The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1915-02-06

Among the important industries
that have been affected by the war in
Europe is the production of man
ganese ore and alloys. The ores are
used in the manufacture of glass
and dry batteries, and the alloys are
essential in the manufacture Of
steel. In 1913 the United States re-
ceived from Russia and India about
three-fourths of the manganese ore
required for domestic use and i'm
ported from England and Germany
about half the amount of ferroman-
ganese needed by the steel industry.
ID. F. Hewett of the United States
geological survey, who has examin-
ed the figures showing the imports
of these materials for the first nine
months of 1914, states that the re-
ceipts of manganese ore have been
42,550 tons. or 16 per cent less, and
those of ferromanganese 37,420
tons, or 81 per cent less than for the
corresponding period of 1918. AS
the Russian ore is shipped from the
ports of Poti and Ratum on the
Black Sea, through the Bosporus,
the entrance of Turkey into the war
in October and the consequent clos
ing of the straits to English ships
will greatly curtail if not complete
ly stop the export of all Russian ore.
1t seems probable, therefore, that
the receipts of ore during the last
three months of 1914 were much
less than for the corresponding per-
iod of 1913. The imports of ore for
the entire year of 1914 were prob
ably at least 25 per cent and of fer
r~omanganese 40 per cent less than
for the preceding year.
The rise in prices of ore and fer
romanganese reflects the decline in
imports. According to the schedule
published by the Carnegie Steel COM
pany, this rise ranges from so cents
to 81 a ton, according to the grade.
The price for standard so per cent
ferrOmanganese was almost constant
at $40 a ton until August. Dur
ing the few weeks of confusion fol-
lowing the outbreak of the war, ex-
traordinary prices reaching as high
as $140 a ton were quoted, though
it is probable that little was sold at
prices above 500 a ton. From Aug
ust there vas a steady decline of
$62 a ton until November. and re-
Gently the price has risen to $50 a
ton. The price of spiegeleisen has
shown similar variations, but to a
less degree, ranging from a mini
mum of $22 in May to $26 a ton at
present.
The effect of this shortage of ore
in the United States and the conse
quent rise in prices has been to
stimulate interest in domestic man
ganese deposits and to cause vigor-
Gus development of producing mines.
Although several mines previously
idle have been reOpened, no import
ant new sources appear to have been
found. Estimates of production
from a few mines only are available,
but it is doubtful if the total pro-
duction of ore for 1914 greatly ex-
ceeded if it eve equaled hat for
1913, which was 4,04S tons. An in
teresting consequence of the short
age of ferromanganese has been the
attempt to establish new reduction
plants to use sources of ore hither-
to not available. The Noble Elec-
trio Steel company, having access to
cheap electrical opwer at Heroult,
Cal, is attempting to establish the
industry, using ores from Mendocino
county. In the east the success of
the attempt to make a lOw-grade