Bisbee daily review., 1918-04-14
SHORT OF CHROMITE,
 U. 5. GIVES DETAILS
 OF ORE PRODUCTION

The United States Geological Sur vey issues the following:
 The mineral chrOmite is the source of the metal schromium. which. as an alloy m, chromium steel and in several chemical compounds. occupies an i'm portant place on cur battle front on both land and sea. The compounds furnish the strong and durable yet subdued and protective cOlOrs that are used to dye the soldiers khaki clothes and tan the upper leather of his shoes. Chromite readily forms al- Joys with iron and gives hardness to the steel that is used for armour plate on our war vessels and for the ar mOurpiercing projectiles which they hurl at the enemy. It is one Of-The essential elements in steilite. which is now so largely employed in making high-speed tools for cutting steel in the manufacture of munitions.
 Output Fails to Meet Demand
 Unfortunately for the United States the present domestic output of chro- mite is scarcely One-fOurth of the quan tity needed for war and domestic pur- poses, so that the other three-fOurths must be imported. Hitherto most of our imported chrOmite has come from Rhcdesia and New Caledonia. and. notwithstanding the scarcity of ships, much of it still comes from those dis tant lands. In response to our call for ChrOmite Canada has rendered us most efficient help. In 1916 she sent us l0,930 long tons and in 1917 she more than doubled her shipments of. chromite 10 the United States.
 The domestic production of schom ite in 1916 was about 1000 long tons and last spring the prediction was made by government geOlogists that in 1917 it would reach 4S.OOO long tons According to J. $. Diller. of the United States Geological Survey. the laTest returns indicate that this prophecy has been fulfilled.
 Beds Far From Transportation Lines
 Most of the known bodies of chro mite are small. and those that lie far from lines of transportation are not available for exploitation by the Ordi nary miner because of the difficulty and expense of getting the ore to the market
 Much of the chromite on the Pacific coast is of low grade. averaging about 40 per cent of chromite oxide, and on that account is of less value than the imported ore. which general ly contains 30 per cent or more of chromite oxide.
 Nicaragua is shipping a small quan- tity Of ore to this country At An tiOquia, Colombia. chromite is report ed to be so abundant that it has been used to build the walls of houses. Bra gil has valuable deposits several hun dred miles northwest of Bahia and may yet become a contributor to our needed supply
 Needed in Eastern Factories
 Most of the chrOmite We use is | needed in factories in the eastern | United States. and on account of the difficulty and expense of long trans porta:iOn from the western deposits | one of our most urgent present needs . is to increase the production of chrO- mite in the Atlantic states. The c7Iro- mite industry of America really began . in the eastern states. The mines ot A Maryland and Pennsylvania once sup-e piled the worlds chromite.
 \ recent examination by the GeolO- giCal Survey of the old chrome mines . in Lancaster and Chester counties. Pa, suggests the possibility of sue cessfully concentrating some of the bodies Of spotted chrome ore in that rpriCu