about tho same time.
The ore occurs in a sedimentary
fornls ton The beds nave suffered
considerable erosion, but when this
has not been too deep. a thin bed of
quhrtzite lies on the highest portions.
6ne conglomerate. Beneath the con-
glomerate lies a coarse grained white
sandstone. underlaid by q thin seam
OF green shale.
The ore. Is found principally as an
irnpregnatlon Of the sandstone and
surface, sometimes Immediately un-
derneath tao conglomerate. at others
on top Of the shale. The couglom-
crate IS sometimes the source OF
Naluapie ore ana occdSloIahy tIle
auartzite shows a slight nlneraliza-
ton. The principal mineral is the
canary yellow oarnotite, whose color
Is often obscured, and a variety OF
earthly minerals usually accompany
H. The various minerals present a
startling array OF colorS-hlack, all
shades OF green. yellow. blood red,
The black is sometimes glossy, like
coal, sometimes talcy, and sometimes
dull earthy. These are usually the
best grades Of ore. II occurs in
pockets from a few Inches up 10 five
or six feet thick
a great deal OF trouble was lad
with analysis OF the ores. Assays on
carload lots at destination showed
the Gre 10 be too low grade 10 sell
at profit, whereas analysis made for
US had Indicated that it was OF high
grade. No chemist could be found TO
cheok the low assay, and only after
many months work was It deter
mined that this assay was correct
Even today caution Is necessary in
accepting commercial analyses for
uranium.
Utah has an undoubted, large re-
source IN carnottte ores. Lack OF
transportation ls It's chief drawha ok,
but Green River developments of the
past three months have shown that
much ore Is 10 be found where there
is no surface indication of Il; that by
going into the sandstone under the
conglomerate for six or eight feet orc
has been found, which has some evi-
dence OF being In larger pockets and
is Of higher grade
Radiunl. as put on tho market.
comes In the form OF a radium-
barium chloride, and not In the metal
lie state, A certain amount of radi-
uua contained In n relatively large
bulk OF the salt is just as effective as
the same quantity would be in the
metallic state, and, In addition, some
bulk IS given the radium prepa ration
so that it Is easily handled, divided
or applied. and the useless cost OF
producing the pure metal Is avoided.
The price at which radlum sells Mt
present ranges from $120 10 $3.50 a
miIligran1 OF metallic radium. Price
Is dependent on several factors, chief
or which Is the quality OF the prod
uct Closely connected with this fac
tor is that OF the responsibility of the
seller,