Imperial Valley press., 1922-02-01
Big Gypsum Industry Being Developed
In Imperial Valley Near Ell Centro


rounding the plant and the village
promises to become a hive of industry.
When this is done it is plain to see
how largely the enterprise is to con-
tribute to the prosperity and indus
trial Importance of the city of FL
Centre.
Railway Being Built
From Maria twenty-five miles to
the north is being constructed a mar
row guage railway to the gypsum
mountain that is the basis of the
whole project. Under the direction Of
Civil Engineer Fuller this work isl
now going ahead with a good force of
men. Something like hundred con-
stitute the fore, all told. These are
mule skinners,~ bridge builders and
track layers. Up to date about twenty
miles of the twenty-five miles of grade
has been made. Straight across the
desert it goes, all the way on an
easy gradient of not more than per
cent at any point. To get in the ne
cessary water and supplies of all
kinds required by camp such as is on
the ground has been no small task.
Mr.. Dunaway has confronted many
obstacles in doing it. But the work is
moving forward at good speed. A
small locomotive and train of cars
carry the rails and ties out on the
grade where the track goes down at
the rate of half mile day, when
all runs we'll
A Mountain of Gypsum
At the far end this little narrow
gIage railroad turns to the left, up
a wash, down which the torrents have
rushed for centuries from the noun
tain sides and canyons. 1t stops at
the side of brown, bare mountain
and it is this mountain that all the
labor is being done to reach, all the
Imoney being expended to wrest from
it its untold wealth.
This is mountain of gypsum. 1t
stands out form among those around
It as distinctive. It is clearly different.
Roughly it is one half mile in width,
q mile and half in length and ranges
to 800 feet in height It has many
peaks and is furrowed by many little
narrow ravines. Up one Of the latter
Mr.. Dunaway escorted his sightseers
until by and By an eminence was
reached from whence an idea could be
obtained of the endless quantity of
gypsum nature has dumped in this
spot when the old earth was formed.
4 brown crust covers the hill, Of oXi-
died gypsum. Beneath this is q thin
layer of fine, white gypsum that has
become decompcsed. 1t is as white
and fine as flour, then Immediately
below it is the rock that yet retains
it's first form. Mr.. Dunaway will IN
form you that this gigantic deposit
that rises above the level of the sur
rounding desert, is in many if not
, in the most places gypsum of purity
of more tnan 9912 per cent. And ne
will also tell you, il you are not al
ready dizzy, that competent engineers
reckon that there is 800 millions tons
Of the substance in sight. How far
! it goes below level with the desert
- rcne as yet knows; maybe twice as
:. far below as above Thus it will be
i understood there is some gypsum ir
that ne;ghborhood.
Biggest in America
= While one IS breathlessly conton-
e plating the enormous quantity Of
e very useful product before him, he is
y informed that there is nowhere in
America anything like such another
> deposit as this. There are small
quantities found in many places,
= but nowhere else such noun
tain Of it, Or SO pure. And in
narrcw1gage road to the works at
= Maria tobe crushed, ground, treated
= 4 and sacked and sent ont TO the trade:
II The present expectation Of the man
y agement is that the form Cf the pro-
' duct will in the main be plaster. Dur
ing recent years there has been {
I decided shift from plaster of sand anc
lime to plaster of gypsum. CT plaster
I paris. Nine e-tenths Of present-day
d building contracts specify the use OF
! is in this one field demand that can.
Il not be computed. The Imperial com.
-, pany is establishing connections that
l will guarantee 4 regular operation OF
its plant.
: Among others of the myriad forms
of gypsum's use is in the manufac-
4 ture of artificial marble, widely usec
for interior finishings, for wainscot
ing mantels and the like. Also it is
used extensively for cornice work, foi
both plain and ornamental exterior
finish in building. Building blocks
are made from it, these being lighter
and Of finer texture than blocks made
of concrete. But for the larger cost of
gypsum hitherto this branch of in
dustry would have assumed much
greater proportions than it has. What
effect this development of America S
biggest deposit will have none can
as yet confidently predict.
Local Importance
Coming little closer home, as Mr..
Dunaway explained. this enterprise is
going to have a decided effect upon
local conditions in two ways; First it
will stimulate trade because Of the
wage factor involved. The company
is now paying out $4,000 month
in construction and will continue to
do so until the railroad is built and
the factory is up ready for operation
After that date there will be the reg
ular force required to quarry the rock,
load it on cars, transport it to the
mill and there to put it through the
yariOnc 1oropncSac to which IL will hn