Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1915-07-08
POTASH DISCOVERED
IN OKLAHOMA

Il Scme time ago announce nent
came from the general offices OF
Rock Island Lines in Chicago, that
indie lions of potash deposits had
been d scovered in the Panhandle of
Texas. Further Investigations have
since been made with the result
tn t the Texas Bureau of Geology
has found the discoveries so i'm
portant as to merit special bulle-
tin that will attract internationa al
attention.
The war in Europe shut off the
Am sr-can importations of potash,
causi g shortage that has been
ksenly f it, and spurlirg biologists
to greater efforts to find a source
of supply in this country that would
make the agricultural and other in
dustries Independent of the German
Iii min s, which now practically
control the worlds output. Potash
inns its greatest use as fertilizer
and American imports have run as
high as 100000 a year.
Previous reports were based on
indications found in we'll at Spur,
Texas. and at time was thought the
location of the deposits would be
disclosed somewhere in Southwestern
Oklahoma. Later Investigations how
ever, Lads to the belief that the
sou ce of the potash is in the imme-
date vicinity of Amarillo, Texas.
this being placed on analysis of rock
from borngs at Glenrio, Boden and
Mill-r. Potash bearing salts were
found in wells at these points at
depths so much shallower than the
u discover at Spur. that biologists
are convinced they are now near the
source. Following is quoted from
bullet OF the Texas Bureau of Geo
lazy.
"One We S significant feature of
the occur. exec of the red potash
bearing salt is that it is found near
or in the upper part of the principal
salt be explored. Six hundred
feet of salt u d arlies the red potash
bearing 1T in the Miller boring
and 500 fest underlies the same ma
terial in the Boden boring. 1t seems
very uni k ly that this condition
should have been reached at the
same time in two places thirty mile:
apa: this being the distance be-
tween the Boden and Miller behring's
w thout re sulting in the deposition
S mewhere of considerable quaint
ties of potash salts. With evidence
tn satu alton for potash salts
/ was attained in two places and per-
haps in three, (Adrian) so far apar
this condition nay be presumed te
have been quite general"
An lys of the red salt" secured
from tn Sc behring's showed in one
case as high as 9.23 per cent OF po-
fash.
The wlit5r of the bulletin, Prof
j. A Uddan, concludes:
"Ev rything considered, the pre-
sent WI BELIEVES that the pro
blematic existence of utilizable po-
fash in association with the Per-
milan 1t beds in the southwest is
by thesa finds, rendered sufficiently
p OBJ BILE to war; ant the beginning
OF eAp orat'o to settle the ques-
ton OF its pres ance or absence"
1t futher pointed out that these
explorations should be made in the
vicinity of the three wells named
and that ext i siye salt beds, under
lie not only the greater part of the
panh IN IL :, but extend south to Up
ton county, Tasas, and west into
New Mexico.
Some id a of the Importance vi
tn Sc discoveries and their develop
ment may be formed by considering
the following figures concerning
the &c man potash industry, which
centels at the town of Stassfurt
near the Harz mountains:
Numb of men employed in the
min S, $4,000.
Wcrld's smand for potash a.
mounts to over 100000 tons g
year, the bulk of which is supplied
by the Stassfurt mines.
Importatiors by the United States
in Gill, 1,O02,S26 tons for fertili-
zr Iurpos and 22,S2S tons for in.
dustrial use.
| Chemical works are located at tn,
m n to refine the crude salts and
pep re the product fer it's CONNER
Gil uses, which incule besides fer
LEES, the manufacture of carbo-
. nate of potash, caustic potash, nj
trate of potash, chlorate of potash
and other compounds used by doc