The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-01-05
GOV NEIsNMENT BUREAU
AIDS FOR MINING AND
OTHER INDUSTRIES


In federal government bureau meth
ods, involving practical cooperative
assistance to the mining. metallurgcal
and certain other industries Of the
country i'm solving many Of the intri-
cate and complex problems i'm manu-
facture, is outlined i'm the annual re-
port of DR.. F., G.. Cottrell, Director of
the bureau made public today.
This new policy, is described as
direct OutgrOwth Of the world war
1t is declared that not only has the
Bureau of Mines adopted this ad-
yanced cooperation with the actual
needs of the industries. but that the
leading nations of the world are fol-
lowing suit, determined not to be left
behind i'm the coming race for supre-
macy in the industrial trade of the
world. Great Britain, 1t is said is es-
pecially alive to this movement.
For this new work the Bureau of
Mines has thirteen we'll organized ex-
pertinent stations located in the diff
ferent mining and metallurgical fields
Of the country, all fitted, Director
Cottrell says. with the necessary chem
ical and labosator yapparatus as to en-
able 1t to take up with the industries
peculiar to it's districts where the sta
tions are located the most pressing
problems that have baffled them, es-
pecially those involving the treatment
OF lOw-grade ores. many Of them here
before useless, and turn them into
commercial processes of value to ma
ton.
SO successful have these methods Of
solving commercial problems been. ac-
cording to the Bureau OF Mines, that
at present the bureau has agreements
for experimental work with nineteen
industrial concerns, twelve different
universities. and with state agencies in
eleven states.
These cooperative agreements with
the bureau embrace many different
activities. For instance. there is an
experiment station at Bartlesville.
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 indicate
that the production of this field may
be materially increased because certain
of the productive sands had not been
recognized by the operators.
Seeking to find additional sources
of motor fuel for the rapidly increas-
ing number Of automobiles. the bu-
reau 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 shale retort has been
installed and tests have been begun on
shales of that district. At Salt Lake
City. Utah. similar Investigations are
being made. Cooperative, oil shale
work is also being conducted with the
Southern Pacific Company at Elko.
Nevada.
General investigations of the waste
Of gasoline through evaporation alone
will result, the bureau says, i'm the
saving Of sufficient gasoline to run
100000 additional automobiles each
year.
At the Golden. Colo. station fthe
bureau, since removed to Reno. Ne-
wade. in cooperation with n company
engaged in the manufacture of gas
mantles. the bureau has developed that
u substance known as meso-thorium
can be used as substitute for radium
I'm 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 CO.
operative agreement with he North
west Magnesite Company Of Wash
ington has resulted i'm the solving of
certain problems i'm the manufacture
of caustic magnesia that are said to
make American magneste products
compare favOrably with those import
ed.
At the Ceramic station of the bu-
reau at Columbus. Ohio. the bureau
says IL has established that American
bond clays can be used with as good
effect i'm the manufac cturc of crucibles
is imported clays. The lack of this
knowledge during the war was said to
haye been a serious handicap to the
industries manufacturing war mater
ials.
In cooperation with the University
of Minnesota. the station at Minnea-
polls. is investigating the low-grade
iron reserves Of the state to obtain
information necessary to the iron-ore
Ol tle std tc ana the steer
industry generally. To assist i'm the
work an experimental blast furnace
has been erected and n comprehensive
record OF fundamental data on blast
furnace methods is being made.
One # the problems of far-reach-
ing Importance to the metallurgical
companies and to the nation is the
development of commercial processes
whereby the many complex and low
grade ores Of the west may be turn
ed into profitable enterprise. The
station of the bureau at Salt Lake City
Is engaged in such cooperative work
with number of large metallurgical
concerns and with the metallurgical
research department Of the Utah
School o, Mines.