The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-22
FORTUNES IN POTASH IS
NEBRASKA'S WAR BABY
eeAckIsH LAKES BECOME BON.
ANzAs-BooMlNo TOWNS ON
BARREN SAND HILLS.

If land in the sand hills of southwest
ern Sheridan county. A year later he
ouit in disgust, having discovered that
lessee Lake, which covers $3.50 acres
constituted practically half of the land
he had taken up, says a special CORE
snondent of the New York Sun at Lin
coin, Neb.
From that scorned and despised lake
every day for the past year have been
> taken $4,000 worth of potash salts
and in a short time the daily output
will be $4,000 worth. If the war with
Germany lasts a few years more, and
the great potash deposits of that coun-
try are kept out of the American mar
Tets, $S,000,000 worth of brine will have
been pumped from that rich reservoir.
Eight million dollars is the estimate
placed on the value of the potash con-
tents of the lake. 1t is Nebraska's one
war baby.
The potash industry in Nebraska
has real romance. In 1910 Carl l..
Modisett and John H. Snow were stu
dents in chemistry at the University
of Nebraska. To the chemistry de-
partment each year are sent hundreds
of samples of soil and water for analy-
sis. For years ranchmen had been
scraping up and shipping these salts
at the end of dry summers that had
exposed the lake bottoms, and the
packing houses had become interested.
Through the hands of these two chem
istry students passed samples of the
waters of Jesse and other lakes in that
section. In them We're found strong
percentages of potash.
Worked to Stake Partner.
AS soon as they had finished school
young Snow went to work for the Cud-
ahy Packing company at South Oma-
ha, under an agreement whereby he
should utilize his earnings to grubstake
Modisett, who travelled over every foot
of the lake region of the state and
tested the waters of each of the seven
hundred small lakes there. In Jesse
lake he found the strongest indications
of potash content. In the name of
himself and partner he made placer
filings on the lake and on surround
ing government land.
With the aid of what little capital
they could borrow and command they
bought some old boilers and took them
out to the lake. There they attached a
pump and proved their theory of the
value of the potash content through
the sun drying process. They still
were in the experimental stage when
Germany started in to whip the world
and closed up her potash mines. The
price of potash in America jumped
from $40 ton to $780, and then to $50.
Today it is sold on the unit basis,
$3.50 a unit. Unrefned potash that
carries 20 per cent or twenty units is
worth $110 ton.
The two young men were able to in
terest a half dozen friends who formed
the Potash Reduction company and
with a capital of $4,000 began build
ing a plant along the Burlington,
miles east of Alliance. This opened
for business on July, 1915. The enter
prise has fairly earned admission into
the circle Of war brides or war babies
The plant now operating there repre-
sents an investment of 100000, al
abuilt up, save the original $4,000, gu,
of the profits of the industry, and pay
ing dividends each month that repre-
sent exactly the full amount paid il
by the hackers of the young men
Judge W. A. Redick of Omaha, Wht
invested $4,000, receives $4,000 month
dividends. The two erstWhile students
of chemistry are getting half milliol
apiece this year as their share OF tn
profits. The eight original stockhold
ers still own the entire stock.
Town Built Around Plant.
Around the plant at Hoffland, thre
miles from Jesse Lake, has been Dull
on the raw prairie town of 500 per
sons. The potash company owns III
town and all the houses and othe
buildings. Big frame bunk house
hold the transient and unattached la
borers, the total employed being 200.
The plant had not been in operatio
very long before Edward Marks, III
insurance agent from Alliance, WI
had failed in the harness bushes
there dropped in to see what-was do
ing. He caught the potash fever, com
municated it to the general agent q
Omaha, and the latter interested
group of chemists at the Omaha smel
ter. They promptly got leases
lakes on the Krause ranch, ten mile
east and north of Jesse lake. The
succeeded after a struggle in gettln
$4,000 cash capital contributed
wealthy friends in Omaha. The
formed the American Potash compan
and located plant at one sto'
town called Antioch, six miles east
Hoffland Their plant has been in OF
Grafton less year. 1t has in that TIN
paid back all the original capital II
vested, expanded the actual investmel
to 100000, and has paid total
dividends of 142 per cent. Marks, Il
life insurance man, who got $4,000
stock for his promotion services,
drawing $500 a month dividen'
thereon.