Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 196, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 August 1920 — THE AMERICAN' POTASH INDUSTRY [ARTICLE]

THE AMERICAN' POTASH INDUSTRY

UTAH TO REPLACE GERMANY IN SUPPLYING THE UNITED - STATES WITH POTASH FOR FERTILIZER. It is a well known fact that Germany has controlled the world in the potash field, through its deposits in Alsace-Lorraine. Five years ago in the Sevier Valley, 200 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Armour Packing Company, The Aluminum Potash Company of America and Mr. Geo. M. Winkelman, a Nebraska ranch owner and banker, built plants for the extraction of potash out of the famous chemical combination ore called alunite. Alunite averages 10 per cent potash, 30 per cent sulphur, 45 per cent aluminum oxide and the balance water and sand. The potash fertilizer manufactured from this alunite ore is of the highest fertilizer value, being absolutely free from chloride, borax and sodium, differing distinctly from the potash manufactured in Nebraska, where it is obtained from- brine and alkali lakes and holds a high pgr cent of chloride and soda. It also - differs from the potash fertilizer obtained from California lakes and sea weed called kelp, which contains a high percentage of borax. It is a well known fact and has long been established by the gov-* ernment and individual agricultural experiment stations in our country that chloride, borax and sodium are highly injurious to all plant life. The fertilizer obtained from the mines in Utah is of the purest grade of potassium sulphate, reaching a purity of 92 per cent in the refining process. The plain roasted ore yields as fertilizer a guaranteed standard percentage of 18% per cent of potash sulphate. 'As to quality and quantity of the deposits The AJumnium Potash Company of America refers to the United State Government Geological and Agricultural Department of Washington, D. C., also to the Universities of Utah, Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana. The following extracts are taken from Circular No. 76, Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture, showing the value of alunites and kelp potash fertilizers, the ignited - alunite showing a growth of 141 per cent against 131 where kelp was used. The increase in growth with ignited alunite over the untreated soil varied from 35 to 48 per cent, the average increase being 40 per cent. In the United States the alunite has been found in" form so massive and so pure as to make it available as a source of potash, only in the deposits at Marysvale, Utah. It is worth noting that, according to laboratory experiments, 32.7 per eent of the ignited alunite consists of available potassium sulphate, which can be extracted by simple water leaching and evaporation, the remaining 63 per cent consisting of nearly pure aluminum oxide. ' Extracts from letters of Dr. Frank K. Cameron, ex-chief chemist of the U. S. Government, now located at Salt Lake City, Utah, with the American Smelter and Refining Co.: “It can be positively stated, however, that it is possible to recover alumina of an extraordinary purity from this alunite, as well as alum, and aluminum sulphate and potassium sulphate. While in_ my opinioh, the chief value of the alunite in normal times will be, as a source of alumina, a high potash content is desirable. First, because the potash will prove a very valuable by-product for which there will be, always, an unlimited market, and secondly, because it has been proven by experience, that a high potash content is associated with a low silica content. The technical operations involved are really quite simple, and are now worked out quite

satisfactorily.” Prof. Mahin, of Purdue University, visited the mines, and speaks highly of the proposition. A letter from the University says regarding the potash from this company. I thought it might be of interest to you to know that the Indiana Station has started two new experiment fields this year in which potash from different sources has been used, including some alunite potash from Utah. On our Rensselaer field on unproductive black soil, the alunite potash gave about the best results of any of the different potash salts. If your material contained 30 per cent potash it would sell in car lots for S9O a ton.” The above are but a few of the many testimonials as to thevalue of the products of the Aluminum Potash Company of America. Aside from potash fertilizer the company in their new plant have manufactured and intend m the future to manufacture on a larger scale the following products: Potash alum, potassium sulphate salts, aluminum sulphate and aluminum oxide. Industries using the products of this company are the die, photography, match, tannery, drug, paper, glass and explosives and city water purification systems. The New West Magazine has the following tff say of The Aluminum Potash Co. of America: “The Aluminum Potash Company of America was organised in March, 1919, to take over and develop the

Copper Butte group of mining claims situated in Deer Creek Canyon, Piute county, Utah, about one and one-half miles west of the Denver & Rio Granae railroad. This group of fifteen claims had been worked for eighteen years as a copper mine, but when the potash discoveries were made in the Marysvale district, it was found that the ‘Copper Butte’, besides being a copper mine, encompassed one of the largest known' deposits of alunite in the United States and possibly in the whole world. This deposit is approximately one thousand feet wide by two thousand feet long, the highest point of outcroppings is over five thousand "feet above the lowest outcroppings. Between these two points it is estimated there are sixty million tons of alunite. * The company is constructing an aerial tramway 9,000 feet long, extending from the mill to the mill site on the Denver & Rio Grande railroad. This tramway will have a capacity of 62% tons per hour. * -The company also owns 173 acres of patented land on which is located the mill-site and the townsite of Winkelman./ The Grand Canyon highway runs through this townsite. The company is fast building up a modern townsite, including a school house, and several new cottages owned by the employes are in the course of construction. Among the many commercial products which the company can manufacture from this ore are aluminumoxide, aluminum-sulphate, causticpotash, sulphuric acid, potash alum, ammonia alum and metallic aluminum, besides many compounds of potassium, all of which have a wide market and many of them are ex-

tremely high priced. On June 1. 1920, the company acquired the Florence Potash mill and are now engaged in remodeling it preparatory to* starting operations. The present success of the undertaking is due to the indefatigable enterprise and nerve of Mr. G. M. Winkelman, of Kimball, Nebraska. He had become interested in the Marysville alunite deposits. His first glimpse of the Deer Creek deposits convinced him of the great possibilities of this proposition. He immediately transferred his whole equipment and operations to the Copper Butte and has since put heart, soul, time and into the business and remained right on the job. The Winkelman townsite is named in his honor.” . The president of The Aluminum Potash Company of America, Mr. George M. Winkelman, is staying at the Makeever JHotel in Rensselaer for a short period, being induced to visit this state at the solicitation of Claire Rhode, of Pine Village, and partly from having the knowledge of the dire need of potash fertiliser in Indiana. -—s Messrs. Lyons, Rich and Light of Brook, -havp consummated a deal with the Aluminum Potash Company of America by which they acquire considerable financial interests in the Utah corporation and will place one of their members on the board of directors of the potash company and also the sole distributing rights of the company’s potash fertilizer material in the state of Indiana. The firm of Lyons, Rich & Light, of Brook, are now strongly considering the possibilities of erecting a fertilizer mixing plant in Rensselaer or vicinity as a natural consequence of having so wr,tunately secured the potash , iterial of which hardly any the American h£l at practically prohibitive pn«*» *•: I infir an imported article. This rail four 50-ton/carloads will be shipped ।to them at Brook. M For any further information regarding The Aluminum Potash Company of America write to the east»era representative at the Makeever Hotel, at Rensselaer, Ind.