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Show GRAND COUNTY POTASH FIELDMAY FIELD FIELDMAY FIELDMAY MAY FREE UNITED STATES FROM FROMDEPENDENCE FROMDEPENDENCE . DEPENDENCE ON EUROPEAN SUPPLY SUPPLYSeemingly SUPPLYSeemingly Seemingly a Desert Waste 'Vaste Vaste ' , Vast Area North of Moab Contain Contains ContainsPotash ContainsPotash ; Potash Salts , ' Which 'Vhich Vhich May Play Important Part in 'VotJd VotJd World 'VotJdIn WorldInc ' WoildIndustry In Inc ' . ustry ; Nation Now Imports Millions MiIIions AnnuaIly Annually Annuallyof AnnuaIlyof of Pioduct Ploduct Product Found Here . Beinard Belnard Bernard B Kunkle , " well "Well known mining min- min mining mining - ing man , writing in Sundays Sunday s Grand GrandJunction GrandJunction GramJunction Junction Sentinel , describes descnbes a resouroof resource resourceof resourceof of Grand county which may converthis convert convertthis convertthis this county into one of the richest in inthe inthe iithe the west He refers to the great pot- pot pota'Sh potash potash - a'Sh aSh ' field m the vicinity ViCll11ty of Thompsons Thompsonsnorth , north of Moab , and gives facts antfigures and andfigures andfigures [ figures to show that inl in iii ootash natash potash , thucounty thIS thIScounty thiscounty , county has one of the greatest potential poten- poten potential potential - - tial resources of the west Mr Kunkle's Kunkles Kunkle'sarticle Kunkle'sarticle Kunklearticle ' , > article , which will be read with extrem extreme extremeinterest extremeinterest extreminterest < ; interest by people of this section sectionfollows sectionfollowsJust . , , follows followsJust Just west of Grand Junction and ifcenvirons its itsenVIrons itsenvirons enVIrons lies lie , > a triangular strip or of ordesert ofdesert o : ' desert bounded lxmnded on the south by the theColorado theColorado thiColorado ; Colorado river , on the north by the theBook theBook thBook ( Book Ch Cliff ! mountains and on the west westby westby wesby ? , by the Green river . The thriving thnving llttl llttlmetropolis little littlemetropohs littlemetropolis < . metropolis metropohs of Moab and the two rail railroad rail- rail railroad railmad - road mad oases , . Cisco and Thompsons Thompson Thompsonsalone , , alone bespeak the hope of some several severalhundred severalhundred severahundred , hundred souls in the future of this rwand raw rawand rawand ' and rugged country . Owing to the thearIdity thearidity tharidity ( arIdity of this region , the casual trav trav- traveler traveler traveler - eler would could , \ ould hardly single it out as a aland aland land of promise or a place p1ace where one onemay onemay onemay may stake one ones s future chances of ofbusinCSS ofbusiness olbusiness businCSS business ! successYet success ' . Yet due to this thlS very aridity , . whicthas WhICh WhIChhas whichhas has prevailed preva11ed in m this region far badsinto back backinto backinto into geological time , it may some davbecome day daybecome daybecome become a synonym of great mineral mineralwealth mineralwealth wealth and come rome to be regarded as aslone asone asone lone one of Uncle Sam's Sams ' n newly wly acquired acouired storehouses sbrehouses sil : > rehouses of potash salts , from whiciare which whichare whichare are derived dell ved chemical compounds in-dispensible in dispensible In- In Indlspenslble indispensible - - dlspenslble dispensible to the economic welfare of ofthis ofthis olthis this nation in m both times of war and andpeace andpeace ancpeace peace This discovery dites d1.tes d1tes kites . back mto into mtothe intothe mt mtthe < the early twenties twaoties when this pictur PIctur- PIcturesque picturesque picturesque - - . esque and hardy region 'egion egion } ' eglOn was beingprospected being beingprosp beingprospected ; prosp prospected cted for oil , when "by by 'by " ' by chance dmining d . dmining , mming mining engineer engmeer tasted some bracklSh- bracklSh brackish- brackish bracklShlookmg brackishlooking brackish-looking brackish looking - - lookmg looking salts that a : . bored driller dri11er was waspatiently waspatiently waspatiently ; patiently bailing baJllllg out of a hole bemg being bemgdnlled beingdrilled beingdrilled dnlled drilled rear the little desert ' oasis 'Oasis and andcoal andcoal andcoal coal camp of Thompsons They tastedlike tasted tastedl1ke tastedlike l1ke like potassium potasslUm salts to him and uponsubsequent upon uponsubsequent uponsubsequent subsequent analyses this conJecture conJectureproved conjectureproved conjectureproved proved to be correct These salts prov prov- proved prov- prov proved proved - - ed to be as rich in potash as those thosemined thosemined thosemined mined from famed deposits of the theStassfurt theStassfurt theStassfurt Stassfurt district , Germany , . and thesmall the thesmall thesmall small ones which occur near ne-ar ne ar - Wittel-shelm Wittel shelm WIttel- WIttel WIttelsheim Wittelsheim - - sheim in Alsace , now under French Frenchcontrol Frenchcontrol Frenchcontrol FrenchcontrolUndoubtedly control controlUndoubtedly Undoubtedly these deposits are the theresIdues theresidues theresidues resIdues left by the evaporation ofland-locked ofland locked of oflandlocked oflandlocked land-locked land locked - lakes which were rathernumerous rather rathernumerous rathernumerous numerous over this thlS region during durmg pastgeologic past pastgeologic pastgeologic geologic ages It is highly iprogable probable iprogablethat probablethat probablethat that further Investigation of them will willalso willalso willalso also disclose commercial commerClal , but much muchsmaller muchsmaller muchsmaller smaller , . quantities oj o5 the valuable saltsof salts saltsof of gromine grornine Bromine and iodine iodme which are usual usual- usually usually usually - ly associated with these deposItsAs deposits depositsAs As yet we know little httle of the e extent extentof extentof , < tent of this deposit , nevertheless , the gov- gov government government gov government - ernment has attached sufficient im- im importance importance im importance - portance to its possibilities pos)1biUties pos1biUties : ) to havetaken have havetaken taken proper steps to protect its in interests in- in int interests - t terests rests , , and have only granted such suchrights suchrights rights to the discoverers as it .deemed deemed , . jieemedfair deemed deemedfair .deemedfair fair and just , . reserving the balance as asa asa asa a conservation measureThere measureThere measure measureThere There is little doubt that both thegovernment the thegovernment thegovernment government and the private interestsImolved Interests Interests1m interestsinsolved insolved 1m olved will wl11 , . in the near future , take takepI'OIJer takeproper takeproper pI'OIJer pIOIJer proper ' steps to drill driB and map the ex- ex extent extent ex extent - - tent of these deposits At present the thegovernment thegovernment thegovernment government is LS doing this with similar similardIscoveries similardiscoveries similardiscoveries dIscoveries in New Mexico Me " < ico and Texas TexasPeihaps TexasPel TexasPerhaps Peihaps Perhaps Pel haps few people realize real1ze what an important 1mportant part potash salts play in inour lour inlour inI I our modern civilization Potash , to- to together together - - gether with nitrogen and phosphate , form the three essential ingredients of offert11lzer offertilizer fertilizer fert11lzer and a great quantity of potash potash pot- pot potash - - ash salts are also used in the manufacture manufacture manu- manu manufacture - - - facture of the better grades of glassIt glassIt glass It also forms fonns an indlspensible indispensable ingredlent in- in ingredient ingredient - - I inI gredient gredlent in the manufacture of smokeless smoke- smoke smokeless smokeless - - ex- ex highex explosives - , ' less powder and a variety of high ex- ex explosives exJ - - J plosives Prior to thear the war \\ar ar oar ' \ the worlddrew worlddrew world drew the major part of its potash saltsfrom saltsfrom salts from the deposits mentioned previous previous- ; previously - ly in Germany Consequently upon uponthe uponthe the declaration of war th thpse those se supplies supphes suppheswere supplieswere were shut off and the allies , , and latex later laterI laterthe laterthe I the United States , . upon their entry entryinto entryinto into the World war were hard put foi for forpotash forpotash potash saltsMany saltsMany salts Many miscellaneous , but relatively relativelyexpensive relatIvelyexpensive relativelyexpensive expensive sources had to be resorted to , , notably the bitterns and saline solutions solutions solu- solu solutions - - - tions of Nebraska , . Nevada , and California California Cali- Cali Califomia - - - fomia fornia Also other sources were drawnI drawnupon drawn I | : upon , such as kelp or sea weed , mo- mo molasses molasses mo molasses - - lasses distillery waste and wool washings wash wash- washings washings - ings An attempt was v.as vas 'ass ass . ' even made toextract to toextract toextract extract it from the water-insoluble water insoluble waterinsolublemmeral waterinsolublemineral water-insolublemineral water insolublemineral - mmeral mineral , . alumte alunIte alunrte Due to further re- re research research re research - - search and efficiency m in operation operationmany operationmany operationmany many of these relatively expensive e"JenslVe eJenslVe " ) war- war wartime wartime war wartime - time sources still cling tenaciously totheir to totheir totheir their existence However , . on accountof account accountof accountof of high production costs many of thesesources thesesources these sources have laJ lapsed ) . : > ed mto into inactiVIty , which was greatly hastened by the re- re reopening reopening re reopening - - I Iwhich opening of the German exports e-q e q - > orts at theclose the theclose theclose close of the war . Owing Owmg to the low potash content ofthe of ofthe ofthe II IIOwmg the natural brines worked corked \ ' \ orked in the theUmted theUnited United Umted States and relatively high cost10f costof cost of pioduction ploductIon production , the major part of thISbus1ne thisbusines this 10f business busines bus1ne , has again swung to the Ger- Ger Gernans Gertxnans Gernans - ' , } nans , with the result that only a aminor ammor aminor txnans minor mmor portion of our domestic f'Ot:1shrequlrements rotashrequirements ' potash f'Ot:1sh fOt1sh rotash : requirements requlrements aie ale supplied by domesticI domesticcompanies domesticcompanies domestic I j companies , the major portion bemgImported beingimported being bemg ' imported from Germany and France FranceThe FranceThe Francei The German-Fiench German Fiench German-Flench Flench German-French French - combine , notI not notonly n o t tonly I I only has a monopoly of their own do-mestic do mestic do- do domestic domestic - mestic markets , , but practically : an unI uncontested uncontested un- un uncontested - I ' contested foreign trade , with the theUmted theUnited theUnited Umted United States as its best customerI customerThe customerThe customer ( The re-establishment re establishment re-establlshment establlshment - of 0 { the Ger- Ger GermanFrench GermanFrench Ger-I Ger I - - I man-French man French - supremacy may be shownI shown shownby I by the fact that our imports lffiports of potash potashsalts salts ha has , e a mcre increased ed from $9600000 9600000 $9 9 $ 600 000 In 1923 to $17,000 17000 $ , 000 in m 1929 , and for the theI thfirst I fIrst 5 1-2 1 2 - months of 1930 these Im- Im ImI Import.s imports imports - port.s ports . were valued at $8 8 $8522000 8522000 $ 522 000 ThIS ThISGermanFrench ThisGermanFrench ThiGerman-French ThiGerman French German-French German French - supiemacy suplemacy supremacy is due bthe to tothe tothe I the fact that the Stassfurt and Alsacdeposits Alsace Alsacedeposits Alsacedeposits deposits average about 22 per cent of ofI ofwatersoluble ofwatersoluble owater-soluble owater soluble I water-soluble water soluble - potash compared to Q a afraction ifraction fraction < of 1 to 2 per 'per ! ' cent in the theI theAmencan theAmerican thAmerican Amencan American brines However , . knowledgigained knowledge knowledgegained knowledgegained I gained from one who was mtimatel mtimately intimately mtimatelyassociated intimatelyassociated : associated with the discoverer of thesundeveloped these theseI theseundeveloped I undeveloped potash deposits west of ofI ofGrand ofGrand oGrand Grand Junction discloses dlsclosec ; the fact that thatthe thatthe thathe I the samples analyzed rar ran from 20 to t < 25 per cent of water-soluble water soluble - potash potashConsequently potashConsequently potashConsequently potashI Consequently their development andsubsequent and andsubsequent andsubsequent I subsequent commercial exploitation , . in inconJunction inconjunction inconjunction conJunction with those now being e ex- ex explored ex explored , < : - plored in New Mexico and Texas Texasshould , . should not only soon free the United UnitedStates UnitedStates UnitedStates States from ( rom Its dependence on theGerman-French theGerman French the theGermanFrench theGermanFrench German-French German French - product entirely , . butit but butit butit it may also make possible the contest contest- contesting ccn contesting - ing of the supremacy of the Gclnnan- Gclnnan GclnnanFrench Cklnnan-French Cklnnan French - - . French product in the world markets marketsI marketsshould marketsshould , should these deposits prove as rich and andextensive andextensive andextensive I extensive as many well informedgeologists informed informedgeologisw informedgeologists geologisw geologists now anticipate |