The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1920-12-08
BUREAU MINES
MAKES REPORT
Innovation OF New Methods Is Prov
ing Most Successful In The
United States.

WASHINGTON, Dec S~~An inno-
yation in federal government, bureau
methods, involving practical cooPera-
tive assistance to the mining, natal
lurgical and certain other industries
Of the country in solving many Of the
intricate and complex problems in
manufacture, is outlined in the annual
report of DR., f. G. Cottrell, Director
of the bureau made public today.
This new policy, is described as a
direct outgrowth Of the world war
1t is declared that not only has the
Bureau of lines adopted this advanced
cooperation with the actual needs Of
the industries, but that the leading
nations of the world are following
suit, determined not TO be left behind
in the coming race for supremacy in
the industrial trade of the world.
Great Britain, it is said, is especially
alive to this movement
For this new work the Bureau Of
Mines has thirteen well organized ex-
pertinent stations loeatd in ethe diff
ferent mining and metallurgical fields
Of the country, all fitted, Director Cot
trell says, with the necessary chemi-
cal and laboratory apparatus as to
enable it to take up with the indus
tries peculiar to its districts where
the stations are located the most
pressing problems that have baffled
them, especially those involving the
treatment of low-grade ores, many
Of them heretofore useless, and turn
them into commercial processes Of
value to the nation.
These cooperative agreements with
the bureau embrace many different
activities. For instance, there Is an
experiment station at Bartlesyille,
Okla, devoted entirely to the work Of
the petroleum industry. Already in
one of the oil fields Of Oklahoma the
Investigations Of the engineers are
said to have gone far enough to in
dicate that the production Of this
field may be materially increased be-
cause certain Of the productive sands
had not been recognized by the opera
tors.
Seeking to find additional sources
Of motor fuel for the rapidly increas-
ing number of automobiles, the bur
eau has entered into cooperative
agreements with the States Of Utah
and Colorado to develop the oil shale
industry. AT Boulder, Colo, an ex-
perimental oil shaIe retort has been
installed and tests have been begun
on shales Of that district, AT Salt
Lake City, Utah, similar investiga-
tions are being made. Cooperative
oil shale work is also being conduct
ed with the Southern Pacific Com
pany at Elko, Nevada.
General investigations Of the waste
Of gasoline through evaporation alone
will result, the bureau says, in the
saving Of sufficient gasoline to run l.,
100000 additional automobiles each
year.
At the Golden, Colo, station Of the
bureau, since removed to Reno, Neva'
da, in cooperation with a company en-
gagged in the manufacture Of gas man
ties, the bureau has developed that q
substance known as meso-thorium car
be used as substitute for radium in
the manufacture Of luminous paints
thus saving the radium for its more
important therapeutic uses, as in
cases of cancer.
At the Berkeley, Calf, station a CO.
operative agreement with the North
west Magnesite Company Of Wash
ington has resulted in the solving ot
certain problems in the manufacture
of caustic magnesia that are said h
make American magnesite product
compare favorably with those import
ed.
At the Ceramic station Of the bur
eau at Columbus, Ohio, the bureau
says it has established that American
bond clays can be used with as goot
effect in the manufacture of cruciblei
as imported clays. The lack of thi
knowledge during the war was sai'
to have been a serious handicap to tn
industries manufacturing war mater
ials.
In cooperation with the Universit!
Of Minnesota, the station at Minneap
oils, is Investigating the low-grad
iron reserves of the state to obtain in
formation necessary TO the iron-or
companies Of the state and the stee
industry generally. To assist in tn
work an experimental blast furnac
has ben erected and comprehensive
record Of fundamental data on bias
furnace methods is being made.
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