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Show Gilsonite May Be Major Insulation Material of '55 Gilsonite, with the world's major commercial deposits in Uintah Basin, plays a big part in the economic welfare of Vernal and Uintah County. The largets operations of this hydro-carbon are just 55 miles southeast of Vernal in Uintah county at Bonanza, where the American Gilsonite Co. employs around 10 men. G. S. Zicg-ler Co. at a nearby camp also has a substantial payroll. Over 90,-000 tons of the material are shipped out annually. Although gilsonite has been used in the past principally for paints, varnishes, batteries, etc., it is now .becoming a vital product for the manufacture of Insulation. Tests have also been under way at Bonanza for the use of gilsonite for .coking. The coking tests are proving very satisfactory, it Is understood, and from all indications Uintah county may receive another major Industry In the processing of gilsonite for high grade coke. Estimates say that 500 men will be required for a new process. A 1,000 ton plant per day would cost from six to ten million dollars, with coking towers 60 feet high. For development work alone it would require a million dollars, it Is estimated. Batches from the pilot plant have been shipped to a number of aluminum plants and have proved very desirable as high grade coke. With the use of the gilsonite coke the aluminum plants are able to make a higher grade of product. The gilsonite coke Is free from sulphur, present In other types of coke. A by-product of the process l gas-oil which is easily converted into 69 octane gasoline. This gasoline could be put through the nearby Salt Lake pipe line. About the year 1885 it is reported some cattlemen in the vicinity of Fort Duchesne noticed some black glistening particles in an ant hill and further investigation led to finding large amounts immediately beneath the grass roots. This was first supposed to be coal but upon burning it gave off dense clouds of smoke, a characteristic asphalt odor and instead of reducing to ashes, it melted and ran in a stream like heavy molasses. Upon cooling it appeared to regain its original form and, if anything, became even more glossy and black. The vein was later traced for some three miles running northwest and southeast to the eastward of Fort Duchesne, and within the Uintah Indian reservation. The country was swarming with none too friendly Indians resenting the presence of these white prospectors and there was no way in which a title could be secured. Several years later a piece of ground called "the strip was withdrawn from the reservation and the St. Louis Gilsonite company commenced operations at the Old St. Louis mine. Afterwards the country was Investigated by Prof. W. P. Blake and the name Uintah-ite was given the substance but by this time it was locally called Gilsonite for Samuel II. Gilson, its discoverer, and has been ever since. The gilsonite was first hauled by teams to Price over poor mountain roads. Mr. Baxter, when searching for a shorter and better road himself discovered the vein which now bears his name and is south of Myton. The Bariette mine was opened on this vein and reached a depth of 990 feet when an explosion in 1906 stopped work. Other veins weie discovered but phenomenal finds were reported to the east and south of White River on the Uncompahgre reservation. Mining has often been done in veins as narrow as IS inches but at Bonanza the vein reached a width of eight feet, the Big Bonanza 14 feet and the Cowboy 18 Vi feet. One of these veins extended across the state' Sine tote EUo Blanco county, Colorado. The Bonanza and Colorado districts became the center of much mining activity but output was restricted on account of pur transportation facilities. To overcome this the Uintah railway was constructed from Mack, Colorado to Dragon and the Dragon vein was developed on an extensive scale. Long before this, the vein at Fort Duchesne had passed into the hands of the Barber Asphalt company of Philadelphia and it was Ibis company which constructed the Uintah Railway. Following a disastrous explosion at Dragon In 1908 plans were made for mining elsewhere and in 1910 the center of mining activity was moed to Rainbow, then later to Bonanza. |