The Raymer enterprise., 1915-08-12

called rafaelite. At Talcuna in the province
of coquimbo In Chill. vanadlum Is found as a
yellow earth In connection with copper ore
The principal and almost the only commercial
source of supply Of vanadium at present is from
Peru.
There are numbers of asphaltite deposits in
Peru. among the best known OF which are those
OF fauli When burned. the ash from these de.
posts yields "a to 40 per cent vanadum oxide,
Other mines are located al Matucan and Casapal.
ca. on the Central railroad OF Peru near Caao
at Huari, and at Huaneayo, but the greatest OF
all deposits. as now known and worked are at
Minas Ragra
The Ragra mines are about fifty miles from
the celebrated Cerro de Pasco copper mines and
are In the same mining district Mnas Ragra
had been frequently denounced and again aban.
doned as coal mines The fuel was OF so poor
quality as to be hardly worth the mining
Some years ago on the abandonment by C. Weiss
& Co Of Lima. Senior Euogio f. Fernandni who
was engaged in mining at Cerro de Paseo and
who owned the Qusque hacienda. about six
miles from Minas Ragra. denounced the mines
anew Senior Fernandinl had a new process for
making coke in which he proposed to use the
output OF Minas Ragra Senior Antenor RHO
Patron was the technical director OF the Fernan.
DIM works. and on his attention being directed
to mass of black mineral which accompanied
the coal he became interested and made chem
ical analysis He thereby discovered that II
contained yanadIum In greater proportion than
any Of the heretofore known ores OF this metal
The material looks like a saty COAL is very hard
with 30 per cent or more free sulphur, IA per
cent silica, 4 per cent iron sulphde and about
~ per cent each nickel and moybdenum sui.
phides. and about 40 per cent vanadium suphide
After burning out the free sulphur the ore con.
tans about 80 per cent vanadium oxide
The distinguished Peruvian scientist Senior
Jose ]. Bravo, made very thorough examination
Of the locality and published the results In a
bulletin OF the Society OF Engineers The sui.
phide OF vanadium not having been Heretofore
known as a natural product. was named rizo.
patronite by Senior Bravo in honor OF the original
discoyerer of the mineral This name II still
bears. although ordinarily shortened to patronite
Rizo-patronite, according to Senior Bravo. appears
In the form OF a compact mass. dark in color
and some two meters thick tabout 6 feet
inchesl. and In his opinion is disseminated over
large extent OF country around Minas Ragra
The earth surrounding the rzopatronite veins
is highly impregnated with vanadium solutions,
and in small catch basins this impregnated earth
is being extensively worked
Until the recent development OF vanadium In
the steel industry its commercial use was more
or less confined to ink making and coloring
fabrics and leather The ink is made of a mix.
ture Of neutral solution of ammonium vanadate,
gum water. and a solution of gallie acid This
ink Is not destroyed by acids or alkalines, nor
can It be bleached out with chloride The ink.
however Is not very permanent II dyeing fab.
rics yanadium chlorides combined with analine
hydrochlorde form brilliant and permanent
hlunt tp Br1nr t..tt
OF neutral ammonium yanadate is used with
leather which has been tanned with nutgall
The first recorded use OF vanadium in steel
was in 1896, in France. In the production Of ar
NOR plates. Tests OF theses showed that they
were much tougher and more highly resistant