The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-01-20
MANGANESE PRODUCTION.
In 1916 Was Largest Since 1888, Being
About $1,000 Tons.

Preliminary estimates by ID. +. liew.
EFT, of the United States geological sur
vey, department of the interior, show
that the production of manganese ore in
1916 was about $4,000 tons, the greatest
since 1883 and nearly three times that in
1918, which was 300 tons. The esti-
mate does not include manganiferous
iron ores that contain less than 40 per
cent of manganese, but it is very prob
able that the production of ores of this
class also was much greater than in
| 1915. This output has come largely from
seven states, and the order i'll produc-
ton will probably prove to be as follows;
California, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia,
Virginia, Utah, Colorado. This order is
interesting, because this is the first year
in which "A western state remote from
the steel producing centers has contrib
uted the largest amount OF manganese
ore. The activity among manganese
mines in California is due largely to the
market for ores provided by the Noble
Electric Steel Co, at Heroult. 1t is not
yet possible to state the production of
high grade ores adapted for use in dry
batteries, but reports indicate that ii
will exceed $500 tons and therefore be
five times that in 1915. Ores of this
class are now produced in Arizona, Cali
fornia, Utah, Colorado and Virginia, but
the amount produced is still scarcely one
tenth the normal demand.
The prices paid for manganese ore
adapted to the manufacture OF ferro-
manganese rose from a maximum of
S22.50 for so per cent ore in 1915 to
$3.50 in March, 1916. Except for minor
fluctuations, which depended on tenn
porary variations in demand. prices were
nearly constant until the last month of
the year, when sales at prices as high as
$50 for 80 per cent Indian ore were re-
ported. There were rumors that a con
tract for the delivery of 100000 tons OF
Brazilian ore during 1917 was placed at
S23 per ton f. o. b. Brazilian port, from
which the freight rate to Baltimore is
Sl2 ton. Ore adapted to the manufac- (
ture of dry batteries containing so per
cent of manganese dioxide and less than
| per cent of from continues to sell for
about ss5 ton.
Imports of manganese ore for the first
10 months of 1916 amounted to 495.2o9
tons, of which 40l,l tons came from
Brazil. For the same period of 1915
Brazil supplies ISL ,25S tons out of the
total of ,2S6 tons. There is pros
peet, therefore. that the imports for the
entire year will prove to have been al
most double those of l9l5-320,77S tons.
the small part of the demand
that was supplied by Brazil during the
eight years prior to 1914, it is reassur-
ing to know that the deposits of that
country can be made to yield such enor-
nous quantities of ore. Imports from
India, Cuba, Panama and Japan were
also greater than in 1915.
Imports of ferromanganese for the
first Il months of 1916 were 73.435 tons,
which is nearly 80 per cent more than
Tor the corresponding period in 1918,
though bearing a smaller ratio to the do
nestle production. Prices reached the
highest figures ever recorded in the Unit
ID States in April, 1916, when, it is re-
ported, $500 a ton was paid for a small
OF for immediate delivery For the re-
nander of the year the price declined
steadily to $3.50 a ton in October, then .
'ose to $l75 again in December. The
rice of spiegeleisen carrying 90 per cent
II manganese ranged from q maximum
If s52 in July to $40 in December.
An important consequence of the pre-
yailing high prices of manganese alloys
5 the attempt on the part of steel max
RS to use substitutes. The extent to
which substitutes for manganese in steel
nay be used has not been determined
nut experiments by several steel works
how that an alloy OF iron, carbon and |
itanium may be satisfactorily used to
eplace part of the ferromanganese
added.
Although a number of mines in Vir C
mia, Georgia and Arkansas were re- r
pened during 1916, the greatest activity t
reported among mines in California, h