June 13, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



565 



ard Chemical Company, we find the following 

 signed by Dr. Brill, Dr. Viol's predecessor: 



Conservative experts estimate the amount of 

 uranium in this carnotite belt of Colorado to be 

 about eight million pounds of U3O,. According to 

 our experience, this would correspond to an amount 

 of about 900 grams of radium, or about four 

 pounds of pure radium bromide. 



It must be remembered that our estimates 

 have not been confined to this first survey. 

 For nearly two years, engineers of the Bureau 

 of Mines were constantly in the Paradox and 

 surrounding regions in connection with the 

 mining and ore-dressing operations of the Bu- 

 reau, under its cooperative arrangement with 

 the National Radium Institute. 



This whole question came up last year at the 

 Senate hearings on " Minerals and Metals for 

 War Purposes." At the hearings, Mr. Flan- 

 nery presented maps showing the recent drill- 

 ing operations of the Standard Chemical Com- 

 pany, to which Dr. Viol evidently refers in his 

 article. Mr. Flannery stated that these dia- 

 mond drill operations had resulted in giving 

 them an undoubted supply of ore for future 

 purposes of at least 6,000 tons. The following 

 is taken from the official report of the hear- 

 ings: 



Mr. Moore. Mr. Flannery, you stated that you 

 had there probably about 6,000 tons of ore you 

 could count on? 



Mr. Flannery. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Moore. May I ask about what your produc- 

 tion of radium last year wasf 



Mr. Flannery. Our production of radium last 

 year due to lack of transportation and chemicals 

 was about 7 grams of radium. 



Mr. Moore. How much ore did you use in that 

 production? 



Mr. Flannery. We used originally about 600 

 tons of the average ore to the gram of radium — 

 that is 1/30 part of an ounce. 



Mr. Moore. In other words, you have used about 

 4,500 tons of ore to get 7i grams? 



Mr. Flannery. I have not figured it out. 



Mr. Moore. Therefore, your 6,000 tons would 

 make less than 10 grams; you say you have 6,000 

 tons roughly blocked out there? 



Mr. Flannery. You understand I am speaking 

 now of the ore at the concentrator. Yes, sir; it 

 takes about 600 tons, raw ore concentrated, or 



about 4 to 1 to give you a gram of radium with 

 our practise. 



Mr. Moore. According to your own statement, 

 your total supply of ore would be not more than 

 10 grams. 



Mr. Flannery. The total supply of ore. You 

 mean the total amount to be mined? 



Mr. Moore. I mean you have blocked out that; 

 you stated you had about 6,000 tons of ore you 

 could count on. Assuming that to be correct, then 

 you could get from that less than 10 grams. 



Mr. Flannery: No, you must figure something on 

 some of that being of a little higher grade. The 

 6,000 tons of ore will probably run lA per cent. 



Mr. Moore. I am taking your average produc- 

 tion of ore last year as being the average of what 

 you could get out of this, which would mean that 

 there are less than 10 grams that you could count 

 on, assuming that to bo correct? 



Mr. Flannery. Yes. 



Further down on page 402 of the hearings, 

 Mr. Flannery makes the following statement: 



As regards the production of ore, Mr. Moore and 

 I had a little talk last Saturday, and he claimed 

 he though there were only 100 grams of radium in 

 the Paradox Valley. I will take a contract for de- 

 livering 500 and put up a bond for the amount 

 each year. 



This evidence would seem to indicate that 

 with the ore for 10 grams actually in sight, 

 Mr. Flannery was willing to take a contract to 

 deliver 500 grams. Of course, Mr. Flannery 

 had other claims on which there were undoubt- 

 edly undeveloped bodies of ore; but the ore 

 supply to which he referred was practically all 

 that had been developed, and the amount was 

 estimated on diamond drilling alone. 



The original estimate of the Bureau of 

 Mines was that the carnotite fields would prob- 

 ably yield from 100 to 200 grams of radium 

 element. My more recent estimate represents 

 an intermediate figure, since over 50 grams 

 had been produced at the time it was made. 



I have no criticism of the figures given by 

 Dr. Viol in connection with mesothorium. 

 He states however, that: 



There are several points whose importance Dr. 

 Moore and the Bureau of Mines have overlooked or 

 minimized in their anxiety to conserve radium. 



The points he refers to are as follows: 



