Evening star., 1915-07-19
IS SHOWN
IN OUTPUT OF GYPSUM
Value Of Product, However, Is In
creased, According to Of
fetal Figures.
Mined In Eighteen States and
Alaska and Devoted to
Many Uses.

There was an increase In the value
of gypsum in the United States in 1914,
although the production was marked
by decrease. This increase in the
value was due, according to G. F.
Loughlin of the United States geologi-
cal survey, to a strong advance in the
price of calcined gypsum. which more
than Offset decline in price of crude
gypsum.
There were 2.476,465 short tons of
crude gypsum mined last year, COM
pared with 2.599.50s tons in 1913. The
gypsum sold without calcining and
used principally as land plaster and as
an ingredient in Portland cement and
paint amounted to 443,6S7 short tons,
valued at $646,799, decrease of 19,449
tons in quantity and $50.267 in value in
comparison with 1913, when the sales
for similar purposes amounted to 463,-
1876 short tons. valued at S697.066. The
material marketed as calcined plaster
was 1.656,066 short tons. valued at So
249.190, as compared with 1,773,S49 tons.
valued at $6,077,756. sold calcined in
1913. The total value of all gypsum
marketed in 1914 was s6.s95,9ss. as
compared with $6.774,s22 in 1s13-an
increase of s121,167.
Used on Exposition Buildings.
Considerable quantities of gypsum
plaster, or "staff," were used in the
Panama Pacific exposition buildings at
San Francisco and in the Panama Cali
fornia exposition buildings at San
Diego, but they were not sufficient to
Offset the general decline in tonnage
elsewhere. A marked increase in the
sales of calcined plaster was noted in
1902 and 1903. which also was largely
due to the consumption of staff" for
position buildings at st. Louis.
Gypsum was produced in eighteen
states and in Alaska in 1914. the same
states reporting output in this year as
in 1918. The relative rank of the three
leading states has remained unchanged
for the last four years. New York
ranking first, Iowa second and Michi-
gan third in the output of crude gyp-
sum.
The quantity Of raw gypsum ground
1914 to 52.s45 short tons. valued at
$97.716, as compared with 54,s15 tons,
valued at $95.953. reported in 1913
The quantity of raw gypsum sold for
the manufacture of paint and of Port
land cement and for various other
valued at $594.0s3, as against 40S,321
short tons, valued at $6O1. .113, sold for
similar purposes in 1913.
Used In Making Plaster.
The total quantity of calcined gyp-
sum sold in 1914 was 117,7s3 tons less
than that sold in 1913. but the total
value was $171,434 greater. Nearly 95
per cent Of the domestic calcined gyp-
sum marketed in the United States, or
1,565.937 tons, is used for use as wall
plaster, Keene's cement. plaster of
Paris and other uses. About 1,250, 900
tons of this quantity represent mixed
wall plaster.
There were seventy-eight gypsum
mines. including quarters and pits, re-
ported active in the United States in
1914, one of which is in Alaska. These
mills. of which sixty-one were calcining
sum only. Four new mills were reported
in operation last year, three in Cali
fornia and one in New York One MILL
located in Nevada, was reported under
construction in 1914. About one-half
of the active plants which reported on
business conditions reported business
practically the same in 1914 as in
1913. and the other half found trade
poorer. A few producers considered
conditions better. The average price of
crude gypsum throughout the coun-
try decreased cents in 1914, as
compared with the price reported for
1918, and the average price of calcined
1ypsum advanced "a cents