Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-22
bow the War Affects Us.
XXx.-As to Radium.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

The scene of radium production
shifts from the laboratories of Europe
to the laboratories of the United States
Radium supremacy and richer home
supply of this rare mineral are among
the spoilS falling to the share of our
neutrality While the mother CONT
nent is expanding the vigors of her
old age in war dissipations, this coun-
try is entering into it's heritage of the
twentieth century and such other cen
turtles shall find it still in the pos
session of it's present stamina
War has stopped the export of our
radium- bearing ores. These ores must
now be worked at home, with conse-
quent larger supply of the wonderful
metal for American hospitals. physi-
clans and research laboratories. The
price of radium will, also. doubtless
be lowered by home production, en-
aiding our physicians to investigate all
the secrets of it's curative properties.
Hitherto, Europe has sold our ra-
dunn with reckless disregard for our
financial ambitions. At the European
rate. Il pound or so of radiup: would
about offset our whole export
The worlds richest known radium
source is within the United States. The
csrnotite ores, mined in Utah and Col
orado, and containing the uranium OK
Ide from which radium is extracted,
have supplied Europe with a great part
of its supply. According to the figures
of the bureau of mines, carnotite ores
carrying 2S.s tons of uranium oxide
were produced in 1912 and practically
the entire amount was exported. 1t
was estimated that radium equivalent
to 11.43 grams of anhydrous radium
bromide could have been obtained from
the exported ore. In 1913, radium ap-
prcximately equivalent to IS grams
shipped in the ore to be recovered by
foreign producers.
While this country possesses the larg-
est known supply of radium- bearing
minerals, its
Production of Radium pro duction
Comparatively Small. salts is
small. With the exception of ore
mined and used by two American firms,
practically every pound is sent abroad
There has been some agitation for the
holding of these ores at home, or for
government ownership and supervision
of their production. A bill, initiated
by the Secretary of the Interior, which
provides for the withdrawal of radium
lands is still pending in Congress.
III general, however, americans have
shown little interest in these deposits,
which have not yet been duplicated in
SO far quantity goes in any part
of the world The only other large de
posits of radium- bearing ore known
those in Austria. The Austrian
government has considered them of
enough importance to take entire
charge of them These mines are
found in st. Joachimsthal Radium-
bearing minerals are found also at Jo-
hanngeorgenstadt. Marienberg, Fret
berg and Schneeberg in Saxony; in Bo-
hernia, in Portugal and in South Aus
tralia.
According to an estimate prepared by
the bureau of mines. American ores
supplied more than twice as much ra-
dunn i'll 1912 as was obtained from all
other sources This estimate placed
the amount produced from American
minerals at an equivalent of IS grams
of radium chloride. or I1.43 grams of
radium bromide, worth, at the present