The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-12-02
MURRAY IS VISITED BY NOTED GEOLOG|sT
AND MINING ENGINEER FROM COLORADO
AN AUTHORITY ON RARE MINERALS KNOWN WRITER
ON MINING suRJEcTs-MANY OTHER EXPERTS LATELY
ATTRACTED TO NORTH SIDE

Springs, Colo, has been at Murray foI
four weeks, and has devoted the time
TO a thorough investigation and ex-
animation of the mines and prospects
OF the Prichard gold belt. Notwith-
standing the weather was In the main
disagreeable and discouraging for such
visit, the elements were not much
OF check to Mr.. Kennan. In one OF
the severest snowstorms experienced
so far this winter he sturdily SORTED
forth with his young and robust guide
to the crest of the Bitter Root range,
on the Idaho and Montana line, some
10 miles from Murray, where snow
was encountered three feet In depth,
and in some places deeper. The trip
was made in two days, all on foot on
his return he casually remarked that
1t was Sunday school picnic trip in
comparison with many he has made
in winter on the Great Divide" He
has walked and crawled through tun-
nels, drifts and slopes of mines aban-
doned for years, some almost entirely
caved in. He did not ask like ten
derfoot why this and that mine had
been closed down, but "nosed about"
to see for himself whether there had
been any basic cause for the work
and improvements. now rapidly fall
ing into decay or already gone to
wreck. What his conclusions were
and bic In oh g.
this thorough search, while known to
the writer must be postponed, as a
matter of news, for a later cores
pondence. No man has ever given
such general and careful study to
the mineral resources of the North
Side Of the Coeur dAlenes, and when
he leaves the field he will carry
fund of information that will in the
future not be a detriment to the dis
trict.
An Authority on Rare Metals.
Mr.. Kennan is a mining geologist
and engineer of prominence in Colo
RADIO and elsewhere He has piled his
profession from Alaska and British
possessions to the old City OF Mexico.
One Of his best known exploits was
the finding development and handling
Of the Hartville or Sunrise" iron dis
trict, about 80 miles north of Chey-
enne, Wyo. This district was sold to
the Colorado Fuel and Iron company
when John w. Gates was in control of
that oon1p papy ond ciuoo 1000 hos vro
duced practically all the iron ore
which has made steel west of the
Mississippi river-in area two-thirds
of the United States. Mr. Kennan
can board a train at Denver and lover
the D. & r. G. and Western Pacific
railways) ride to the Pacific ocean all
the way on rails produced from ores
Of his own finding Many other west
ern lines are now laid with rails from
these ores.
His More Recent Research.
Since the discovery Of radium he
has given much attention to the rare
and semi-rare minerals, and is con-
sidered an authority along those lines
Of mineral research. While in MUIR
ray he has received from other min
Ing engineers several rare specimens,
notably among those seen by the
writer one Of vanadate of lead and
another of molybdenite. The vana-
date Of lead was sent him from central
Nevada, and he states that the min
eral would be of considerable value If
Il carried as high as 25 per cent of
a new district in the Pacific north
west, and there are said to be large
bodies of it. Both of these metals are
quite rare, and have only recently
come into extensive commercial use.
The vanadate of lead has the appear
lnce of hardened carbonate of soft
cad ore, and the molybdenite re-
sembles rolled lead or tin foil embed
led in a ed-brown quartz and iron.
Mr.. Kennan when he leaves here will
return to Colorado via Washington
Ind Oregon to examine the discovery.
The metal has now been found in
many places in the western United
States, quite recently in the Cascades,
where Peter L. Spaulding, now of
was sent two years ago by
Spokane parties to develop prospect
however, came Of it, so far
is the writer has heard. The deposits
If this mineral are most often lack
ng both in quantity and quality. The
use for molybdenite is in
hardening, toughening and strength
ming STEEL and with the now ram
,ant carnage in Europe would com
nand present value Of about $4,000
Der ton. But molybdenite is much
lighter than lead vanadate and tung-
Iten minerals, and 1t would require
greater bulk to make
on. Albert Allen, the well known To-
,al and Spokane attorney. informed
he writer recently that he also had
'ome molybdenite prospects In Ore
gon, and It is to be hoped they are In