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Show Importance of Uranium UraniumTold UraniumTold Told by Theobald Theobold TheobaldIn TheoboldIn In the following followmg 111formatlve informative 111formatlveartIcle informativearticle artIcle J A Thoobold Theobold secretary secretaryof of Carbon County Associated In Industnes Industries Industnes dustnes dustries tells of the location locationuses locationuses locationuses uses action and importance of ofuramum ofuranium ofuranium ofuraniumFrom uramum uranium uramumFrom uraniumFrom From this land of sagebrush sagebrushand sagebrushand sagebrushand and cedar of old prospectors prospectorswho prospectorswho prospectorswho who at no time are talkatlve talkative talkatlveand talkativeand talkativeand and a land that is always for forgotten forgotten forgotten gotten by Utah state planners plannersnow plannersnow plannersnow now comes that wonder ore- ore orewhich orewhich ore orewhich - which was once a useless by byproduct byproduct byproduct product of the needed vanadium -uramum uramum -uranium uranium - uranium uraniumThis uramumThis This land is the deserted desertedcountry desertedcountry deserteccountry country in ill southeastern Utah Utahand Utahand Utaland and western Colorado For yeals years yealsthe yearsthe yeai : the uranium uramum ores were mmed mined mmedand minedand minedand and the vanadium ore was al always always always ways sought for as a ready mdr mar mdrket market mcirket ket was available which was wasnot wasnot wasnot ! not the case with uranium uramum un unless unless unless less it was of exceptionally exceptlonally high highgrade highgrade highgrade 1 grade gradeThe The high rugh grade uramum uranium uramumfound uraniumfound uraniumfound found in m Utah southeast of Pnce Price Pncewas Pricewas Pricewas was obtained obtamed in 111 thesandstone the sandstone sandstoneformations 'andstoneformations andstoneformations ' andstonel andstonelformatIOns I formatIOns and occurred in m the theshape theshape theshape shape of trees and branches of oftrees oftrees oftrees trees wherein wherem the wood of the thetree thetree thetree ' tree had been replaced by the theuramum theuranium theuranium ' uramum uranium During Dunng World War I Ithese Ithese Ithese these ores from Utah were the thepnnclpal theprincipal theprincipal ' pnnclpal principal source of radIUm radIUmwhIch radiumwhich radiumwhich whIch occurred only in m mflm mfini mflmteslmal mfinitesimal mfmitesimal . . teslmal tesimal quantityAt quantity quantityAt At the beginning begmnmg of World WorldWar WorldWar WorldWar War II vanadium became a cnt crrt crrtical cntical ical metal for its use in m hardel1I hardel1Img harden hardening harden.ing hardening . mg ing steel and uranium uramum was ob obtamed obtamed obtamed tamed as a by product of thb this thbvanadIUm thisvanadium thisvanadium obI vanadIUm ore Prospectois Prospectors andl and andminers andminers andlmmers ( mmers miners became mOl moie more e numerous numerousin andltwo in this forgotten country andl and andtwo andtwo two great companies compames came mto into mtothe intothe intothe the market the Vanadium Cor Corporation Corporation of America Amenca and the U US US US S Vanadium corporation The Theshortage Theshortage Theshortage ! shortage became more cntlcal critical cntlcaland criticaland criticaland and the US U S Defense Plant cor car corporatlon carporatron corporation poratlon poratron built a new processmg processing processmgrrnll processingmill processingmill I rrnll mill at Monticello MOl.ucello MOlucello ) . in m Utah and andcontracted andcontracted andcontracted contracted with the VanadIUm VanadIUmCorporatlon VanadiumCorporation VanadiumCorporation ' Corporatlon Corporation of America Amenca to op operate operate operate , erate it Here once more the thepnzed theprized theprized pnzed prized uranium uramum became a by byproduct byproduct byproduct ' product and its saving savmg became becamea a mystery It was classified a aelement < " element X and its destmatlon destination destinationor destmatlonor or use remained remamed a secret to prac practIcally practically practically tIcally all the workers of the theplant theplant theplant plant plantUramum plantUranium Uranium Uramum occurring occurrmg in m carno carnotlte carnotite carnotite tlte tite ore is considered the heav heavlest heavrest heaviest lest rest of all the elements That isit is isIt isit It contains contams the greatest amount amountof amountof amountof of stored up energy in m its atom atomic atomis IC is structure Its decompositIOns decompositionsgive give rise to radium and other otherradio otherradio radio active actlve r results sults It is estl estr estrmated estimated mated that the Paradox valley valleyand valleyand valleyand and vicinity vlClmty in m western Colorado Coloradoand Coloradoand and eastern Utah has yielded 60 60per 60per 60per per cent of the world worlds s supply supplyof of vanadium and 90 per cent of ofthe ofthe ofthe the domestic domestlc supplyMmmg supplyMining supply Mining Mmmg of this ore slumped m in mthis inthis inthis this Utah area between 1923 1923and 1923and 1923and and 1935 At that later date va vanadlUm vanadium vanadium nadlUm nadium suddenly became a de desable desirble metal for a steel harden hardenmg hardening hardening mg ing alloy World War II created createda a demand for this steel alloy and andagam andagain andagain agam again the boom was on A news newsblackout newsblackout newsblackout blackout was thrown around the thearea thearea thearea area and its activity as its place placeill placein placein ill in the war picture became ap apparent apparent apparent parent and new troubles arose arosem arosein arosein m in this barren valleyA valley A string strmg of arrests in 111 1940 1940qUIckly 1940ghighgrad 1940quickly qUIckly haltedthe halted an outbreak . of ofhlghgradmg ofhighgradmg , ore oreconcentrates ghighgrad hlghgradmg ng nghalted the the theft toutbreak toutbreakof of ore oreconcentrates oreconcentrates concentrates the estimated val vl value vlue value ue of which was said to have havebeen havebeen ' been $33 33 $ 000 According to Blair BlairBurwell BlairBurwell BlairBurwell Burwell vice president 111 in 111charge incharge incharge charge of the operations operatlons of the theUS theU theUS US U S Vanadium corporation at atRifle atRifle atRifle Rifle and Uravan Colo he be believed believed believed lieved that most of the stolen stolenore stolenore stolenore and andGermany andGermany andGermany ore was shipped to Japan Germany for use in their arma armament armament armament ment and for experlmentatlon- experlmentatlon experimentation experlmentatlonprobably experimentationprobably experimentationprobably - probably in 111 the destructive destructivebomb destructivebomb destructivebomb bomb that has now been devel developed developed devcloped oped by the U S governmentDurmg governmentDuring government During Durmg the first days of the thepresent thepresent thepresent present world war most of the theUtah theUtah theUtah Utah ore was hauled to and andshipped andshipped andshipped shipped from Thompsons on the theRIO theRio theRio RIO Grande railroad The hIgh hIghest highest highest est grade was shipped direct to toPittsburgh toPittsburgh toPittsburgh Pittsburgh and other eJl.peri eJlperi experi eJl.periment experiment expenment . ment stations while the low lowgrade lowgrade lowgrade grade ores were shipped to and andtreated andtreated ' treated at Rifle and Uravan UravanColo UravanColo UravanColo Colo Stockpiles and govern government government _ ment sampling samplmg and purchasmg purchasing purchasingplants purchasingplants , plants were established at var varsous various ' sous points pomts Moab being bemg one oneand oneand oneand and shipments to mills which whichmcluded whichincluded whichincluded mcluded included those at Duiango Durango DUlan o Ura Uravan Uravan Uravan van and Natunta Naturita Colo where whereore whereore ' ore was treated trea\ed trea ed ' \ : and finally fmally the thes I - ' _ , ' ' big government mill at Monti Monticello Monticello Monticello cello This new plant was clos closed closed closed ed in m the fall of 1944 but wasreopened was wasreopened wasreopened reopened in 111 February 1945 1945when 1945when 1945when when it was turned over to the theVanadIUm theVanadium theVanadium VanadIUm Corp Corporation > ratlon of America Amer AmerIca America Ica and the stock pile of oie ole oleac -ac ac accumulated accumulated - accumulated cumulated by DPC v . vas was , as sold to tothis tothis tothis this operating operatmg concern . < * ) Uranium with its associated associatedradium associatedradium associatedradium radium started the present day daydevelopment daydevelopment daydevelopment development of modern atomic atomicsCience atomicscience atomicscience sCience The results of this dls drs dlscovery drscovey discovery covery cove-y cove y - are no now , , known to the theworld theworld theworld world through the c1evastatmg crevastating c1evastatmgwrecks crevastatingwrecks devastatingwrecks wrecks left in 111 the wake of the theatomic theatomic theatomic atomic bomb raids on Japan JapanThe JapanThe JapanThe The use of atomic power is another an another another other stop step along the way of com corn complete cornplete cornplete plete understanding understandmg of all energy ener energy energy gy relationships relatlonshlps Atomic pow power power power er may be likened to the devel development development development opment of power from fallmg falling fallmgwater fallingwater fallingwater water only in m this ca cae caee care : -e e - the evol evolutlon evolutron evolution utlon utron of power is obtained obtamed by bythe bythe bythe the decomposition of a hL heavier hcivieritom 'lVler- 'lVler lVler ' - into mto lighter elements |