The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-03-24
For Southern Pottery Plants.

That the mining of domestic
withdrawing clays is almost in its
infancy and that America must look
to the South for its supply of such
clays are the conclusion of paper
by Joel H. Watkins, geologist of the
industrial and agricultural depart
ment of the Southern Railway Co.,
presented at the last meeting of the
American Institute of Mining Engi-
neers. His paper dealt with the
residual china clays of North Caro-
lima, Virginia, and Georgia, the sedi-
mentary paper clays of South Caro-
lima and Georgia and the sedimen-
tary ball clays of Florida and Ten
nessee with reference to the pocket
deposits of white clay in Augusta
county, Virginia; the bauxitic kaolin
of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama,
and the halloysite deposits of Ten
nessee and Georgia. The mining
of these clays has become an i'm
portant industry in the Southern
Appalachian States with the nicreas-
ing demand for them in the manu-
facture of white ware and cream
colored ware, bone, delft and belleck
chinaware, sanitary ware, porcelain
electrical supplies, architectural
terra-cotta, tiles for walls and floors
paper and filters in paints, plasters,
pastes, putty and school crayons.
But the total production of them
in North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida and Tennessee in
1913 aggregated only 1858 tons,
valued at $788,409, in a total pro-
duction in the United States of 1877
276 tons, valued at $892,759. In
the same year this country produced
S31, ,443,450 of white-burned clay
ware and imported S9,340,890 worth.
For domestic manufacture 268666
tons, valued at S1,623,993, were i'm
ported, practically displacing domes-
tic raw material, which experts re-
gard as having no superior if pro-
perly handled.
Reciting these facts, Mr.. Watkins
insists that not only should this coun-
try supply sufficient quantity of
this clay for its own demands, but
should become a competitor in for
eign markets. He recognizes that
there are reasons why such a desir-
BILE situation has not developed, but
only reasons that can be readily
overcome. For instance, against
the objection of American potters
that domestic clays are not uniform
in character, he opposes the fact that
the United States Bureau of Mines
has advocated central depot for the
proper mixing and grading, under
supervision of a trained ceramic
chemist, of the output of a number
of mines, and he argues that such
plant could be operated in North
Carolina, South Carolina OF Georgia,
and that if successfully engineered,
it would stimulate greatly the min
ing of kaolin by mall Operators, in
ducing higher price than domestic
clay is now bringing. Against the
further objection that American
white clays are not more extensive
ly used because most of the mines
are remote from the manufacturing
centers he argues that. althouoh
most of the clays now mined in the
Southern Appalachian States is ship
ped for manufacture distances rang
ing from 400 to 700 miles, if the
clays were properly prepared and
sold under guarantee, the pottery
plants would get closer to the sourc-
es of the raw material.
Natural gas in West Virginia has
in recent years brought that State,
with an annual output valued at
s3,500,000, to the rank of third
among the States in the value of pot
terry products. It is but another step
to the olcation of potteries closer to
the raw materials in abundance. The
South has the fuels and the mate
rials in abundance. 1t will do wise
ly applying the suggestions that ma
terials will be so handled as to appeal
more strongly than at present to
American manufactures. and, at the
same time, to leave nothing undone
that may contribute to the building
up of convenient markets for the fin
ished products.-Manufacturer's Re-
cord.