Document E5479pMkzgVyVq8gR123ZExx

ia* D 2 THE CENTRAL VIRGINIAN, Louisa, Virginia' THURSDAY, MARCH 29. 1979 ^ ' ' ~ : .' ' j 06180013 Richest Vermiculite DepositlnWorld Being Wined In Green Springs District of County -Corduroy" ' Purcell Fern " '/ V. by Helen Waltman Purcell property will be ninety-five feet mined to a depth of fifty to The mine operation is a sixty feet,. although it is closed circuit operation. possible to reach a depth of ;. Continued on Page 2 - ... -_-r. .. The vermiculite mine on! the Francis and Fredericka . Purcell ' property, "Cor duroy", in the Green Sprinp District, is the richest deposit . of vermiculite in the world. . No other deposit in the world has fifty percent vermiculite,- according to Robert Sanson, of the Richard E. Sanson Mine, and Mill, a part of Virginia. Vermiculite. Most mines run twenty-five to forty percent. . The company began mining in November at a rate of one- fourth percent capacity. It . was January before, it reached sixty, percent capacity and is not expected Vermicullteis dumped oa this pile la foregrouad, to be to run full capacity until this loaded Into boxcars to be shipped to Pittsburgh, Chicago and summer. Recently, the mill Arkansas. Ray Gordon,' equipment operator, is standing oa began working da a 24-hour - . top of boxcar inspecting the loading procedure. One boxcar per day basis with the mill per day is filled with vermiculite. from the richest ver- closed one shift oa Monday micuiite mine in the world located on the property of Francis for repairs.- . : and Fredericka Purcell la the Green Sprinp District of The surface mine on the - : Louisa County. -> ':T- <* ,, . \ ... .^a. mercial development in the Vermiculite -- ' 1920's, the list of products , Continued from Page 1. made from vermiculite has greatly, expanded. The There is no waste water and principal uses of vermiculite nothing is thrown away. in the construction industry There is a market for all include concrete aggregate 'vermiculite they can mine for roof decks, fireproofing, and shipments are being attic insulation,, masonry made to Pittsburg, Chicago block insulation, and fire- 'and Arkansas. Late April resistant gypsum wallboard shipments will also be made The major uses of the to Wisconsin, Florida, and mineral in agriculture are as New Jersey as well as other horticultural vermiculite, as points. . an ingredient for potting soils Of the numerous rules. and plant growing media, and imposed by the Federal as a carrier for agricultural Government on mines,' the chemicals. - local vermiculite mine was At the local plant Ned cited for only fourteen Gumble is mill superin violations in a recent Federal tendent, and Bill Schwind is inspection, 'and according to office and lab manager. Lewis J. Hash, president, Foremen are Henry Smith, corrections have been made Frank Brooks and Bob in all violations. Rackley. Vermiculite is hauled to the Other employees'- are:. Town of Louisa in sixteen-ton Ricky Seay, Bernard Turner, trucks, and is put into box Jimmy Farrar, Ernest cars on the C&O Railroad Thacker, James. Brooking, siding forshipment. Only one Mike Long, Bob Kuhfahl, Hal truck is operating from the Dickins, Jim. Sowash, Ray mill to the railroad cars. The vermiculite is washed and separated in the wet mill and Gordon, Forest Johnson, David Pinter, Doug Chisholm and Tommy Arrington. dried in the dry mill before it is shipped, but is not ex panded until after shipment. The expanded particles have interesting and important characteristics. They have excellent thermal insulating value, are highly resistant to fire, are light in weight and I capable of holding large > amounts of water. I Since its original com- j f 06180014 Richest Deposit Ray Gordon, an equipment operator for. Virginia Ver miculite LTD., stands beside one of the boxcars which is being loaded with vermiculite on the C&O siding in the Town of Louisa for shipment One sixteen-ton truck hauls daily to the loading point