Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-11
IDAHOAN Tells
OF WINTER TRIP
THROUGH utah
Prospector of the Opinion
That There Are no Hap
pier People in the World
Than the Country Folk.
POTASSIUM FIELDS
BEING OPENED UP

Rapid Strides in Marys-
vile Country-Big Pro-
duction of Aluminium and
Giant Mill Nearing Com
pletion.
Meridian, March S.-Editor Capital
News; A few observations of an Ida
hoan on a winter vacation may be of
interest. Travelling through south
eastern Idaho and down through Utah
via Salt Lake to Sanpete, the most no
ticeable condition was the extreme
shortage of hay and the excess of snow
but coming into Sewer valley, large
and numerous stacks of hay and large
numbers of cattle and sheep were seen
on many farms. In this valley at Ell
shore, the old Nampa sugar factory has
been rebuilt and is in very successful
operation.
Some of the beet farmers there ex-
perienced the same fault with beet
blight that was experienced at Nampa,
but they claim to have discovered the
cause to be in the watering of the beets
or that an excess of moisture In hot
weather scalds or blights the beets.
They now irrigate sparingly at night,
but not in the day except in cloudy
weather.
NEW POTASSIUM FIELDS.
Passing on to Marysvale 1 went to
the new potassium fields. This new
and very important industry is grow
fTc rid nj ic
in successful operation. The mineral
products company has 80 teams haul
ing ore from the mine to the mill, three
miles distant, and about 80 teams
and five trucks hauling coal from the
railroad to the mill and potassium bank
for shipment on the railroad to mar
ket. The manager, Mr.. Lowe, says
that the past year the trucks have
proved to be about one-third cheaper
than teams where hay, grain and teams
are plentiful.
The ore which is composed of po-
| tassium, aluminium and sulphur, called
alumite, is a hard, pink rock, which
is crushed in a Gates rock breaker to
the size of road gravel. 1t then passes
through a large rooster 100 feet long
| by 10 feet in diameter, lined with fire
pebble brick eight inches thick at the
feed end and IA inches at the dis
charge. This huge steel rooster re-
wolves slowly and is set at an angle
sufficient to allow the ore to slowly
move to the discharge end. The ore
is brought to a white heat at the dis
charge; 1t is then elevated to solution
tanks, where it is dissolved and
passes through a filter press.
MANY MINES DEVELOPED.
The aluminus is carried to the
dump to be treated later. The po-
tassium salts are precipitated and dried
in S0-ton lots and shipped to market.
The present market price is about $500
per ton. There is another large mill
nearly completed and many mines are
being developed l have some of the
ore to place with our mineral exhibit
in the capitol building in Boise.
Passing on south through the rich
cattle country to the head of the river
! l had a novel experience, even for a
prospeetor. Euanding on the summit
in deep snow at an elevation of 10000
feet, l found myself at the point
where atmospheric moisture condepees
to snow, which is gently falling. The
blue sky and cold sun are plainly Wis
ible.
LIKE ISLAND AT SEA.
Down below the dark clouds are
hanging over the Colorado basin. The
Navajo mountains (Arizona) pierce the
clouds like an island at sea. AS the
wind whirled the SNOW into and
through our clothes, we started down
through the clouds In a heavy snow
storm to the far-famed cattle town
of Escalante, where every man has
his own coal mine and where coal Is
sold for 81 per ton.
Fortunately. we arrived in time to at
tend an old folks reunion the next day.
where all classes of people of over so
years were the guests of commit
tee of young people, who furnished
music and a general program of recit-
ing, reading, singing and speaking that
would do credit to professionals. Then
$50 veterans of the frontier sat down
at two tables the full length of the
Mormon church to a meal that for va
riety and quality is seldom seen.
After dinner there was another two
hours Of program and social CONVEX
sation that all took part in with a
freedom and good will that was ex-
hilarating to all present. Then a few
hours doing chores and back again.
Next came a dance, with old white
headed men and women dancing with
Joy with as much vim as the young
sters. Then supper another good
feed and at IL O'Clock the festivities
were over. On the matter of having
unity and a community spirit where
| all are willing and able to take a, part
| in community entertainments the
rurals of Utah are far ahead of Idaho.
DAVE FARMER.