Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-05-02
WAR BLACKOUTS
MAY OPEN MINES
AT PHILIPSBURG
GRANITE COUNTY AND BUTTE
MAY SUPPLY NATION WITH
ITS MANGANESE
By c. J. TRAUERMAN

This is an article on strategic
minerals in Montana. II was pre-
pared by the Montana mineral re-
sources survey, cooperative en-
terprise conducted jointly by the
Montana School of Mines and the
works projects administration of
Montana.
1t is far cry from the "blackouts"
on the British isles to the black min
eral deposits found at Philipsburg, in
Granite county. Yet, there is an init
mate connection. When the "blackouts"
occur all lights in the cities and ham
lets are put out. When it is necessary
to use light, flashlights play an i'm
portant part. II you will break flash
light battery in two, you will find that
4 black material is the heart of the
battery. This black material is high
grade ore known as manganese dioXide,
and PhiipSburg is one of the principal
producers of this ore.
But the principal demand for man
ganeSe ore, one of the chief strategic
minerals, comes from the steel indus
try, and for the steel industry it is not
necessary to have such a pure form
of manganese ore as is used for bat
teries and for other chemical purposes.
Use Million Tons
The steel industry Of the United
States this year will probably consume
about 100000 long tons Of high-grade
manganese ore and concentrates while
the chemical industry will use only
about As, 900 tons. In normal times most
of the manganese ore used In the
United States was imported. About 8
percent of these imports came from
Brazil, - percent from Cuba, 25 per-
cent from the Gold coast of Africa, 7
percent from British India, 38 percent
from Russia and the remainder from
other countries. Due to the shortage OF
ship bottoms and blockades these fig
ures have been radically changed since
the beginning of World war No. 2 and
imports have been drastically reduced.
Taking cognizance Of the unavailability
of imports of manganese, the govern
ment of the United States, through its
various departments, is taking active
steps to establish an industry leading
to the production of a greater tonnage
of domestic manganese ore.
Previous to World war No. /, Mon
tana had produced only 1877 tons OF
high-grade manganese ore which was
shipped as test lot in 1900 to steel
mill in Chicago. In 1916, Philipsburg
produced only a little over 5000 tons
of chemical and metallurgical man.
ganese ere. In 1918, Philipsburg shipped
l27,4l5 tons of high-grade manganese
ore. :.
In Butte there Is large deposit
of rhodochrosite which is carbonate
of manganese and has a translucent
pastel pink color. This is the only large
deposit of pink manganese discovered
in the entire world. A large tonnage
of high-grade pink manganese was
shipped from Butte in 1918. Several
additional deposits of manganese were
found at different points in Montana.
From a beginning of only 5000 tons
in 1916 Montana, in September, 1918,
was shipping at the rate Of over 4O,OOO
tons of high-grade manganese ore per
month or better than half OF what the
United States consumed IN that year.
Naturally, in attempting to stimulate
domestic manganese ore production,
Montana would be expected to furnish
a large tonnage, due to its 1918 record.
Already the Anaconda Copper Mining
Co. has been given large contract
to furnish roasted and nodulized high
grade manganese concentrates. Inc
Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Is spend
ing over s1,5O0,OO0 at the Washoe re-
duction plant in Anaconda to concen-
trate second-claSS pink manganese ores
from the Butte mines. After the ores
are concentrated, most OF the impur-
tiles such as zinc, lead copper, sulphur,
phosphorus iron and silica will have
been eliminated. The concentrates Will
then be roasted and nodulized, elm,
mating the carbon dioXide content and
putting the concentrates in rather
coarse shape, after having been put
through the mill finer than 300 mesh;
The concentrates will be stock-plled
and used by the steel industry as re-
quired. These concentrates will assay
higher in metallic manganese and
lower in impurities than any other
large quantity Of manganese in the
world Pink manganese was first sue
cessfully concentrated by an independ-
ent engineer during World war No. l
but the present process of concentrat-.
ing was developed by the engineers OF
the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The
roasting and, nodulizing process was
developed by Anaconda and the Do
nestle Manganese g. Development Co.
The latter company has a roasting
plant in Butte and may roast some OF
the concentrates produced at the
WaShoe reduction plant.
At present the government Specifl-
cations for furnace manganese ore are