The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-07-29
REDUCTION IN
COST OF RADIUM

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
has passed the experimental stake in
its new process and is now on a sue
cessful manufacturing basis. He also
declared that the statements made to
Congress concerning the ability of the
Bureau of Mines to produce radium at
greatly decreased cost over other
processes had actually been accom-
plished and that the costs were even
less than predicted
"The cost of one gram of radium
metal produced in the form of bromide
during March, April and May of the
present year was $36,050, | am inform
ed by DIR. Charles l.. Parsons, in charge
OF the radium Investigations of the bu-
reau. This includes the cost of the ore
insurance, repairs, amortization allow
anee for plant and equipment, cost of
Bureau of Mines cooperation, and all
expenses incident to the production of
high grade radium bromide When you
consider that radium has been selling
for 100000 and 100000 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 Bureau 3
activities was somewhat higher but
not enough to seriously affect the final
average.
he cb s.fn
ever, 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 earnotite 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 according 30
the best Judgment of the experts EN-
iployed by the Bureau of Mines the
Colorado and Utah fields. which are
much richer in radium bearing ores
than any Others known. will supply ore
for few years only at the rate of pro-
ducti0n that obtained when the Euro
pean war closed down the mines The
demand for radium will also increase
rapidly, for the two or three surgeons
who have a sufficient amount of this
element to enti.le them 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 re-
ports like that presented to the Amer
lean Medical association at its recent
San Francisco meeting and the medi-
cal profession win be convinced of its
efficacy Under all the circumstances
that have come TO my knowledge it
does seem to me that it behooves the
government to make some arrange
ment whereby these deposits, so unique
ir their extent and their richness, may
be conserved in the truest sense for
our people, bv extracting the radium
from the ores where it now lies use
less and putting it to work for the
eradication of cancer in the hospitals
of the armv and navy and the public
health service
''The ten earnotite claims being OPP
Grated at Long Park, Colorado, bv the
National Radium Institute have al
4 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 included 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.
GA concentrating plant for low
grade ores has been erected at the
mines and is successfully recovering
material formerly wasted Grinding
and sampling machinery has been in
stalled at Denver and a radium ex-
traction plant erected in the same city.
The radium plant has now capacity
Of three tons of ore per day, having
been more than doubled in size since
last February. Before that time the
experimental scale although regularly
producing radium since June, 1914. To
July l, slightly over three grams of
radium metal had been obtained in the
form of radium barium sulfate, con
tanning over one milligram of radium
to the kilogram of sulfates. The con
version of the sulfates into ehlorides
and the publication of the radium
therefrom is easily accomplished and
with verv small loss of material. Tn.
fortunately, however, special acid
proof enamel ware, obtainable only in
France, has not been delivered of suf
feient capacity to handle the crystal
lization of the full plant production. SO
that a little less than half the output
or to be exact. 1904 milligrams of ra-
dunn element have been delivered to
the two hospitals connected with the
National Radium Institute. The ra-
dium remaining can be erystallized at
any time from neutral solution in ap-
paratus already installed, but the
greater rapidity and efficiency of pro
duction of this very valuable material
by the methods used have decided the
Bureau of Mines to await the compile
tion of the apparatus now being built