Show GREAT NITRATE BEDS miner aliner wallace idaho southwestern idaho and southeastern oregon are destined to become the greatest nitrate producing country of the world and an industry will be built up that will mean employment for close to 1000 men in the opinion of former governor hawley who has just returned from an inspection of the nitrate beds on sucker creek in oregon just across the owahee owyhee county line he said the nitrate beds extend over an area of some acres and the amount of nitrate bearing rock is fabulous to consider to start computing the amount of it available there you would have to take some think like 1000 tons as your basis said the former governor and even then you would have several millions of that unit to deal with it is unbelievable the amount of mineral there is there keep men at work the property is owned by the american nitrate company of chicago of which concern harry wilson is vice president and general manager the company bought the locations somo some time ago for and paid down one tenth of that abou amou amount t since q that tinie time a force of men including a chemist and surveyor has been doing experiment work in the field from their work thus far they have estimated that the rock of the whole whole held field will average at least 4 per cent nitrate said former governor hawley if that is true there is enough nitrate there to supply the world for years rig up small plant the nitrate occurs in a for formation matlon which is a sort of an erupted rock it is not exactly lava rock the beds seems to be the bottom of a prehistoric lake and in some manner the erupted rock has become impregnated with the nitrate in some places the rock is fairly hard at other points is found almost pure nitrate which can be crumbled in the hands A small experimental plant has been rigged up at the camp there is a little mill run by a gasoline engine the crushed rock is placed in large tanks and water run on it the water leaches out from the tanks and when it comes out is a nitrate solution the solution is allowed to cool which then causes the nitrate to condense in the form of crystals A considerable amount of nitrate has been extracted and sacked up at the experimental camp every experiment made thus far has gone to show that the men who put their money into the property had good ju judgment dament and I 1 think it is now a question of a short time until the company will commence on an extensive scale I 1 understand it has adequate capital behind it the development of the deposits will entail first the building of a railroad from homedale or some other point I 1 learned however that one of the surveys of the boise winnemucca railroad runs up sucker creek within a short distance of the nitrate beds means work on a big scale if the beds are to be worked there must be installed rock moving and crushing machinery on a large scale which will mean the employment of a large force of men to operate it then there must be huge vats for leaching the rock and devices for leaching the rock and devices fr condensing the solution the company has tile the right to the waters of a small stream nearby and could easily get water with artesian wells it if more were needed or could move the rock not far away to where there would be ba plenty of water 1 I have every reason to believe that this industry will be developed and that it will be one of the greatest things that has been done for this country in its history |