The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-11-09

evaporated. The deposits ran more
than 5000 feet, or nearly mile. deep
Nature laid a solid layer Of clay over
the salts and baked 1t hard as rock
Had it not been for the clay the salt
deposits underneath doubtless would
have been washed away.
Just about 100 years ago this sec
tion of tho world was famous for its
table salt works. The world was being
SUPPLIED from the Stassfurt basin, but
when rock salt was discovered else
where the industry Jagged and the
German monopoly was broken up.
Under German Government auspices
borines were made in 1889 to find out
whether there were deposits Of work
able rock salt. A shaft was sunk more
than 1000 feet deep, but the engineers
reported back nothing but potash
and megnesla salts" At that time
they were considered worthless. and rs
a
neglected for a. time. Not for Ions.
however for just as the Civil war
broke over this country In the eos
Justus Won Liehig discovered thar
Dotash salts were vital to plant lif".
Until that time the only known source
of potash supply WAS in burning wood
and DIV! . potash from the ashes.
Dependent America
Germany turned to the Stassturt
basin in high glee. Factories for re-
fining potash salts were established
Farmers experimental with potash In
stimulation Of crop production and re-
turned glowing reports. Immediately
the Stassturt basin became an Ell
dorado. Miners. chemists, engineers.
profteers and exporters flocked to the
scene Of activity. 1t was found
good mine could make from 800 to
500 per cent profit over and above
mining costs. general expenses and
depreciation. The supply Of potash
salts was reported almost ineXhaustl'
BILE. The Stassfurt salt works became
one of the greatest sources of Ger
man wealth in very short time.
When the world war broke In l914-
and long before that-it was held that
nothing In the world could compete
with the potassium chloride, muriate'
sulphate and other salts produced by
the great Stassturt kali industry.
Along with other nations, the United
States for decades had drawn upon
the potash mines Of Germany almost
exclusively as its source OF supply
and here comes the story or no"
America was worsted by Germany
inst a short time ago. Before the
war the annual production OF potash
in the Stassfurt region averaged ioo'-
ooo tons. of which the United states
took about one.fifth. In 19o0 we
bought s4Ooo,00o worth Of potash IN
Germany. In 1910 we bought VIZ
600 900 worth. In twelve years h'ot,i
1000 to 1912 the United States pa'o
over to Germany something like s'o''
600 900 for her supposedly. exclusively
owned potash salts. The United States
Geological Survey at that time was e@-
llorting America to wake up ana look
around for her own potash, In view OF
the then generally recognized oeliet
that without potash IN. the soil no
nlant can grow. much less thrive and
reproduce Itself. :,
America continued to buy potash
from Germany without taking thought
unto herself of what resources she
might have at hand-until certain
time when German greed plus gov
ornamental world-powcr ambitions got
the better of her and started the crash
that at this particular moment IS
tonnlins over Germany's fllmsy house
OF cards. Here Is how Germany
killed tho goose that laid the golden
esq:
The German Syndicate
Every potash king In Germany
after the revival OF the Strasstur'
mines. Joined In a-syndicate. closed
CORPORATION composed solely OF the
mine owners and operators. 1t con
1roIled mines, factories. reduction
plants, railroads. locomotives cars
etc etc. These gentlemen OF ths
Kalisyndlkat controlled the world 81
,o- "a potash was concerned. They
made the prices and the customers
either paid or went without Inc
Number OF mines was increasing al
the time. as was also the productio'
or ootash and the worldwide demand
for IL as an agricultural asset.
In June, 1909. the Kalisyndikat wa'
di,solyed, according to form, five year!
having been the usual term for whlcf
the potash mine owners made thel
agreements. An attempt to reorsapiz
Tho syndicate ended in dispute. ant
while the pickering continued IN
scbmtdtmann interests made cor
tract with the American Agriculture
Chemical Company to turn over to Tn
Americans their entire output Tor
neriod Of two years at price far below
, that OF the old syndicate. In lso
other American fertilizer companie
had made contracts for ten year
, whereby potash was 70 be SOLD tne'