Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-01
STATE POTASH
INDUSTRY HAS
GREAT GROWTH
War IS Responsible for the
Development of One of Me-
braska's Wonderful
Resources.
By EDGAR c. SNYDER.

SNSNs
(Special)-In one OF my dispatches
to the Bee l spoke of cities that are
springing up in the northwest sec
ton Of Nebraska as result of the
Iapidly-developing potash industry.
But, closer and more intimate
knowledge of that development,
through long conversation with
w. E. Sharp, president OF the Lin
coin Traction company and a posi-
tive genius for organization, whose
abiding faith in this new enterprise
is delightfully."- refreshing, confirms
me in the belief that the potash in
dustry of Nebraska is more like a
tale from the Arabian Nights than
-blooded business proposition.
The making OF the greatest ship
yard in the world at Hog Island,
Pa, in less than year has nothing
on the erection of plants and the
manufacture of commercial potash,
to feed our hungry soils. in the
semi-arid wastes of SCOTS Bluffs
and Sheridan, counties. Nebraska.
War Breeds Industry.
When the government sent out
the Macedonian cry for American
potash at any price to take the place
Of the German potash that the war
stopped coming to our shores, the
inventive genius of America got
busy with the result that we began
to get domestic potash from many
yources.
From the Trova and Solvay PEG
pie OH Searless lake, California;
from the kelp industries on the Pa
cific coast; from the alunite mines
in Utah; from the brines of Great
Salt Lake, the lucite deposits in
Wyoming, the wood potash compan-
les in Michigan, the reclamation of
potash from the cement mills by
static electricity under the Cottrell
process, also the reclamation of po-
fash from glass factories, the beet
sugar factories. the green sands of
New Jersey, the shale rock deposits
in Georgia and last but the bigges,
individual project of them all, the
alkali lakes of Nebraska, develop
ments produced last year 10000 tons
of pure potash (K-O)-,or about Is
per cent of the amount imported !
from Germany the year before we |
entered the war.
Big Area Affected. |
The area covered by the Nebraska
potash development extends east
and west SO miles and north and |
south about 40 miles with smaller
area north of this territory along
the line of the Northwestern rail-
way in Scots Bluff and Sheridan
counties.
Just how many people in Nebras-
ka have knowledge-of the work 60
ing on in the potash belt of the
prairie state l do not know, but |
take it that thousands are ignorant
of some of the interesting details
connected with this development
that seemingly was the work of
night. - !
There are .27l miles Of six and
eight inch pipe lines to the condens-
ers. There are about 800 miles of
telephone wires connecting the
field, 46 pumping stations and over
10000 wells in operation, these wells
alone costing over a half million
dollars. The last factory to be
built at Antioch, which is the center
of the industry, is known as the
Western Potash works of which Mr..
Sharp is president and general man
ager, as he is of the American plant
in the same territory.
Plant Described. N
The Western Potash works is
built of steel and concrete with
every convenience for the economi-
cal handling of coal, oil and manu-
featured products. There is no
plant in the east to touch it. Fifty
six buildings are included in the
Western plant. 1t manufactures its
own electricity furnishes its own
cold storage, water and sewage sys-
TEN, rents its own cottages to its
employees, with stores, restaurants,
and in all essentials is a small city |
in itself. The other plants in the
same district employ about 1000
men and are at the present time
using about Is car loads of coal,
E cars Of oil and shipping about Is
car loads of potash day, car Ca
pacity being a. tons.
And what the potash people of the
United States are now asking, is
governmental protection from Ger
man importers. If they can be as
sured for another year that their
product will find a ready market the
domestic potash problem will be
solved. We will then be independ-
ent and will be able to compete with
German potash in American mark
cts.