The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-08-13

called rafaelite. At Talcuna. in the province
Of Coqumbo in Chilli vanadium is found
yellow earth in connection with copper ore.
The principal and almost the only commercial
source of supply of vanadum at present is from
Peru.
There are numbers of asphatite deposits in
Peru, among the best known of which are those
of Yauli When burned, the ash from these de-
posits yields "a to 40 per cent vanadium oxide.
Other mines located at Matucan and Casapal-
ca, on the Central railroad Of Peru near Callao,
at Huar and at Huancayo. but the greatest Of
all deposits, known and worked, are at
Minas Ragra.
the celebrated Cerro de Pasco copper mines and
in the same mining district. Minas Ragra
had been frequently denounced and again aban-
doned coal mines The fuel was Of so poor
a quality as to be hardly worth the mining.
Some years ago on the abandonment by c Weiss
& Co. of Lima, Senior Euogio r. Fernandni who
was engaged in mining at Cerro de Pasco and
who owned the Quisque hacienda, about six
miles from Mnas Ragra, denounced the mines
anew. Senor Fernandini had process for
making coke in which he proposed to use the
output OF Minas Ragra. Senior Antenor RHO
Patron was the technical director of the Fernan-
dini works, and his attention being directed
TO mass OF black mineral which accompanied
the coal he became interested and made chem
ical analysis. He thereby discovered that IL
contained vanadium in a greater proportion than
any OF the Heretofore known of this metal.
The material looks like a slaty coal. is very hard.
with 80 per cent or more free sulphur, IA per
cent silica per cent iron sulphide and about
u per cent each nickel and molybdenum sui
phides. and about 40 per cent vanadium sulphide.
After burning out the free sulphur the con-
tains about 50 per cent vanadium oxide.
The distinguished Peruvian scientist Senor
Jose J. Bravo, made very thorough examination
OF the locality and published the results in
bulletin of the Society OF Engineers. The sui.
phide OF vanadium. not having been Heretofore
known as natural product. named rizo-
patronte by Senior Bravo In honor OF the original
dscoverer of the mineral This name it still
bears although ordinarily shortened to patronte.
Rizopatronite. according to Senor Bravo. appears
in the form OF compact mass dark in color
and some two meters thick (about feet 6
inchesl, and in his opinion is disseminated over
large extent Of country around Minas Ragra
The earth surrounding the rizopatronite veins
is highly impregnated with vanadium solutions
and in small catch basins this impregnated earth
is being extensively worked
Until the recent development Of vanadium in
the steel industry its commercial use was more
or less confined 20 ink making and cooring
fabrics and leather The ink Is made OF mix
ture Of neutral solution Of ammonium vanadate,
gum water, and solution OF gallic acid This
ink is not destroyed by acids or alkalines. nor
can il be bleached out with chloride. The ink.
however is not very permanent It dyeng fab
RIGS vanadium chlorides combined with analine
hydrochlorde form a brilliant and permanent
black. In coloring leather a | per cent solution
of neutral ammonium vanadate is used with
leather which has been tanned with nutgall
The first recorded use OF vanadium in steel
was In 1896. in France in the production OF ar
NOR plates. Tests OF theses showed that they
were much tougher and more highly resistant