Norwich bulletin., 1915-07-28
PRODUCTION OF RADIuM
FROM COLORADO cARNoTITE.
Has Passed Experimental stage-ls
Now on q Successful Manufacturing
Basis

Washington, July 27.@Secretary Of
the interior Franklin K Lane an
nounced today that the production of
radium from Colorado carnotite ores
by the Bureau of Mines, in connection
with the National Radium Institute
Its new process and is now on a
| successful manufacturing basis. He
also declared that the statements
made to congress concerning the
ability of the Bureau of Mines to
produce radium at a greatly decreas-
| actually been accomplished and that
the costs were even less than pre-
| dicted.
The cost Of one gram Of radium
metal produced in the form of bro
mide during March. April and May
I informed by DIR. Charles l.. Parsons,
in charge Of the radium investigations
| of the bureau. This includes the cost
of ore, insurance. repairs, amortiza-
| ment, cost Of Bureau of Mines CO.
operation, and all expenses incident
to the production of high grade ra-
| dunn bromide. When you consider
| that radium has been selling for $780,
| 900 and $4,000 a gram. you will see
| just what the Bureau of Mines has
| accomplished along these lines,
The cost of producing radium in
the small experimental plant during
the first few months Of the Bureaus
activities was somewhat higher but
not enough to seriously effeft the H.
nal average.
1.-THE public. however, should not In
| fer that this low cost OF production
necessarily means an immediate drop
/ In the selling price Of radium- The
National Radium Institute was fortu-
nate in securing through the Crucible
| Steel company the right to mine ten
claims of carnotite ores belonging to
/ them and this was practically the only
| ore available at the time. Since
then new deposits have been opened
but these are closely held and accord
ing to the best judgment Of the ex-
perts employed by the Bureau of
Mines the Colorado and Utah fields,
which are much richer in radium bear
ing ores than any other known. will
supply ore for few years only at the
rate Of production that obtained when
the European war closed down the
mines. The demand for radium will
also increase rapidly, for the two or
| three surgeons who have a sufficient
| to speak from experience are obtaining
| results in the cure of cancer that are
increasingly encouraging as their
knowledge of its application improves.
| A few more reports like that present
ed to the American Medical ascocia-
l
ing and the medical profession as a
whole will be convinced of its efficien-
cy. Under all the circumstances that
| have come to my. knowledge II does
seem to me that It behooves the gov
eminent to make some arrangement
whereby these deposits, so unique in
their extent and their richness, may be
conserved in the truest sense for our
people. by extracting the radium from
the ores where II now lies useless and
putting It to work for the eradication
Of cancer in the hospitals Of the Army
and Navy of the Public Health Service,
1.-THE ten carnotite claims being OPP
Grated at Long Park, Colorado. by the
National Radium Institute have al
ready produced over $50 tons Of ore
averaging above two per cent uranium
oxide. The cost of ore delivered at the
radium plant In Denver has averaged
$3.50 per ton. This includes Is per
cent royalty, salary Of Bureau OF
Mines employees. amortization OF
camp and equipment and all expenses
incident to the mining, transportation
grinding and sampling of the ore.
"A concentrating plant for low grade
ores has been erected at the mines