The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-02-18
CHROME STEEL B00MS.
War Has Made Big Demand on Ameri-
can Industry.

The war has increased so greatly IN
demand for chrome steel for use in max
ing armor plate, proieetiles, and high
speed tools that between 1914 and loli
the domestic production was multiple,
almost eiehtyfold,
| From the beginning OF the chrome in
dustry until the Civil war. the mines Of
chrome ore in Maryland and Pemsylya
mia We're practically the only sources OF
supply for the entire world Up to the
later part of the 10th century almost al
these mines were owned by the Tyson
Mining Co. of baltimore, Md. When the
importation of Turkish ores lowered the
prices OF chrome ore in the market of the
United States, the production OF these
mines was reduced and the Pennsylvania
deposits OF the ore were relegated TO the
position OF reserve supply.
Since the eastern mines were closed, in
1882 or thereabout, the chrome ore pro.
duced in the United States has been de-
rived almost entirely from deposits on
the Pacific coast, and the output has
been declining while the imports from
foreign sources. chiefly from South AZ
rea and New Caledonia. have been stead.
lily rising.
The imports in 1916 were almost dou.
Bile those in 1914. The reports of the
United States geological survey, depart
ment OF the interior, show that the do
nestle production in 1916 was 47.035
tons and that the imports were 1885
tons, SO the total available supply in
1916 was 1929 tons. In 1917 the do
nestle production was. only about 10000
tons and the imports, computed from re-
ports for the first nine months of the
year, fell to 100000 tons. The total
quantity of chrome ore available for con
in 1917 was therefore only 49,
900 tons as contrasted with l629s0 tons
available in 1916. Since the United States
entered the war, the demand for chrome
ore has been still greater, and it has now
become urgently necessary that the Unit
I'd States should increase its production
IF all war minerals to the utmost limit
n order TO release to other uses the ships
hat are employed in bringing in sup
plies Of materials that can be produced
II this country.
In November, 1917, Il. +. Bliss Of the
z. S. geological survey examined the
'hrome bearing rocks of the so-called
tate line serpentine belt of southern
Pennsylvania. Chromite is reported to
,ccur at intervals along the northern
boundary of the area of serpentine that
xtends eastward from Bald Friar. on
river, through the southern
art of Lancaster and Chester counties, !
"a, and the northern part of Cecil eoun- |
" Md.
The ore occurs both as massive. com
act chromite in nodules and pockets of
ariable size in a serpentine gangue, and
S a spotted ore in which grains of chro
rite are rather evenly distributed
through the serpentine. The pockets that
ontain the massive ore are so irregularly
attributed that prospecting is largely a
latter of chance, but in view of the the
nv recently advanced that chromite is
Drmed through segregation, by gravity
r otherwise. along the bottom or sides
an igneous intrusive mass, it is of high
tactical significance TO the prospector to
ote that most of the Pennsylvania de- {
Dsits lie along the north edge of an APP {
irently southwark pitching mass of ser {
sntine. Four of the old mines are situat {
on the actual contact of the serpen
ne and the crystalline schists. i
Nine abandoned mines on or near the
rpentine boundary were examined, {
hese mines extend from the old Lime q