The Rare Earth That Could Take On the Powder Trust
A deposit near Blue Creek is promoted as a safer, cheaper ingredient for blasting powder—and as a way to loosen DuPont’s grip on the explosives trade.
Development of 40 acres of randanite earth near Blue Creek, where experts say there are deposits which will yield more than 2,000,000 tons of this rare substance, used as a filler for high explosives, is the first step in the fight to be waged in the Pacific Northwest against the powder trust.
Dr. J. M. Gooding, of Spokane, who, with his associates there and at Wallace, owns the land where the randanite was discovered by accident a short time ago, declares this is the only known body in existence. Chemists report that it is a perfect absorbent and say it will make blasting and gunpowders much safer and cheaper than the standard brands. Experiments have been made with randanite and they are satisfactory.
This substance takes the place of charcoal made from special wood, the output of which is controlled by the DuPont-DeNemours Powder Co., of Delaware. Dr. Gooding says that powder making will develop into one of the most important industries in the Northwest, provided satisfactory rates can be obtained from the railroads.
“This substance takes the place of charcoal made from special wood, the output of which is controlled by the DuPont-DeNemours Powder Co., of Delaware.”
The fight over critical minerals—who owns them, who processes them, and who sets the price—is older than the word “critical mineral.” Here a Spokane doctor and his partners hoped a Stevens County deposit could break a Delaware powder monopoly. Today’s debates over supply chains and corporate concentration echo the same question: can a local resource loosen a distant company’s grip?
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.