1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide Page: 245
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THE TEXAS ALMANAC. 245
ite, marble and graphite industries in the
Burnet-Llano area.
In the second place, better transporta-
tion and power facilities in some parts of
Texas, especially in the two regions just
mentioned, will greatly facilitate mining
activity. The silver and quicksilver of
Brewster and Presidio Counties are pro-
duced fifty and seventy miles from rail-
road transportation. This is possible
where minerals are extremely valuable in
relation to weight, but there are many
other mineral products in the Trans-
Pecos and the Central Mineral Region
that await better transportation facilities.
During 1926 a power transmission line
was built into the Central Mineral Re-
gion, but much of the region west of the
Pecos is still handicapped in the matter of
power.
In the third place, and most important
of all, there is a vast amount of mineral
wealth in Texas that is known and that
lies near transportation facilities, that
must await the development of a market.
What has been said in another chapter of
this volume relative to "diversification"
in agriculture may be said of "diversifica-
tion" in mining. Lack of market is the
limiting factor. A greater manufacturing
industry and a greater population will
eventually be the stimulating factor. For
example, Texas has valuable manganese
ore deposits. During the World War when
there was an enormous demand for man-
,ganese Texas produced this mineral be-
cause it could produce and ship 1,000 or
1,500 miles to manufacturing centers
where it was utilized. But with the end
of the war and the decline of the abnor-
mal demand, Texas production ceased. If
Texas were the home of great iron and
steel, glass, fertilizer and paint manufac-
turing industries, Texas manganese would
be utilized. Again, Texas has great clay
resources, sufficient for enormous devel-
opment of the ceramic industries, but
most clay products can not be shipped
across the continent to market. With the
coming of a greater population, and the
rise of great centers of industry, Texas
will witness an undreamed of develop-
ment of its clay products, iron, lignite
and other mineral resources.
AMETHYST.-Good quality amethyst is
found occasionally in Mason and Brew-
ster Counties.
AGATE.-A variety of agate, some of
excellent quality, is found in Brewster,
Jeff Davis, Presidio, San Jacinto and San
Patricio Counties.
ANHYDRITE.-See Gypsum.
ASPHALT.-Texas is a leading pro-
ducer of asphalt, producing in large quan-
tities both asphaltic rock and asphaltic
materials manufactured from petroleum at
refineries. Asphaltic materials made from
petroleum should properly be classed
under manufactures, as a mineral by-
product, but due to its close association
with asphaltic rock, it is usually classed
for convenience with mineral products.
The rapid construction of highways in
Texas in recent years has created a large
demand for these materials for bitumin-
ous surfacing.
Asphaltic rock comes largely from
Uvalde County, where there are three or
four companies operating. Similar rock is
found also in Montague County near
Saint Jo, where it has been utilized to
some extent, and in some other counties,including Burnet, Clay, Coke, Cooke, Har-
din, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Panola, Pecos,
San Augustine, Stephens and Tyler. Rock
asphalt is formed by impregnation by
natural processes of limestone and sand-
stone with liquid bitumens. Most of the
Texas production of asphaltic materials is
from petroleum, and a considerable
amount is made at Texas port refineries
from Mexican petroleums. (See statistical
tables.)
BORAX.-Borax is found in appreciable
quantities in the salt basin west of the
Guadalupe Mountains in Hudspeth and El
Paso Counties.
CARBON BLACK.-Like petroleum as-
phalt, carbon black is properly a manu-
facture and a mineral by-product coming
from natural gas, but it is usually classi-
fied under minerals. Because of the enor-
mous consumption of natural gas in the
manufacture of carbon black its manu-
facture in Texas was prohibited until
1923, when the Thirty-Eighth Legislature
passed a law permitting the use of nat-
ural gas for this purpose where waste
residue gas was available at casinghead
,gasoline plants utilizing gas which is
produced from the same stratum and si-
multaneously with petroleum. Natural
gas wells producing gas exclusively can
not be used for this purpose. Administra-
tion of the law relating to production of
carbon black is under one of the divisions
of the Railroad Commission of Texas, and
companies must obtain permits before
operating and thereafter submit to in-
spection. There are several carbon black
plants at Ereckenridge and Eliasville in
Stephens County, one at Pioneer in East-
land County and one or two at points in
the new petroleum and gas fields of
Hutchinson County.
CEMENT, PORTLAND.-Portland ce-
ment is a mineral-manufacture produced
by mixing limestone, shell or certain
marls with clay, shale or slag, in propor-
tion of about three to one, grinding to-
gether, drying, regrinding and burning
together with intense heat. It was first
discovered by Joseph Asphdin of Leeds,
England, about a century ago. He called
it "Portland" cement because it resem-
bled in color a certain product from the
quarries of the island of Portland. It is
known, too, that the Romans made
similar product. Use of Portland cement
has increased rapidly during recent
years.
Limestone and clays adaptable to the
manufacture of Portland cement are
found in many parts of Texas. One of the
principal deposits covers an area extend-
ing from the Red River in the vicinity of
Grayson County southwestward through
Dallas and Tarrant, McLennan, Travis,
Comal and intervening counties to Bexar
County. Good materials are found also
in Eastland and other counties of Midwest
Texas, and in the Trans-Pecos region,
and shell from the coastal waters is util-
ized in the big plant at Houston.
There are six Portland cement plants in
Texas: two are located a few miles west
of Dallas and the others are at Houston,
San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso.
Portland cement has been made in Texas
since 1893, and prior to that date there
was some manufacture of hydraulic ce-
ment. (See statistical tables.)
CELESTITE--Celestite, or strontium
sulphate, is used in the manufacture of
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1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide, book, 1927~; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123785/m1/249/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.