Show SOURCES OF WEALTH N new ew material added to the nations nation ro ilo sources by scientific lile liktor labor the te h discoveries that are still frequently made by explorers in our land and taic new processes by which our undeveloped wealth is turned into material blessings s are calculated to convince us that our country is not nol thoroughly L explored nor its resources resource adequately understood exploration and science still find plenty of employment in the study of this continent we no sooner learn tile the great practical utility 11 tit 1 1 ty of natural gas than we discover its existence in parts part of ohio and illinois where it was hitherto unknown just as we are awaking 0 to the fact that our processes of refining r petroleum are crude and wasteful and that its usefulness is ia likely in time to be vastly an augmented 0 by its employment as fuel and in many ille chemical mical industries we learn of the discovery of great petroleum fields in the far west the geological M survey surrey has bas just issued the report of mr kunz its expert in 0 gems ems upon the recent considerable dis eo veries of valuable stones in the united states tile the finds of garnets ame tryst and other stones during during thelast the past year have already proved of some commercial importance we are chiefly indebted to the california and national geological surveys for the discovery of our vast deposits of borax which have already placed us among the largest producers of borax in the world these surveys also discovered the large petroleum fields in california and colorado the geological survey has shown that large quantities of crude petroleum exist surface in the far west and this petroleum is now under tinder examination in the laboratory to discover the best methods of refining 0 it the survey has also naso found in the west great quantities of soda deposited by a natural process so that the cost of its production is about one third less than that of the soda found in germany and other parts of the world its researches have also led to te disco discovery verv of vast deposits of sulphur and there is now no danger that we shall ever lack the essentials for the home manufacture of 0 gunpowder considerable deposits of phosphates used as fertilizers have also been discovered by the geological 7 survey chiefly in the southern states the testimony of prof powell before the joint commission two years ago ago clearly showed that in liis his opinion the ceolo geological ical survey was achieving ieving many valuable results in the investigation 0 of coa coal 1 iron copper petroleum and soda the joint commission in ill its majority report leached beached the same cotic conclusion lusion and we have reasons to expect from this survey and from the various state stale surveys discoveries in ili that will make no insi insignificant contributions to our dealto wealth the resea researches relies of the ceolo geological ical survey for instance point to the probability that some of our western territories will in the future rival the lake superior region in the production of copper it is certain that further scientific labor will not only add new materials to our wealth but will also improve tile the methods byu by which these materials may lie utilized and mail made e to aj 1 1 sun |