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Show July The Western Mineral Survey, Salt Lake City, Utah Huge Phosphate Deposit Described In New Report Recent sampling and mapping vestigations conducted in cooperation with the AEC and the reclamation bureau in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Nevada, has been placed on file in a numIdaho-Montaber of the USGS offices for public inspection in advance of publiS. Geological Survey. cation so the information will be The deposits have been known available for use in connection since about 1928, but it was only with the search for new deposits recently that their full potential- during the present field season. ities have been recognized. Beds of phosphate rock averaging four to six feet thick and containing about 31 per cent phosphate have been disclosed the report indi- has shown the presence of large phosphate reserves perhaps tons or more in the Centennial mountain range along the state line, according to a recent report by the U. 50,-000,0- 00 na cates. Importance of the reserve is indicated by the fact that domestic production of phosphate rock has expanded tons in from about 1942 to more tons in 1952. 4,800,000 than 11,000,-00- 0 most of the added production has been coming from Florida deposits, western tion, particularly in Idaho and Montana, has increased nearly five-fol- d peduring the ten-yeriod and now amounts to about 1,000,000 tons annually, the report notes. Increased consumption of fertilizer and expanded production of phosphate chemicals has raised phosphate to a position of new importance in the nations economy, it says. A sother considerable factor has been discovery of the fact that phosphate rock may provide an important source of vanadium, uranium, fluorine and other minor elements. The recovery of uranium as a from the manufacture of triple super phosphate from the Florida field, anounced recently by the atomic energy commission, is a triumph in process technology, for only 0.2 to 0.4 of a pound of uranium is present in a ton of the report rock, phosphate states. The added security provided by resources of uranium in phosphate rock is of greatest significance, it adds. At the present time most western phosphate production goes into the electric furnace manufacture of elemental phosphorus, the sur-ver- y points out. With the additional sources of cheap power in the offing in the western field and the phosphate reserves in Tennessee diminishing expansion of this new western industry is likely to continue it says. The report, prepared from in While ar by-produ- ct by-prod- Idaho Mines Lower Pay Of Dividends New Jersey Zinc Plans New Work JEROME, Am, New Jersey ar Dividend payments by Coeur dAlene district mining firms during the first half of 1953 were more than 35 per cent below level of the corresponding period of 1952, according to the Wallace Miner. First-hal- f 1953 payments, nine by companies, have totaled $2,403,084 as compared with. by 12 operators, last year. $3,-754,6- Nevada Mine New Source Of Manganese Part of the decline is accounted for by the fact that Federal Mining and Smelting Company, one of the more regular dividend payers, was merged with its parent firm, American Smelting and Refining Company in April this year, and hence, no longer pays separate dividends. Federal made one regContinued from Page 1 ular payment this Caselton and the electric furnace year before the merger. dividend-payers The three largest plant at Henderson, Nevada, to in the district. Bunker, Hill, smelt these manganese concenHecla and Sunshine, have reduced trates and convert them to ferrotheir rates, and Sidney, Silver manganese, of course; the plant will be in the market for manDollar and Pine Creek Lead-Zin-c have made no payments as yet ganese ores not only in the District but for ores anythis year. The Miner tabulation of divi- where that can economically be dends for the two periods is as shipped to the Caselton' plant follows: In the 30 years of operation, the Combined Metals Reduction Company has developed also, a for process hydrometallurgical Pioche of all these types handling ores. The construction of the hydro metallurgical plants will follow the present more conventional process, that is, the kiln and electric smelting. Max J. Kennard is General Manager of the Pioche Manganese Co. properties at Pioche and Henderson. James Orr, superin; tendent; and Ed Butze, kiln superintendent of the Pioche Plant. PI-oc- he Continued from Page 1 mining and mineral resources development. They say it indicates more concern for easing the administration of the national forests than it does with recognition of the established rights of good faith locators of mining claims, or with the purpose of encouraging mineral development which has heretofore been so evident in public land statutes. At the hearing before the rules committee congressmen favoring the DEwart bill made a strong plea for prompt action and were jo; jeap aq pjnoM. ;i pojnsse floor action without undue delay. Our experienced electric power consultants will be glad to help you with your plans. There is no charge for this service. Lead-Zin- c u Alaska The status of in the Territory was outlined recently by Ralph Browne, assistant manager of the Alaska Development Board, upon return from a trip to Anchorage. Browne reports that Shell Oil Co., which plans to put four exploration teams in Alaska this summer, will be somewhat delayed in the Wide Bay-Col- d Bay area of because Peninsula of Alaska late snows. Shells activities this season will be confined to geologic mapping, according to Dr. Max Birkhauser, chief geologist and M. V. Finch of the company, with whom Browne talked. Browne conferred with Fred G. Schreiber, president of Alaska Gulf Oil Co., who said he had just returned from California, where he purchased a new rotary drilling rig. NATURAL BASIN the Standard Slag Sompany continue to produce magnesite in large quantities from their plants at Gabbs, northwestern Nye County. Basic has 140 men on its payroll, with 38 men working in the mill, 34 engaged in surface mining operations, and 68 working in the shops, the office and other jobs, bringing out 370 tons of the ore and about 600 tons of waste material daily. The company is stripping in the open pit mine and also repairing roads to strategic parts of the property, Mine Inspector Gallagher reports. Pat Willard is works manager for the big Ohio company, in charge of the entire operation at Gabbs, while F. W. Menzl is mill superintendent and A. M. Dixon mine superintendent. The company has a big calcining unit on the ground, and the ore is processed before being shipped to its various plants east of the Mississippi River. Norman E. Hansen, prominent mining man, has overall charge of the entire Basic plant in Nevada. The Standard Slag Company is also a very active concern producing magnesite from their Gabbs properties. At this site, which is listed as the Gabbs magnesite plant and Greenstone Addition Mine, they have 69 men working at the mill, open pit mine, shops, office and other jobs. One shift is worked in the mining end of the .industry, while the mill ' is operated on a three-shi- ft basis. They produce about 500 tons of ore a day. R. O. Jones is manager of this property, while S. V. Wines has been given the task of mill superintendent and F. W. Reinmiller is assigned as mine superintendent Schreiber told Browne he was about the most optimistic Greater Anchorage area and believes Cook Inlet and Knik Arm form a natural oil basin. ' Alaska Gulf Oil was formed by a group of Anchorage labor leaders, Browne reports, and holds 60,000 acres under lease across Knik Army from Anchorage. . Browne said it was reported in Anchorage that Havenstrite of Los Angeles, who heads the Iniskin Bay Oil Association, also plans to bring a new drilling rig to the Territory this summer. The company is reported to be experiencing some lease difficulty. The Alaska Oil and Exploration Co., which holds 51,200 acres under lease in the Eureka-Nelchin- a area, has completed preliminary arrangments for purchase of a drill rig, according to Browne. SUNSHINE MINE In the Houston area, George The usual summer slump in Tucker and Ralph Peterson, repat Sunshine Mining Co. 122 production leaseholders, have resenting assembled a total of 76,000 acres has failed to materialize this year. under the name of the Chickaloon June output was 22,694 tons as Oil Co. compared to 13,997 tons last year. SEND A One Dollar Bill Mine Laws TELEPHONE FOR ASSISTANCE ON ELECTRIC POWER APPLICATIONS Ore Produced Exploration Of Oil Pushed From Basic Magnesium In Alaska Basic Refractories, Inc., and JUNEAU, Zinc Co., the nations largest zinc oil exploration is an exten- planning producer, sive exploration project in the Jerome copper mining district, according to reports. The work is to be done on mining claims owned or controlled, by Verde Exploration, Ltd. That was formed in 1947 to acquire the holdings of United Verde Extension Mining Co. which had produced over $132,000,000 worth of ore. In 1949 the firm obtained a three-yelease and" option on 77 claims including the Gadsen and Ewing groups Hooker Verde, north of the Copper Chief mine of the Phelps Dodge Copper Corp. Under terms of the New Jersey-Verd- e Exploration contract, New Jersey will spend $50,000 in 1953 for expolration drilling, advance $10,000 for options and leases and finance Verdes operation expenses to $16,000 yearly. 17, 1953 Continued from Page 1 about $21,000 a month to field drained. If the field the keep were allowed to fill with water, operators assert that it would probably never be economically feasible to drain it again. I firmly believe that unless relief from the present low (zinc and lead) prices is gained from some source the entire district with almost no exception will be forced to shut, declares Harold Childress, president of the Zinc and Lead Ore Producers costs and receive sixteen (16) issues Western Mineral Survey By the year $2.50 2 years $4.00 You need no carton tops and we have no silver spoons to give away but we will give you mining and oil information that should be of interest and prove valuable to you. DIG and SEND . . . with complete ! Name and Address to . fiSESlD Q ijHiT? mii&Bbm r' Tri-Sta- te WESTERN MINERAL SURVEY 22Yi East 1st South Street Salt Lake City, Utah . |