The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-06-29
Tells Discovery
Of Strange Mineral
Continued from Page ~


its possible use, but without result,
as they thought it was an artifically
made product.
In the spring of 1919 he. went to
New York, where the substance ex-
cited surprising interest among ex-
ecutives and chemists in the build
ing and insulating industries
He then went to Washington, D.
c., where he submitted it to gov
eminent departments. When he
handed a piece of the raw material
to the chief miners technologist of
the bureau of mines and asked what
ii was, the latter said it was phlogo-
pite mica. Then Mr.. Alley held
lighted match to ii and when it ex-
banded and turned color the official
said that it was the most remarkable
phenomenon he had ever seen in
mineral, and when Mr.. Alley asked
him what he should call it, he re-
piled, Name it yourself" which
shortly afterward Mr.. Alley with
the aid of a New York man did,
coming the name Zonolite, which
has since been registered. At that
time the substance was not listed
in the Who's Who of Mineralogy"
but it is now and incidentally a
recent u. S. G. S. Bulletin treats
it in detail
The following year 1920, Mr. AL
ley and some New York men who
had become interested in Zonolite
formed a company, and the next
year he built rock clay furnace
on his ranch, two miles from Libby,
and treated several tons. This was
a crude affair built on slope SO
that the material could be worked
in from the high to the low end,
with furnace AXIS feet, its bot
tom of heavy cast iron plates heat
being supplied from a Dutch oven
with saw mill waste for fuel. 1t
was soon found that the east iron
could not stand the heat, and the
furnace was rebuilt with fire brick
Its capacity was only four tons per
day
Mr.. Alley perfected the processes
of heating and grinding and the
business outgrew the small plant so
a new one was constructed in 1927
to handle about so tons per day.
1t might be interesting to note at
this point that the purpose Of or
SdillZdllOii was llCiGly W dINlQt lilS
ownership of Zonolite among six
men then interested, as it was their
expectation at the time to develop
il to a profitable point with their
own resources. However, they soon
discovered that it would take more
time and money than they had
available and accordingly invited
participation by stock sales.
Zonolite, of course, is non-me-
talic substance and further CLASH
fled as a member of the vermiculite
family Analysis shows it to be
composed mostly of silica, magnesia
and alumina in the form of silicate
and insoluble in most acids In fact,
no report has come to the Zonolite
company of any acids which effect
it at ordinary temperatures except
hydrochloric acid which burns it
white, but does not affect it other
wise. When boiled in this acid, it
will break down.
Zonolite was long supposed to be
phlogopite or biotite mica, and this
particular deposit was classified in
the u. S. Geological Survey report
as the former the report speaking
of it as being exceptionally abun-
dant. Zonolite has soft, smooth,
almost oily feeling to the touch and
occurs in Illuminated form like mica;
ii is dark brown to black in color
and weighs slightly less than ordi-
nary gravel.
When subjected to heat it swells
almost instantly to approximately
fifteen times its bulk in the raw
state, with corresponding loss of
weight, and turns to beautiful
golden color.
The expansion is all vertical, the
leaves being separated by tiny air
spaces. Applying a match to a
piece of raw Zonolite held in the
fingers causes it to spread out in
fan shape. Experiment has shown
that with the use of varying
amounts of oxygen the product can
be produced in either bronze or sill
yer platinum color, but otherwise
possessing the same properties.
Properties and characteristics of
treated Zonoite may be roughly
listed under thirteen heads:
lit is absolutely non-inflamma
BILE, as truly as piece of granite
Pit is fireproof up to 2460 de-
SIGCS III Tic tlGdliilGilb RlOIeSS
it is subjected to heat of 1900 de
grees. At from $500 to 5000 de-
grees it calsines and then almost
Immediately fuses.
3-It is considerably lighter than
cork and substitute for cork in
many of its important uses
At is vermin neutrality-suspicious.
TO the attacks of insects, worms and
rodents
Sit is insoluble in water, and So
far as known, after extensive tests
it is insoluble in acid
6-It is unaffected by weather II
absorbs water but it not affected
by either the absorption or evap-
Grafton process.
Tt is equal to mica as a dialec-
trc-in other words, there is no bet
ter electric insulation substance now
in commercial use
SIT is one of the best thermal in
'sulators known and is amazingly i'm
pervious to either heat or cold.
9-It is very effective as a SOUND
deadener.
l0-It is unequalled by any other