Excerpts From
Annual Bulletin on Mineral Resources
of Kansas, For 1899.
Including a Report Upon Gold and Silver, Lead and Zinc, Coal,
Oil and Gas, Gypsum and Gypsum Cement Plasters,
Building and Other Stone,Clay Products,
Hydraulic Cement, Salt.
by Erasmus Haworth
Department of Physical Geology and Mineralogy, University
of Kansas
The University Geological Survey of Kansas
Publication distributed from the University, at Lawrence, Kansas
May 1900.
Please note: While only a few of the sections of this book will be presented here, you can view all of the photographs in the book by clicking on the word "Illustrations" in the Contents below..
Contents.
| Page. | ||
| Letter of Transmission | 4 | |
| Introduction | 7 | |
| Table I. General Summary of Annual Production. | 11 | |
| VI. Building Stone | 55 | |
| Table XIII. Showing Annual Production of Stone | 56 | |
| Illustrations | ||
| Plate I. Geologic Section from Galena
to Grenola (same as 1898 version) (Note: this is a large image. It will take longer to load) |
||
| Plate II. Geologic Section from Fort
Scott to Reece (same as 1898 version) (Note: this is a large image. It will take longer to load) |
||
| Plate III. Map of Limestone Outcroppings
(same as 1898 version) (Note: this is a large image. It will take longer to load) |
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| Plate IV. Birds-eye View of Lawrence Brick Plant. | ||
| Plate V. Interior View of Lawrence Brick Plant. | ||
Dr. F. H. Snow, Chancellor of the University of Kansas:
Sir - I have the honor to submit to you herewith my annual report on the mineral resources of Kansas for the year 1899, which will constitute the third annual bulletin of this series. It affords me great pleasure to state that the mining and metallurgical interests of Kansas during the past year were by far the most prosperous of any year in the history of the state.
Yours most respectfully,
Erasmus Haworth.
Department of Physical Geology and Mineralogy,
University Kansas, May 30, 1900.
During the year 1899 all mining and metallurgical enterprises within the state of Kansas were unusually prosperous. The operations of the Argentine Smelting and Refining Company were much more extensive than ever before in the history of the refinery, aggregating more than $20,000,000, and raising the total value of the business done by this company since its organization to the magnificent sum of more than $147,000,000. Their marketable products during the year were refined gold, refined silver, blue vitriol or copper sulphate, white vitriol or zinc sulphate, and metallic lead.
The lead and zinc mines at Galena felt the influence of the unusually high prices of zinc ores during the greater part of the year. This resulted in unusual activity, particularly in the building of new concentrating mills for handling the ore after it was raised from the ground. The aggregate value of the lead and zinc ores at the mine reached the unprecedented sum of considerably more than $2,500,000, while the value of the preceding year of 1898 was less than $2,250,000. The actual amount of ore produced, however, was smaller than the output for 1898. The total tonnage of zinc ores in 1899 was 63,369.21, while for 1898 it was 74,852.35, according to figures gathered by Mr. Russell Elliott, of Galena, for that year. The tonnage output of lead ore produced for 1899 was likewise below that of 1898. For 1899 it reached a total tonnage of 6,595.19, while for 1898 the tonnage was 7,918.28. This decrease in the actual amount of ore produced is a great surprise to most observers who witnessed the unusual activity in mill building and the purchase of mining property by Eastern companies during the year 1899.
The unusually high price of ore maintained throughout the year brought the total value to the figures above given. The average price of zinc ore was about $38.50 for 1899, while the average for 1898 was a little over $26.50, and the highest for any previous year in the history of zinc mining at Galena - that of 1897 - was a little in excess of $25 per ton. This unusually high price of ore was dependent upon the correspondingly high price of spelter in New York and London, which reached the unprecedented average of $5.75 for the year in New York. The highest price known before in New York city since 1892 was that of 1898, which averaged throughout the year $4.57. The price of lead ore, however, was a little higher than for 1898, as it averaged $26.31 per 1000 pounds, the unit of measurement, while for 1898 the average was a little over $21.
The output of zinc smelters located on Kansas soil was much greater than ever produced before in the history of the state, reaching the magnificent sum of 55,872.2 tons, as against 38,543 tons for 1898, which in turn was the largest production in the history of the state. This excessively large output of metallic zinc, in connection with the high price of spelter, lifted the total value of metallic zinc produced, reckoned at the New York market price, to nearly six and one-half millions of dollars-almost double the value of the smelting products of any other year in the history of the state. This excessive increase in the tonnage of metallic zinc produced is dependent principally upon the large number of smelters operated in the natural-gas belt of Kansas. The greater number of the coal furnaces in the vicinity of Weir City and Pittsburg were likewise in operation during a considerable part of the year, and for the first time more than one-half of the total spelter production came from the gas furnaces.
The coal mining industry of the state was much greater, both in tonnage of coal produced and in the value of the same, than ever before known. The total tonnage for the year reached beyond the four million line, about 200,000 tons more than was produced in 1898, which in turn was over 200,000 tons greater than ever before produced. The price of coal, also, was higher than it had been for a number of years, the average for the state at the mine being $1.25 per ton, making the total value of the coal production considerably over $5,000,000, or about twenty per cent. greater than ever before known.
The production of oil was about the same as in 1898, while the natural gas consumed was much greater than in previous years, due principally to the operations of the large zinc smelters which use gas for fuel.
The gypsum and gypsum cement plaster industry manifested great activity throughout the year, producing a total of over 60,000 tons of marketable material, the largest ever reported for the state excepting for the two years of 1894 and 1895. One noticeable feature of the industry is that the Acme Cement Company operated no furnaces in the state during the year, thereby removing from the state a company whose operations in previous years had been an important factor in the total production of gypsum cement plaster. The price per ton for the manufactured product as reported by the different companies averaged $4.30 at the factory, a considerable increase over that reported for 1898. The aggregate value of the total product this year was a little over $290,000, the highest total value reported for any one year, excepting that of 1894.
The stone quarrying industry was very active during 1899, particularly in the way of ballasting railroads with crushed stone and building new abutments and culverts by the different railroad companies. It is estimated that the value of crushed stone used for ballast alone reached fully $300,000, while the total value of dimension stone used in various kinds of building operations was nearly as great, making the value of the stone product greater, perhaps, than ever before known.
The various clay industries were most active and produced larger quantities of goods than ever before known in the history of the state. The tendency is for very large factories to produce the various grades of brick and tile and ship them to the points of consumption. This is particularly so in the natural-gas fields, where gas is used so advantageously for fuel. The total value of the clay products aggregates $400,000.
The hydraulic cement industry in Kansas is not what it should be. The two factories in Fort Scott are the only ones in operation in the state, while the great abundance of material suitable for making a high grade of hydraulic cement would warrant the erection of other plants, provided there is a market demand for this variety of cement. The production for 1899 is about the same or a little less than for 1898, reaching only 140,000 barrels.
It is interesting to report that an exceedingly large factory for the production of Portland cement is under process of construction at Iola, where natural gas will be used for fuel. This plant, it is estimated, will be ready for operation some time during the year 1900, and, when once completed, will have a capacity of from 2000 to 3000 barrels per day. It is probable that other places would afford the necessary material for the manufacture of a high grade of Portland cement, and, so long as this material is imported to America so extensively, it would seem that this industry is one of the most desirable.
The output of the various salt mines and salt plants during 1899 was exceedingly large, reaching considerably more than 2,000,000 barrels. The price of salt was better than for a number of years, averaging about thirty-five cents per barrel at the factory, making a total value of the salt at the factory of over $760,000. If to this be added the value of the cooperage used in marketing the salt, we have a total output for the industry of considerably over $1,000,000, being much larger than ever before in the state.
No new industry that would properly belong to the division of mines and minerals has been inaugurated, excepting the Portland cement industry above mentioned.
Table I. Showing value of each of The Mineral Products of Kansas for 1899, and Since Industry Began.
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