The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-03
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
BIOLOGISTS AND THE WAR.
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director
Washington, D. c.


Washington, D. c., June S0.-In
order to make concrete ships. the ship
ping board required an answer tosthe
question: What is the highest sand
in the world, and where can it be
found in quantities? The United
States geological survey answered the
question by pointing out that GER
tain kind of basalt which is found in
the volcanic regions of New Mexico
and Arizona is so light that it will al
most float. is as hard as glass, and
when ground up, constitutes just the
kind of sand needed for building
concrete ships. Government biologists
at once went into the desert country
and located the necessary deposits.
Or the fighting front in France 1t
was necessary to build many miles
of road that would stand the heaviest
traffic. There were various materials
which might be used Which one
would be best? Again the question
was put UP to the geological survey.
and again answered by government
biologists attached to the American
forces in France.
The water supply at the training
camps is a matter of vital Importance,
both as to its quality and it's quantity.
The geological survey furnished the
of the water at. thirty-three canton
ments and with estimates of the
amount available in gallons per day.
These instances show how a scien-
tific branch of the government. which
has been forty years laboriously gath
ering information, and building up an
organization of experts, is able to rem
der services of the most vital import
ance in crisis like the present one.
The geological survey, without alter
ing the form of its organization. has
been devoting all of its energy to solv-
in
Hected with the war.
Perhaps its greatest service has
been in the search for mineral sup
plies needed to carry on the war;. and
especially those minerals for which
we formerly depended upon imports,
but now must find within our own
borders.
This is no task for the ordinary pros
pector, for many of these minerals arc
little known and never before had an
economic value in this country. 1t Is
essentially a task for trained experts.
and also task which must be exc
euted on a national scale; it means
ransacking, the, United States system
atically for needed ores. Therefore,
the national government has had to
turn prospector, and is fortunate in
having a bureau which has spent
forty years getting ready for the job.
The chief task of the geological
survey in peace time has been to study
and map the country in such a way
| as to show the geological formations
and the mineral deposits. The in
formation gathered was merely placed
| on record where anyone might obtain
| it, the development being left to pri-
vate enterprise. Occasionally the sur
| vey biologists were able to give a
! direct impetus to this development
For example, two of them, in the
/ So ~, C.1a l1
that certain hot springs near Wagon
| Wheel Gap contained great deposits
| of FIurspar, which is used as a flux
| in steel making. The land which con-
tanned these deposits had been stuked
| out by a couple of prospectors as a
paying quantities, but the experts
| pointed out to the prospectors that
| they had the markings of a fortune in
| the hot spring deposits; and a de-
velopment rapidly ensued.
Many other deposits of minerals
which are now needed for war work
| were located by the biologists, but
owing to the fact that there was no
demand for them, they remained I'M
| developed. Now that there is dire
need of such minerals as manganese.
chromite, tungsten, quicksilver and
| sulphur, the Survey is able to send
experts into the field who have quick
! ly located, and estimated the amount
| and quality of our deposits. When a
valuable deposit is located. the fact is
announced thru the newspapers, and
| the government demand is depended
| upon to stimulate development.
One of the greatest problems has
been to find a supply of manganese
| ores. Our peace time supplies of this
necessary material of the steel indus
| try came from Brazil, India and the
Caucasus. All of these sources are
now cut off. except Brazil, and the
imports from that country are greatly
! reduced because we cannot spare the
shipping. During the past year the
| Geological Survey has Investigated
| every manganese mine, prospect or de-
post of which it has been able to
learn. Our present production of the
| ore is five times what it was in 1916,
we are now able to produce about one
third Of all we need, and the produc-
ton is steadily growing.
During peace time the ores which
are sought most assiduously are those
| of the precious metals and especially
| of gold and silver. These are what
nine out Of ten prospectors seek prt-
marily, and are the cause of all the
| most spectacular developm ents of our
mining industry. In the present crisis
these metals are of the slightest in
tereSt- The only precious metal
which IS vital to our success in the
war is platinum. The geological sur
vey has made a careful estimate OF
| the existing stores of this metal, and
| has found that they are dangerously
small. It advocates not only that the
use of platinum in the manufacture OF
jewelry be stopped; but that all per-
sons who own platinum jewelry at
once send it to refiners who will guar
antee that the metal be used for nee
essary industrial purposes. The pos
session of platinum cigarette case or
mesh bag should be recognized as un-
patriotic. One of the government geol-
ogists who was engaged in platinum
| investigations was SO impressed with
I the scarcity of the metal that he had
all the platinum links removed from
a watch chain OF, alternating gold and
platinum, and sent the metal to re-
finer. We are able to Droduce inst