The Colorado statesman., 1916-07-01
United States May Be Freed
From Dependence Upon For
eign Supply.
Cement Mills DUST USED
Surprising Discovery Is Made While
Efforts Are Ceina Made to Pro-
vent Fumes From Damaging
California Orange Groves.

uncle Sam chemical experts be-
lieve that by the merest chance. in an
effort to abate serious nuisance,
which was menacing the orange
groves of California, a discovery has
been made which may result in Civ
ing the United States an adequate sup
ply of potash for fertilizing purposes
and thus free this country from it's
absolute dependence upon Germany
for this much-needed commodity.
While the government experts say il
is too early to make a sweeping pre-
diction, they are optimistic and are
conducting their investigations along
these lines.
In the past the United States hai
paid tribute to Germany to the OK
tent of S20000,000 4 year for potash
so necessary for enriching the soil
especially in tho cotton.growing dis
tricts of the, South. The European
war, however, stopped these impor
tations, and, necessity being the sterI
mother CT invention, the federal
chemists and others accelerated theii
efforts toward finding a potash sup
ply in this country. The latest dis
coveries, which promise to free the
United States from the dominance OF
Germany in regard to this valuable
product. came about accidentally, az
have many other important discov
cries. A Ereat cement mill in the or
ange-growing regions of California
was sending tons of dust daily into
the air, the winds carrying the dust
and depositing it on the orange groves.
much to their detriment. When the
owners protested. the cement mill
men began buying in the nearest
groves at $1,000 an acre, but finally
had to give this up as being too ex-
pensive. Suits were filed and in
functions asked.
About this time the attention of the
an invention of DR.. f. G. Cottress for
the precipitation of dusts fr@m
smelters' fumes. Doctor Cottrell,
who later became the chief metallur-
gist Of the United States bureau of
mines, worked out this process while
a professor at the University of Cali
fornia several years ago. The ce-
ment-mill men decided to experiment
with the new invention, and the Cot
trell process was installed The sur
prising result was that the new proc
ess not only eliminated the dust
fumes. but gave the cement people
a product that contained a great
| amount of potash. The results are
said to have been so salts factory that
1t was thought for a while that the
potash might prove to be the main
product of some. cement mills, with
the manufacture of cement only by
product. This has not exactly come
about, but the cement company last
year, with potash ct. wartime prices.
sold 100000 worth, and it Is said
that the profit was $4,000.
The result OF this has been that
the cement companies generally are
taking notice. Another company near
Hagerstown. Md, which from its To-
COTTON did net have to hother about
tho DIST nuisance, is voluntarily rut-
ting in the Cottrell process in order
to save potash, which it estimates to
amount to four tons a day. Some ce-
| mCnt-mil men declare that the pres
ort mills in this country, properly
equipped. are capable to turning ont
10000 tons of potash yearly. which
is about one-fourth of the amount i'm
rorted from Germany in normal times.
1t is further declared that there will
hc on incentive to establish new mills
located near deposits that are rich in
rotash, ard that in the future no ce-
ment mill will have a hapha-ard To-
cation did not have to bother about
mills may be erected In certain parts
| r the co"nt-y for the purnoee OF max
! ing potash the main product and ce-
Inent the by-product. The belief is
prevalent among those who are inter
csted that. as by-product in the
manufacture OF cement, potash can be
made at such price as to make it
profitable in normal times at normal
prices.
TIE stopping of the dust nuisance
in California by the use of the Cot
trell process has suggested another
field of endeavor. Now chemists are
talking of applying this process for
the obtaining of potash from the
gases of the blast furnaces in the
manufacture of pig iron. Charles Cat.
lett of Staunton. Va, widely known
chemist and metallurgical expert
makes the statement that the by
product that can be collected from
the blast-curnace gases are sufficient
in value to affect profoundly the ques-
tion OF tie manufacture of iron in GER
tain sections and from certain mate
rials.