El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-25


D experts of our geological survey have
] estimated it TO contain nearly a quar-
I ter Of a billion tons of potash Thai
I would be enough to last this whole
country 1000 years, at our rate Of con-
sumption when war was declared.
1 What we need is some cheap process
TO get the stuff out
German Mines Worlds Largest.
Germany has the only big potash
mines up0u earth. They are situated
in Prussia and the best OF them are
under a town named Sta Ssfurt on the
Bode river, a branch or the EIDe
hundreds of miles from where they
are fighting IN France, The mines
were discovered about so years ago
The imperial government had salt
property there. and IL was making
salt from the brine Of the springs
and wells of that neighbOrhood- Then
borinEs we're sunk to discover rock
salt. and great quantities were found
about q quarter of a mile below the
surface. Upon the top Of the salt
were beds Of potash and magnesium,
which were thought TO be Of no value.
The mines were first worked Tor the
salt and IL was later that the value
Of the potash was discovered Now
the potash is the principal product
and IL Is mined not only at Stassfurt
but at a number OF other places IN
that part of Germany. There are
about 200 mines in operation. and the
output is millions Of tons per year.
7 recently talked with a mining eE-
pert who visited the German mines
lust prior to the war. He tells me
that the German government is the
head of the syndicate which controls
the supply. The kaiser dictates Just
how much potash may be taken out
every year and 10 what countries the
exports may 80. He fixes the do
a. NJ
dealers do not obey the syndicate reg
ulations they are fined The daily
output Of potash is about $4,000 tons
and there are something like $1,000
mer at work in the mines.
Germany Once n Great Lake.
7 asked as to the source Of this
potash. The mining expert replied
The deposits were probably made
millions OF years ago. The German
scientists say that part Of the coun-
try was then q great lake which was
connected with the sea by shallow
channels through which the water
came at the time Of storms and high
tides. There was no outlet to the
lake and the tOrrid climate OF that
age dried the water so rapidly that
great quantities Of salts were left.
As the water became heavy the rock
salt which was least soluble dropped
to the bottom and later on the more
soluble salts began to fail so that we
have first layers Of rock salt and lime
with potash on top Of them After
the earth had another change and a
bed Of imperVious clay covered the
top OF these beds Of salts. This kept
out the rains and the salts have re-
NAMED there until now
The potash is mined lust like rock
salt Shafts are run down into the
strata and tunnels off into the beds
The potash is blasted down with dy-
Mantle carried on electric cars % the
shafts and taken tC the surface Some
Of 30 is shipped as kainit or raw salt
as Il comes from the mine; the rest
is boiled and evaporated. forming the
salts and also the pure
potash such as Is used I'm medicines,
dyestuffs- etc The processes Of min
ing and reduction are so cheap that
we shall probably have 10 put a tariff
on potash or give bOuuties TO our
manufacturers for some time before
they VIII be able to compete with the
Germans"
And now Jet me show you what we
are doing to create a potash supply
IF our own We had none when the
war broke out We began to produce
IN 1916 and during the first six
months of last year we made more
potash than the entire year preceding
The amount produced in 1917 was
/ aaAA AAas -s-AAAa N.- -AaaA ~ e -AaA f
porting from Germany before the way ]
'egan, and the production from every l
principal source is rapidly Increasing, !
Potash From Mojave Desert.
Take first the potash we are get ]
ing from salt lakes where the min /
.ral is being formed I'm much the /
iame way that the great deposits ]
II Germany were laid down Away I
'ut in the MOjave desert Of California I
s Searles lake, where a company OF 1
has already invested more I
han s250o. 900 10 get out the potash /
which lies in the brine under @ bed Of I
mud and crystalline salt.
They have put ID an evaporating ]
louise made Of steel which is more ]
han 100 feet high, has boilers OF 1000 I
horsepower, and a concrete chimney /
which is about one-third as tall IS the i
Washington monument and nine feet j
n diameter at the top Searles lake I
las millions Of tons Of potash The 1
axe covers an area Of almost 5000 I
.cres, and its depth is not known.
The TOP is all salt and mud, but IN
Ter this covering is a brine whose i
olids are about z percent potash
they viii soon be reducing this brine .
.t the rate Of 20.000.000 gallons a
lay, and from that the potash output
viii be IN the neiEhborhO0d o. 500
ons- The chief trouble is the large
percentage Of other salts which are
mixed with the potash These must
.e refined. This is TO be done at san
'edrO, not Tar from Los Angeles Fu-
ure additions 70 the works viii prob
bly, increase the total investment to
lore than s4,000.000.
At Owens lake, California. they are
repairing TO get out potash by a new
Method, without the employment OF
rtificial heat. This lake has water
s bitter as that Of the Dead sea It
Ontains salt. soda boraZ and other
alines in solution. Tt IS estimated TO
old about 100000 tons Of potash.
nd large part Of this VIII be got
ut by evaporating the water in watts
y the heat Of the sun The lake has
n area Of 100 square miles and it Is
bout 80 feet deep.
There are salt lakes I'm the sand
Ills OF northwestern Nebraska In
-hich the potash from the great
rairie and forest fires OF the past are
opposed to have drained. The largest E
these is Jesse lake. which covers F
bout $40 acres. The waters OF this
Ike are a brine Its bottom IS a dark 5
reen mud, under which is a layer
sand about 20 feet thick. This
and is charged with brine: IL has
lore salts than the waters OF the lake
.se1f, and the brine. when exapJ-
ated, gives q product containing
rom 20 to 80 percent Of potash There
re several companies working in Ne
raska, and they are now producing /
large part of our potash supply.
Expect Much From Utah.
we expect TO get potash out OF the
reat salt lake. One company IS al
sady erecting a plant there and an
ther Of large capital IS expected TO
o likewise. These companies viii
Ntract the potash salts from the
uuor left after the common salt has ,