STRANGE MINERALS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2042, 21 January 1889, Page 2

STRANGE MINERALS.

♦ . .... Inqluded In the mineral resources of Utah, apart from Its precious metal?, are deposits cf slum, some rrcantly discovered veins of which aro 18ln. thick and several hundred feet In length, of d'ZzUag whltsncss and purity, Beds of nitro »re also found, sufficiently pure to readily fuse when thrown on hot c als. Ozokerite or natnrdl mlaeral wax, a rarity elsewhere, is here found In larga quantities. It Is air, add, and waterproof, and can be used for imparting these qualities to other aubatanaes. ■■ As an Insulator It is said to be perfect, an* would doubtless be found a superior Insuiaiina material for eleotrloal appliances. It could also be adapted as the base of a oheap yet desirable paving material and for Indurating piles and posts to prevent deo»y. , A somewhat similar discovery Is gllsonUe, foond on analysts to contain about eighty per cent of oatbon or asphalt In pure form.' Of the latter a pure vein has been discovered three feet wide and overs mile In length, a supply that, If worked, would be fonnd almost Inexhaustible. ' ' As Is now well known, the Great Salt Lake Is an iaimecse, limitless magazine of salt, that can bs readily obtained In any desired quantity by the simplo prooesi of evaporation. From this lake vast quantities of iralphate of soda are also secured, blown on shore at certain temperatures by the winds, where hundreds of tons are of ten piled np m a single night, that osn be utilised m the oheap production of sal soda and carbonate of soda.