The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-09-08
LOCAL CLAY BEDS
MAY PROVE BOON
NHITEWARE CLAY PRODUCTS
CAN BE MANUFACTURED FROM
REFINED MATERIAL

A large and profitable industry in
whiteware clay products may be the
far-reaching results of tests made on
the clay taken from the deposits of
the Palouse territory by Dr. Hewitt
Wilson, ceramist for the U. S. bureau
of mines, at Seattle, who is very much
interested in the establishment of
such an industry in the Pacific coast
regions
According to the experiments made
at Seattle last spring by DR.. Wilson,
to the uses in the production of china
ware and compare most favorably
with clays imported from the fields in
England which are widely known and
poses.
The tests on the clays of the Inland
Empire region were made by DR.. Will
son upon receipt of samples from the
Moscow Fire Brick and Clay Products
company A ton of similar clay will
soon be tested by Prof. Wilson to ver-
ify the results of the first experiments.
DR.. Wilson is now in the PalOuse
section examining the deposits at Joel,
Troy and other points. He looked
over the mica deposits at Avon We'd
nesday. Next week he will leave for
the Occur dAlene district where there
are numerous like deposits.
The clay upon which Professor Will
son made the tests showed that the
material after being put through a
washing process to refine it, is equal,
If not superior to that mined on the
British Isles, said Tom Hall, manager
of the local clay prducts company
who visited the doctor at his offices in
Seattle some six weeks ago.
Experts claim that it is even SUI
perior to the foreign clays," contin-
ued Mr.. Hall. "The process of wash
ing the clay is such that all course
materials are taken out. Feldspar
and ground quartz are then added and
gives the clay, in the ords OF Dr. Will
son, fine body for whiteware prod
ucts, which is as good if not better
than that imported.
"The Palouse section seems to be
well situated for the spring
ing up of such an industry if the tests
yet to be made compare with the ones
already completed, and there is every
indication that eventually an enter
prise for the manufacturing OF such
products will be undertaken.
All materials needed in the produc-
ton of the whiteware products are to
be found right in this immediate dis
trict say men versed with the situa-
ton. At Avon there are sufficient
mica mines to supply feldspar need
ed and the clay deposits are prom
inent in many sections of the near
by country.
That such an industry may some
day arise, in the Pacific coast coun-
try, and possibly here, is not to be
doubted, say authorities on the ques-
tion = The market is already here,
the materials for manufacture are
here. All that remains to be done
is the confirmation of the adaptable
ity of the clay for such ware and the
establishment of plant to manufac-
ture the products.
And the field is practically clear.
There are at present no whiteware
clay products companies west Of the
and with the large field
in the west now supplied by eastern
concerns available as a market the
ultimate success of such venture is
practicable and certain.
Just what will come of the discov-
cry of this valuable clay in the Fall
ouse district cannot yet. be more than
conjectured, but local people feel GER
,ain that even if plant is not estab-
ished in the district the shipment of
,lays to markets where it will bring
l fancy price when refined would In I
itself be a great boon to the section.
Js<~I, 80 u sci
oilities wrapped up in the develop,
nent of the clay pits of the region is
lue largely to the efforts of DR.. Will
,on who has always been strong
ldvocate of home products. He took
1p the testing Of the clay and is con-
making a report OF the
finding in the Journal of the American
Jeramical society in order to furth-
,r the interests in such an indus
ry as may grow out Of the results
'evealed by the tests.
Dr. Wilson, in connection with Dean
= A. Thomson and Dr. Laney or the
daho state bureau of mines, is MAX
ng an exhaustive survey of the clay
deposits of the northwest. The en-
ire work comes under the super
-ision of the u. S. bureau of mines.
Wednesday DR.. Wilson Dean Thorn
on and Dr. Laney visited the clay
eposits at Joel which are being work
d by the MOSCOW, Fire Brick and Clay
company. He visited the
nica mines at Avon to determine the
disabilities of getting feldspar
thursday
Friday DR.. Wilson and Dean Thorn
on went to Troy to look over the
lay pits being worked by the Idaho
ire Clay Products company The
irst of next week Professor Wilson
7ill visit the deposits in the Occur
'Alene district.