Asbestos shipped from mines in British South Africa, 1913–1923, in metric tons 4 The American trade commissioner at Johannesburg has given an account of the South African asbestos industry which is of interest to those who follow the asbestos market in this country. Excerpts from this account follow: The Rhodesian industry is centered so far in two fields, Shabani and Mashaba, from which the bulk of the output is being secured. There are known deposits in other sections, on the Sabi River, in the Belingwe area, in the Victoria district, in the Umvukwe Hills, in the Lomagundi section, and also in the Bubi territory. The extent of the various deposits has probably not been fully determined, although to date the big mines have been fully exploited, and their life is estimated fairly conservatively up to 50 years, although some of them are probably not good for more than half that period. It also seems likely that other deposits will be found as the country is opened up. * * * The ownership of the principal mines is British in its capital control or joint British and South African. * * * While Canadian short-fiber asbestos finds a ready market at home and in the United States, the South African fields, being so far removed from the world markets and having no domestic outlet of any consequence, can only market profitably the higher grades, which will stand the high transportation costs. Rhodesian asbestos is wholly chrysotile in character, although there is considerable slip fiber also found in the country. The slip fiber, which comes mainly from the Belingwe section, is of questionable value to the American user, due to its tendency to break in the course of manufacture. This is due to the lack of uniformity in its strength, the fiber running weak in spots. The continental market, including Germany and England, can take the short material for the production of slates, tiles, and similar products. It is understood that the best or longest fiber mined in Rhodesia comes from the Shabani district, where are found the two largest mines, the Shabanie and Shabanie 1 and 2 and Nil Desperandum. The fiber content of the tonnage mined runs from 2 per cent to 3 per cent, compared with the Canadian of 5 per cent to 8 per cent. The difference in length and quality in favor of the Shabani fiber fully equalizes the apparent handicap. * * The production within the Union of South Africa has not greatly increased within the last few years. The biggest operations have been in the Cape Province, where there are large deposits of blue asbestos, which is also known as crocidolite. The Cape Asbestos Co., a subsidiary of the De Beers Diamond Syndicate,is the largest producer, with two large mines in the Prieska and Hay districts. Considerable surface quarrying has also been carried on, and the distribution has been found to be quite irregular, but according to official statements there is no serious cause for apprehension that recovery will cease to be payable when the usual underground mining methods are adopted. * * * Amosite asbestos is found in the Transvaal over an area 60 miles long and 3 miles wide along the Olifants River. * * * An important deposit has also been located in Seccocoeniland, and deposits in the northeastern Transvaal, near Lydenburg and Pietersburg, have been worked for some time. * * * Stevenson, P. J., The asbestos industry in British South Africa (special report dated Aug. 9, 1922; U. S. Geol. Survey cons. file, No. 4304). American manufacturers have had only a limited success in the use of amosite, but continental makers are reported, however, to be able to use it fairly successfully. As the cost of transportation to the Continent is less, it is probable that market will be the principal outlet for amosite. Chrysotile asbestos was secured for some time from the Carolina district in the Transvaal, but these high-grade fibers are no longer available, as the mines have been worked out. It is stated by a well-informed authority that these fibers were the best sent to the American market from Africa. Their place will apparently be taken by the product of the Amianthus mine, at Godwan River. The fiber from this mine is long chrysotile, and the deposit is exceptionally rich, the rock yielding up to 40 per cent fiber. This deposit has also the advantage of being located on the railway and is not far from the port of Lourenço Marques. There are a few deposits of chrysotile in Natal, but they are not yet of any commercial importance. There are also good deposits of chrysotile in the Barberton district near Kaapsche Hoop. While the whole of this field has not been proved it is evident that the prospects of this section are promising. CYPRUS The Cyprus Asbestos Co., which in 1922 was preparing for a greatly increased development of this field, operated at a loss in 1923 but is continuing operations. NATURAL GAS By G. B. RICHARDSON All records were broken in the natural-gas industry in the United States in 1923 by the consumption of 1,008,135,000,000 cubic feet, which had an estimated value of $101,000,000 at the wells and of $240,000,000 at points of consumption. This quantity is 32 per cent more than that consumed in 1922 and 26 per cent more than that consumed in 1920, when the previous high record of consumption was attained. Increased production, as measured by deliveries to consumers, is recorded for most of the States, and Oklahoma, California, and Louisiana showed gains ranging between 42 and 63 billion cubic feet. In California enormous quantities of natural gas, associated with petroleum, were produced in the development of the Santa Fe Springs, Long Beach, and Huntington Beach fields, but the greater part of the gas produced in these fields was wasted. Operators reported to the Geological Survey a production of 248 billion cubic feet of gas in California, but of this amount only 131 billion cubic feet was delivered to consumers. Industrial consumption of natural gas increased to 72 per cent of the total, the increase being chiefly in field consumption and in the manufacture of carbon black, and the average value of natural gas used for industrial purposes decreased from 18.6 cents a thousand cubic feet at points of consumption in 1922 to 13.4 cents in 1923. Although the ratio of domestic to total consumption decreased, the number of domestic consumers increased 219,200 during the year, bringing the total to 3,234,000, and the average value of natural gas used for domestic purposes increased from 49.9 cents at points of consumption in 1922 to 51.1 cents in 1923. The interstate movement of natural gas increased from 179 billion cubic feet in 1922 to almost 190 billion cubic feet in 1923. West Virginia, which contributed over 20 per cent of the total credited to production and consumed less than 9 per cent, contributed 63 per cent of the total interstate movement of natural gas. The following tables were compiled by H. Backus. 351 |