The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-08-26

For Infants and Children
In Use For Over 80 Years
s.sas H. s' o, &%zzzzz@
A MAINE MINING BOOM.
[Boston Sunday Herald. I

Boston Sunday Herald.
Since August began the mining indus
try has had a great boom over in Hancock
county, all as a result of the demand of
the warning nations for such curious
minerals as manganese and molly bdenite.
The great and varied mineral wealth of
Maine has not been more than scratched
thus far in the development of the State.
Events in Hancock county are calling at
tention to opportunities that have been
neglected. 1t is due to the enterprise of
c. Vey Holman of South Thomaston that
the old magnanese mine at the top of
Bluehill mountain is again humming with
activity. Mr.. Holman has had a varied
and romantic career. Once he was pro-
minent in political affairs. Of late his
interest has been more in geological
matters. About four years ago, during
visit to Bluehill, he observed traces of
manganese in the gardens of the town.
He traced them to the top Of the noun
tain behind the town and learned then of
the forgotten old manganese mine that
had been operated there almost half
century ago. In the old days 100.0 900
tons of manganese were mined there and
taken to the Katahdin Iron Works to be
used in the manufacture of steel. Later
the discovery of deposit in New Bruins
wick, where shipment to Katahdin by
out of business But now manganese
has climbed to the lofty figure of $125 a
ton and the world has use for every
source of supply.
Mr.. Holman had vision of what was
coming and so, four years ago, he OBJ
tanned on option of the Bluehill mountain
ho
price of manganese did not warrant work.
ing the mine, so ne bided his time. His
option was for only two years, and when
he went back this summer to renew it,
in view of the new demand for the miner
al that the war has created, he found
that Andrew Carnegie was ahead of him
and had an option on the mine. Mr..
Carnegie had only short time option,
however, and when he fell sick at his
summer home at Bar Harbor, only few
miles away, he failed to get it renewed.
1t was at this point, Aug. l, that Mr..
Holman got busy and when the ink was
drying on the papers that gave him con-
troll of the mountain again he hurried
force of men up the slope and set them
to work. The properties of manganese
are to harden both iron and steel and in
ALLY to give them an almost COM
plete lack of magnetic properties. But
this particular mine has no monopoly of
the sensations of the day in Hancock
county.
Over in the town of Franklin, near by,
is Catherine hill, which is also owned by
Mr.. Holman and which experts say is the
worlds richest supply of molybdenite:
This is also used in hardening iron andsteel
and is 80 much in demand that the present
quotations are about $4,000 ton. A year
ago the price was about $500 ton. Most
of the molybdenite now used in the world
comes from Australia. English experts
have been studying the Catherine hill
deposits of late, and since their visit Mr..
Holman calmly makes the announcement
that he is about to install an ore crushing
machine that will have capacity of sew
eral hundred tons daily-several hundred
tons of ore, be it understood, not several
hundred tons of molybdenite at $4,000
each. And German experts in the in
terests of the Krupps have been here
also, so it is said by those who ought to
know So the plot thickens and Hancock
county views the rainy weather with
great equanimity.