Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-02-25
(Medford. American)

riety of mineral products the value
of which was not known to us until
the war requirements brought them
to the front. Many of the miners
knew they were here, but there was
no demand for them, therefore their
extent was not attempted to be de-
termined. Since the opening of the
war shut off a great part of the
world from the sources of supply
elsewhere, inquiry has brought the
facts to the front. That which would
not pay before at once came into de-
mand at high prices and prospectors
began to bring in samples. Inquiries
brought answers that stimulated fur
ther search, and now men are COM
ing from all parts of the world to in
vestigate and buy. Very recently a
splendid deposit Of manganese has
been located and rapid preparation
to work it is going forward. 1t is
said that $4,000 has been paid for
it. 1t is in great demand to be used
in the manufacture Of steel; and 9TH
er deposits of the same metal are
being discovered and preparations
being made to work them.
Cinnabar and Chrome.
Quicksilver is another subject Of
inquiry, and many rich deposits Of
cinnabar are coming to the notice of
searchers. Chrome is now in great
demand and many rich deposits are
known to exist in southwestern Ore
gon Splendid brown hematite exists
in heavy bodies in Jackson and Jo-
sephine counties. This ore is in great
demand for the manufacture of iron
products requiring the best quality
Though no first-class asbestos has
been found, yet that material in fair
| ly good quality and quantity is known
to exist in many places along the SER
pentine belts that cross these counties
in several places. Careful prospect
ing and testing will result in the dis
covery and development of this very
valuable product. The building of
steamships is increasing the demand
for it as a mating with which to
wrap steam boilers and pipes. In
fact, the hundreds of thousands of
engines operated by steam will bring
much asbestos in the market that
heretofore would not have paid be-
cause its quality was not high enough
to be used as theater curtains and
for asbestos cloth, but is suitable to
cover pipes and steam boilers and
for use in the manufacture of fire.
proof plastering and fireproof paint.
The opening up of these deposits may
develop a much finer quality, but
what we have will eventually add an
other valuable resource to our many
already developed. A number of val
liable minerals follow and mingle
with the heavy serpentine dykes so
plentiful in southwestern Oregon.
For instance, accompanying these
dykes is found copper, cobalt, nickel
and asbestos. OF all these, copper
has as yet found especial favor
among dealers in such metals.
Many Precious Minerals.
We have kaolin in great abund-
ance and Of good quality, enough to
supply the nation with crockeryware
and porcelain. We have mineral
paint Of excellent quality and not diff
ficult of access. Large deposits of
plumbago for the manufacture of lu-
bricants and graphite of good quail
| ity, though the extent of the depos-
its is not known. All of these prod
ucts are known to exist here and all
are rapidly coming into use. Fire
clay, potters' clay and coal are found
in many places, but as yet little has
Deen done to develop them, because
they were not in sufficient demand to
justify the expenditure necessary to
their development with inadequate
transportation facilities. The de-
mand, however, has been greatly aug
mented by the necessities of the war,
and the development will follow.
This war will leave us a country
greatly changed in many respects.
Heretofore we have depended largely
on some of the countries now at war
for much of the material of which we
have an abundance, but undeveloped
because it was easier to operate in
the same old rut than to open up one
In our own country. We are now
shut off from that old source of sup
ply and from necessity are compelled
to call upon our own resources,
which when once opened will never
| be abandoned, and we will become
exporters of much raw material
which We have always imported. We
are now manufacturing and export
ing many articles which we have al
ways been importing, these things
being manufactured from our own
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