New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1915-02-06
LOUISIANA RICH IN MIN
ERAL PRODUCTS.

/ ly ISSUED by the teoi0glcaI our
vey on the Mineral Products o
the United States for 1913. o.
Page 81 vod will find statemer
, about louisiana, which am ST..
would prove quite interesting anc
, instructive to yoCr readers, i
you care to publish it. In look
ing over it | was much pleased
to note that while the mineral
wealth Of Louisiana was less than
one million dollars a year at the
beginning Of the present century,
1t exceeded twenty-one million
dollars in 1913.
1t is also gratifying to know
that Louisiana is practically our
only producer of sulphur. She is
second in rock salt and fifth in
the amount of her oil products.
Indeed. we are getting to be a
very respecta Bile mining State
and | doubt if the facts embodied
in this report are known in de-
tail, though many of our people
have general ideas on the subject.
JOS. f. RANSDELL.
Since 1904, when the Frasch
process for the recovery of sui
phur was put i'll operation in Lou
isiana, that State has stood pre-
emlnently III the lead as a pro
ducer of this mineral, and in the
10 years from 1904 to 1913, in
elusive, pproximately 3.0O0,G1O
tons of refined sulphur have been
recovered. Prior to 1904 the
source of sulphur in quantity in
the United States was iron pyrite.
from which sulphuric acid is made
direct. Nearly all of the sulphur
used was imported from Sicily.
though small quantities have been
produced in Utah and Nevada.
The Nevada and Utah deposits are
no longer active, but a small!
quantity Of sulphur is now pro
duced in Wyoming, and during
1913 the production of sulphur
was begun in quantity in Texas
by a process similar to the one in
operation in Louisiana. In 1903,
one year before the production of !
sulphur in Louisiana began to ex-
srt an influence on the market. I
The imports Of sulphur (crude and
amounted to 191 ,O33 long
;ons, valued at 5000, 500, and
he domestic production was less
han 5000 tons. In 1913 the mar
leted production of domestic sui
blur was 1880 long tons, val
led at $5,479,S49, most of which
vas from Louisiana, and the i'm
'orts amounted to only 22,605,
ons, valued at $44S,564. The
marketed production Of domestic
ulphur in 1913 was approximate
y 10 times the imports, which
low exert relatively no influence
n the American markets. AL
horgh since 1904, and until
developments in Brazor;a County
'exas, in 1913, Louisiana has had
lmost a practical monopoly in
he production of sulphur in the !
'nited States, sulphur mining is
OF the chief source contributing
, the mineral wealth Of the State. ;
'wo years before the develop
tent of the sulphur resources at /,
ulphur City prospecting for pc {
'oleum in the vicinity of Jen- :
lngs resulted in the discovery !,
nd development of several i'm /,
ortant oil pools. During the !,
ecade which followed the dis :
'very at Jennings, other pro- :,
uctiye areas have been developed :
several portions Of the State, :
nd now Louisiana ranks fifth !,
nong the States in the quantity :,
OIL produced and eighth in the ;
ilqe of the product. Prior to ;,
lie oil developments in 1902 and :
e beginning Of the sulphur pro- h
lotion in 1904, Louisiana could \
lrdlv be considered as having =
~ claim to recognition as a min :
g State. In the report on the :,
'oduction of sulphur in 1913 the :.
tai marketed production is Civ G
as 81, $50 long tons. most of
hich was from Louisiana, but the
ate figures may not be publish q
because of the necessity foi -
aintaining the confidential char ="
ter of individual reports. The .
antlty of sulphur actually pro- y
ced was considerably in excess 81
that marketed in both 1912 and y
Is, but as the reports of the ~ ~
rvey are based upon the mar .
ted output and not upOn the III