Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-10-04

smelling operations require high heat
resistant and neutral Innings. Chro-
mite Is used and is In fact about the
/ only high heat resistant neutral I'm
/ ing obtainable. Due to the presence Of
/ the high iron In the Montana ores,
/ the same does not make good refrac-
tories and this outlet is not available
/ Chromite ores are also used In making
pigments and tanning solutions essen
tial in modern operations OF many
kinds
It has been proven that the Mon
tana ores are exceptionally fine to use
for the manufacture Of these products,
which, incidentally, requires natural
gas in large quantities, also cheaply
available at or near these deposits and.
lastly, chromite ore Is used IN the
ferro-metallurgica industry In increas-
ing amounts. All electrical heating
elements are composed Of chromium,
nickel and iron in certain proportions
and today these heating elements win
last something like a hundred times
as long as those manufactured Is or
20 years ago and therefore have be-
come very reasonable in cost. A hun
dred or a thousand things could be
listed as having chromium as an i'm
portant or necessary ingredient.
Value of Chromium
In price, no chromium product sells
for less than 10a cents per pound Of
contained chromium on a 20 year av-
erage market quotation, and since the
Montana chromites In general contain
from is to 25 percent of chromium
metal, worth in the form of ferro- |
chrome at least 103 cents per pound, /
and from that figure to q cents per
pound, the conclusion can be readily
reached that if manufacturing facil-
tiles are made available close to this
important source of supply, great
financial reward should be assured and
will be realized.
If we compare these chromite
ores having. I would say, an av-
erage of 20 percent chromium
content worth minimum Of 10a
cents per pound, to a percent
copper ore having an average
value of 10 cents per pound Of
contained copper, it can be readily
seen that from a monetary stand
point the chrome ore deposits
should be relatively much more
valuable than the percent de-
positS. It is believed that the av-
erage copper content of all copper
properties operated within the
United States viii not equal
percent In average metallic copper
content. This comparison Is a fair
one, but never made any impress
sion on the average western in
weston for the reason that he was
totally and absolutely lacking in
knowledge of the facts Of the
ferrous metallurgica industry. In
other words, it is hard to go into
a country not familiar with par
ticular manufacturing procedures :
and interest people in such coun- ,
try in the development of an en-
tirely new enterprise.
Two years ago, the owners Of Mon
ana Chrome, Inc, company which
low owns practically all Of the chro-
mite deposits in Carbon county and a :
majority of the deposits in Sweetgrass
ounty, were lucky enough to have one I
+ their stockholders who removed !
rom the east to Montana some six j
r eight years ago, and established
lIlScu Lie CdkblC UucA44Coc Al DAAN
Eadison valley near Ennis, become in !
crested in assisting in the develop
lent Of the chronite deposits Of the {
tate I
This gentleman, Mr.. Whetmore '
lodges Of Ennis, Mont, had had a I
ing, varied and successful experience
] different manufacturing enterprises
/ the east and brought to Montana
n intelligence much wider and more 1
ccurate than most of us are ever for
mate enough to attain. He saw the =
Importance Of getting as many major
Industries started in Montana as pos
bile and believed that the chrome II
eposits offered at least an opportun- II
v for the establishment Of one major
ldustry. He therefore gave Of his
me and means all that was necessary II
, enable this company to make
satisfactory arrangement for opera II
ons with the United States Vanadium
o., the operating subsidiary Of Union
arbon and Carbide Co., which is the
ominant manufacturer in the United
tates of chromium products, as well II
5 a great many other essential and
nportant materials. This company II
as come into Montana with the in y
sntion OF making the chrome develop :
tent a permanent one and it Is be-
eyed that they viii gradually increase
ne scope of their operations so that
dthin a few years we viii have a !