Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-08-13

called rafaelite. At Talcuna. in the province
of Coquimbo in Chill. vanadum is found as a
yellow earth in connection with copper ore
The principal and almost the only commercial
source of supply Of vanadium at present Is from
Peru.
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 are located at Matucan and Casapal-
ca, on the Central railroad of Peru near Callao.
at Huari. and at Huancayo. but the greatest of
all deposits, now known and worked. are at
Minas Ragra.
The Ragra mines about fifty miles from
the celebrated Cerro de Pasco copper mines and
are 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
G. Co. of Lima. senor Eulogio E. Fernandini. who
engaged in mining at Cerro de Pasco and
who owned the Quisaue hacienda, about six
miles from Minas Ragra. denounced the mines
anew. Senior Fernandni had a new process for
making coke in which he proposed to use the
output of Minas Ragra. Senior Antenor RHO
Patron the technical director OF the Fernan-
DIM works. and on his attention being directed
to mass of black mineral which accompanied
the coal he became interested and made a chem
ical analysis. He thereby discovered that II
contained vanadium In a greater proportion than
any of tn. heretofore known ores of this metal.
with 30 per cent more free sulphur. IA per
cent silica. per cent iron sulphide. and about
11k per cent each nickel and molybdenum sui
phides and about 40 per cent vanadium suphide.
After burning out the free sulphur the ore con
tains about So per cent vanadium oxide
The distinguished Peruvian scientist, Senior
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 vanadum. not having been heretofore
known a natural product named rizo-
patronite by Senior Bravo in honor OF the original
discoverer of the mineral. This name II still
bears although ordinarily shortened to patronite.
Rizopatronite. according to Senior Bravo. appears
in the form Of a compact mass. dark in color
and some two meters thick tabout feet
inches). and in his opinion is disseminated over
a large extent of country around Minas Ragra.
The earth surrounding the rizo-patronite veins
is highly impregnated with vanadium solutions.
and in small catch basins this impregnated earth
is being extensively worked.
Until the recent development of vanadum In
the steel industry its commercial
less confined to ink making and coloring
fabrics and leather. The ink is made of mix
ture of neutral solution of ammonium vanadate,
gum water. and a solution of gallc acid. This
ink is not destroyed by acids akalines.
It be bleached out with chloride The ink.
however. is not very permanent. 1t dyeing fab
RIGS vanadium chlorides combined with analine
hydrochoride form a brilliant and permanent
black In colorng leather a l per cent solution
of neutral ammonium vanadate Is used with
leather which has been tanned with nutgal
The first recorded of vanadium in steel
in 1896. in France, in the production of
plates. Tests of theses showed that they
much tougher and more highly resistant