Imperial Valley press., 1923-01-15
Plar Buildings Of Gypsum

AdE DuAAuAuEo Va 1yVouM
The party spent some time look
ing through the shops and buildings
which comprise Dunawav, the new
est town in Imperial Valley, and
named after the general manager
of the company which has grown to
year. Eventually Mr.. Dunaway said
The town would be literally built of
eypsum, as it is planned to build
the houses of hollow gypsum blocks,
which are said to be extremely
adaptable for buildings in the val
ley, being cool in summer and warm
in winter After all had been seen
at Dunaway, the party boarded a
power ear, equipped with. trailer,
for Tip over the company S mar
row guage railroad to the gypsum
miIles. This trip in itself is a rev.
eiation. For nearly 26 miles the
road heads due north from Duna-
way, crossing barren desert coun-
try. The railroad has presented the
biggest problem in the establish
ment of the gypsum company, it be
ing quite a job to get the necessary
equipment, and do the grading and
ballasting work necessary. While
now and then the party bumped
along on section of the track vet
without ballast, nobody minded such
trivial Inconvenience.
Simply Scoop It from Hill
4 ln tta., t,.,,
occupying over an hour, the party
scattered to watch the various OPP
eratiOns. The word "mine' is Il
misnomer, as the gypsum is taken
from a solid mountain of the deposit,
which, by some freak of nature, was
placed in range of low lying hills
of formation similar to other
mountains in this part of the coun-
try. The gypsum deposit is easily
accessible without having to mine
for it, the method of obtaining it
following that which is used to re-
The gypsum is simply loosened by
means CT blasting, and then loaded
on the ears by steam shovels. The
larger Jumps broken off in blasting
are redLced to smaller fragments by
means of compressed air drills.
The camp settlement is situated in
a small valley, surrounded by broken
foothills. According to Manager
Dunaway, a survey by the United
States government estimated the
amount Of gypsum at between 400
and 600 million tons. Exhaustive
tests by leading chemists of the
country show that the gypsum
ranges from 90 to 80 per cent pure.
The deposit is the largest known in
the world.
Mary New Uses for Gypsum
The demand for gypsum is increas-
ing at all times. according to Mr..
Dunaway, and new uses are contin-
ually beng found for it. At present
also for building material, making
excellent hollow tile blocks 1t is
also in demand for interior decorat
ing, and imparting gloss finish to
tilework, In surgical lines it makes
an excellent plaster of paris and
panv is asked from all parts of the
world for samples of gypsum and is
rapidly establishing a reputation for
the high grade of its product, which
is admittedly the best that can he
obtained. Operations are still in the
preliminary stage, though 500 car
loads of equipment have been used
in erecting the crushing plant at
Dunaway and building the railroad
to the mine. Plans are being form
ulated for increasing the output as
soon as possible and eventually
reaching the maximum output.
Within the short space of two
years, the Imperial Gypsum Com
pany has grown to be one of the
most important industries in the
valley and it is safe to say that as
the years 90 on, its Importance will
increase, as the demands for its
product increase. The gradual sub
stitntion of fireproof material in
place of wood for dwelling houses
will undoubtedly enlarge the demand
for gypsum and as new users are
found for it the market for gypsum
will he broadcned. The supply is
practically unlimited and il will be
many years before the Imperial Gyp-
sum Company will be worrying
about its inability to fill orders for
| lack of material.
steam Shovel Almost Human
Members of the party were fascin'
ated with the almost human work