The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1921-08-18

formed. Everybody knows that sne
was made much of by our dlgnitaries;
that ten degrees were conferred upon
her by our universities; that Presl-
dent Harding himself made the pres
entntlon to her in the White House
with appropriate words In the pres
ence OF brilliant gathering Of nota-
bles, and that tired and happy wom-
an finally sailed away with her precious
gram of radIum stored in mahogany
case lined with steel and lead. She
said she was going to take real rest
and that she hoped In September TO
go back to her work in the Curie In
stitute In Paris--now that she again
has radium to work with. The insti-
tute divides its work along two main
lines. One has to do with the study
of radlum and radioactive substances
purely from the viewpoint Of the phys
icist the. other deals with their appli-
cation to the treatment Of Human all
ments. She will also carry on an ex-
tensive investigation of mesathorium,
another radioactive substance-en0ugh
of this was presented to her to bring
the value of the combined gift to $685.
600.
But where this American radium
came from and how 1t was produced
is another story, which may probably
be told In this connection. 1t is espe-
cially interesting, inasmuch as the to-
tai worlds supply of radium Is esti-
mated at only 40 grams Ia gram is
one twenty-elghth of an ounce). The
illustration by comparison shows how
small is this amount. The lower sec
ton represents that made by the prin-
cIpai American radlum refinery, the
dark section that made by other Amer
lean refneries and the upper layer
| that produced abroad. So, though
radlum was not produced in the Uni
ted States till 1913, this country now
has made about five times as much as
the rest of the world.
While Nine Curle, by discovering
radium, introduced new conception
into the fundamental problems Of ex
lstence, she actually produced very lit
tie IRIDIUM, since she was denied the
| ores with which to work. Moreover
she gave II all away to the medical
profession of Europe. A very small
portion found its way to New York
In 1911 the late Joseph NJ. Flannery
of Pittsburgh, who had made a success
with vanadIum as an alloy for steel
devoted his attention TO the produc
ton of radium. The ores OF otheI
countries being out Of the question
he turned to the carnotite deposit!
OF southwestern Colorado. Prior I,
the World war this carnotite ore hat
been shipped 10 French and German
producers Of radium.
The mining and handling Of carno
tite ore In southwestern Colorado 4
attended with difficulties. The regioI
is desolate and practically nninhah
tied. Water Is scarce. Flnnnery ha
his troubles. He had to train, new
men. He finally established headQuaT
tiers at the only spring of elear waite
within 100 miles; here the Standar
Chemical company maintains all tn
Offices for It's mining work, transports
tlon and supplies. Eighteen mile
away the company built the larges
radium concentration mill in tn
world. through which has passed tn
ore from which has been refined NOR
than half the worlds supply Of rad
um. Burros carry the ores from tn
mines to the mill, and water and sur
plies TO the miners.
Nine. Curie worked on Europea
ores which contained about one graz
Of radlum TO every ave OF six tom