The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-24
MANGANESE ORE GAINS.
Large Increase in Domestic Output in
United States.


The domestic output of manganese or,
is now of great practical Importance an'
the United States geological survey il
therefore collecting statistics of produc
ton every three months. The canvass
for the quarter ending Oct. !, 1917, has
just been completed The results OF the
canvass show large increase in the
number of shippers, as well as in the
shipments OF ore of each grade over
those of the first six months of the
year, which were slightly larger than
those Of the entire year 1916
! In 1916 only 26,906 tons of manganese
ore was shipped by 50 operators, but in
| the first nine months of the present year
70,225 tons was shipped by SO operators.
The reports received by the survey in
dicate that the shipments for the year
will be about 1925 tons, which will
be nearly four times those for any pre-.
ceeding year. In September the produc-
tion of high grade ore was about H..
600 tons, and in November it was nearly
1900 tons. The results of the inquiries
"
of the survey Indicate that the shipments
in 1918 will be between 10000 and
100000 tons, sufficient to supply nearly
one-third of the present demand of the
steel industry. For about every 10000
tons that can be produced in excess of
the present domestic output it will be
possible to release one ship that is now
bringing ore from Brazil.
OF manganferous ores containing Is
to 40 per cent of manganese, 3S0l6
tons was shipped during the first nine
months of 1917 by IS operators against
l76,l30 tons shipped by Al operators in
the entire year of 1916. Most Of this
ore was used to make spiegeleisen. OF
ores containing five TO Is per cent of |
424, 43S tons was shipped by |
Ia operators during the first nine months |
of l9l7 against 372,673 tons shipped by |
20 operators during the year 1916. A
part of the ore was used to make spiegc I
leisen, and the remainder was smelted
with iron ore to make high manganese !
pig iron. The number OF shippers Civ
en- above does not include those of the
Leadville district, Ohio.
The great increase in the shipments
If high grade ore from western states
8 noteworthy particularly from Mon
ana, Arizona, California, Utah, and Ne
ada. The prices now offered are causing
in these states to search
loosely for ores, and many western mines
ire now shipping. manganese ore that
vas left undisturbed in explorations
made years ago. The Philipsburg dis
rict, in Montana, slipped about 1000
ons of high grade ore during each month
i the third quarter Of 1917, and the
tombstone and Bisbee districts, in Ari-
ona, are shipping large quantities of
uch ORE The rate OF production of Nir-
mia and Tennessee is increasing. but
hat of Arkansas aud Georgia is not
luch larger than in 1916
As recently as llol5 there was only
small market for fores containing less
ban 40 per cent of manganese, so that
he large increase in shipments of low
rade ore during 1917 is striking. The
reduction of these ores now appears to
e limited more by the market than by
ne capacity of the mines.
The geological survey will send a list
the shippers of all grades of ore as
ell as list of purchasers to any appli-
int.