Evening star., 1941-02-13
Rich Mercury Supply,
Essential in War,
Found in Venezuela
Minerals Discovery Comes
At Time U. S. Resources
Are DwindIine
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Discovery in Venezuela of what
may be the richest mercury deposit
on earth has just been reported
here.
1t comes at a time when the
United States is meeting domestic
needs of 10000 76-pound TASKS a
year and also is supplying Great
Britain with mercury, one of the
most essential of war materials.
Spain used to furnish half the
worlds mercury. With this source
shut off the price has advanced
from S75 to sl65 flask. At one
time it reached s205 a flask. but
has declined as reserves are piled up.
About two months ago, it was
learned today, a Venezuelan chem
ical engineer and Yale graduate,
Ernesto Stelling, came to Washing
ton on his honeymoon, bringing
with him a few Jumps Of the sofs
red mineral cinnebar from which
mercury is extracted. Mr.. Stelling
showed these to some Yale class
mates and gave the locations where
they were found. They were from
3 to II per cent pure mercury.
From 8 to 5 per cent mercury a
ton is considered profitable to mine
A single lode of this rich material,
Mr.. Stelling said. was 1000 feet
long and feet wide. 1t extended
for an unknown depth into the
earth.
Spotty Deposits Reported.
Mr.. Stelling since has returned to
Venezuela, but Washington geologists
have learned from other Venezue-
lans now here that there are at
least spotty deposits of the mineral
distributed throughout the district.
Mercury is listed as one of the
deficient strategic minerals by the
United States Geological Survey
which has experts seeking sources
in South America for other ma
terials on the list. This has not
been included in the search because
it has not hitherto been known that
the southern continent had deposits
of any value.
Mercury is an essential war min
eral because of its use in the manu-
facture of illuminate for decorating
high explosives and in anti-fouling
paint for ship bottoms. 1t also is
essential In several necessary drugs
and in dental amalgam. The Amer
lean need is expected to advance
about third, to $4,000 TASKS a year,
in case of war.
Duty Helps Domestic Mines.
Since 1922 the domestic industry
has been protected by duty of Is
cents a pound. Otherwise, the Geo.
logical Survey experts say, American
mines probably would have been
unable to operate at all and the
Nation would now be without any
supply source whatever.
While biologists who examined
Mr.. Stelling's specimens were en-
thusiastic, Geological Survey Off
cials pointed out that isolated de-
posits very rich in mercury have
sometimes been found in the United
States and have given rise to hopes
which vanished as soon as neigh
boring rocks were analyzed.
The American reserves, a Geolog-
ical Survey report explains, con-
Stantly have grown poorer, al
though this has been compensated
for to some extent by vastly i'm
proved methods of extraction. The
mineral was first mined in this
country in 1846 in California. and
in 1877 the domestic production
reached maximum of 10000
TASKS. 1t then began to slip and
in 1919 became insufficient for
American needs. Since then about
half that used here was imported
up to the time of the Spanish civil
war.
q. S. Reserves Explored.
Most of the ore now treated at
domestic mines yields from 8 to
10 pounds of mercury a ton. The
lowest assay of the Venezuelan ore
seen here would be over 200 pounds
ton.
Several efforts have been made
to appraise the reserves of mercury
in the Western States. One esti-
mate made in 1881 indicated about
l75,000 TASKS in six States, but since
then more than 10000 have been
extracted.
Even though it cannot be posi-
lively stated that no new large de-
poSits will be discovered" says the
Geological Survey report of its
latest mercury studies, "it appears
unlikely that the output for do
mestic mines will approach again
that record for 1877. Experience
in most mines shows that the grade
of ore treated has steadily declined
and now rarely exceeds 10 pounds
of mercury to the ton. In most
mines it ranges from to pounds
a ton"