The Arizona copper camp., 1920-03-13

black, green, etc., and is of a resinous
luster, and produces a brownish to
light yellow powder when scratched
When struck with an iron in the dark
| it gives broad white flash which is
very characteristic. This easily iden-
titles the mineral underground.
The once despised zinc is fast com
many and varied uses to which it is
put. One should mention by it's use
| in galvanizing iron, making brass, in
automobile tires, in electric batteries,
as sheet zinc, in kitchen utensils,
laundry tubs, trouser buttons, hooks
and eyes, etc. Zinc oxide is used ex-
tensively in making paint Certain
compounds serve as a wood preserva-
! tive, in dyeing, and in medicine
/ We do not think of the Butte camp
as lead producer, yet single mine,
in 1918, produced over four million
pounds of this metal. The lead comes
from the mineral called galena, which
is combination of about seven parts
lead with one part of sulphur. It is
easily recognized by it's cubical crys-
tails and by it's weight, being three
times as heavy as quartz The fine
grained galena often carries good sill
yer values.
Every miner is familiar with that
| yellow mineral which is found in ev-
| cry vein and which is called ''iron"
But ''iron" does not tell half the story,
for So per cent of that mineral is sui
phur. This mineral, pyrite, is so hard
that it cannot be scratched with a
knife and is thus much harder than
any OF the copper, zinc or lead min
erals. 1t occurs in many forms but
is so well known that further descrip-
ton is unnecessary. Iron which oc-
ours in the bornite and the pyrite may
amount to more than one-ten of the
total ore mined, and is of much i'm
portance in the smelling operations
The pretty pink mineral with the
pretty name, 'rhodochrosite," is a
mixture of five parts manganese oxide
and three parts carbon dioxide, that
same carbon dioxide which has be-
come so indispensable in the soft
drink parlors. Manganese is of great
Importance in the manufacture of
steel When the correct amount is
AIDED the steel takes on new proper
ties, becoming much stronger and
tougher. To cite the case of the man
ganese-steel helmets and body armor
which was worn in France: "a he'll
met weighing two pounds is bullet
proof to a Webley automatic pistol at
five yards" No wonder there was a
demand for manganese during the
war! And these same qualities of
strength and toughness will be found
of great value in many forms of steel
construction in times of peace.
Rhodonite is another pink mangan-
ese mineral which is nearly half sill
cia. 1t is often polished and cut as
gem. So that it may be classed as
an ornamental mineral. 1t is too low
in manganese and too high in SILICA
to serve as an ore of manganese 1t
can be distinguished from the carbon
ate mineral with which it may be as
sociated by its greater hardness and
duller appearance. 1t is very difficult
to scratch it with steel, while the car
Donate is ready scratched with a
knife.
Quartz is the most abundant vein
mineral in the district. 1t probably
forms 70 per cent by volume of the
vein filling of the Butte mines.
1t remains for us to mention few
of the minerals that are occasionally
seen and then speak of those elements
which are SO sparsely scattered that
only the reinements of mechanical,
electrical and chemical concentration
collect them enough for Identification
and use. Barite, the sulphate of bari
um, In its characteristic tabular crys-
tails of pale yellow, is often found in
VuSo. ,SdISICS, Ou0 SLun CudL limestone
is made of, calcium carbonate, is rare
ly seen except in small veinlets along
joint planes in the granite. Flourite,
another calcium mineral, is occasion
ally seen near the ends of copper ore
shoots. 1t is associated with the man
ganese minerals in the Rainbow lode
and in other veins of the northeast
portion of the district The crystals
are often seen as blue or green four
sided pyramids. Half of this mineral
is flourine, an element with many of
the properties of chlorine, only worse.
However, when combined with cal
cium in the mineral flourite it is as
harmless as chlorine when tied to So
dunn in our common table salt.
Molybdenite, three parts molybde-
mum to two parts of sulphur, is occa-