BORACIC ACID CRATER

Evening Star, Issue 21624, 20 January 1934, Page 2

BORACIC ACID CRATER

WEALTIf FROM STEAM . ' PISA, January 3. The world* will- have an abundance of boracic acid and ail ■ its kindred products as long as the Tuscan craters near Larderello continue active. They arc «ti)l the only craters of their kind known to industry. A new crater, after ten months of careful boring, .has burst out, adding its picturesque “ boric steam ” to the three powerful ones already in existence around Larderello, which have a force respectively of 250,000, 170,000, and 100,000 kilograms an hour. The new one is slightly less than 100,000, but may develop like the others. The borings for a boracic “steam well ” are peculiar and require great patience. Since January the drill had been working, and it had .. reached a depth of 500 ft. when the five workmen engaged on it noticed the first puffs of steam and immediately saved themselves by retreat. The •“ steam ” quickly forced an opening and burst out with a tremendous roar, during • which all the machinery was hurled about, and a gigantic column of steam rose and spread a white cloud in the sky. The crater became enlarged, and has continued since hurling a continuous column of white boric steam to the sky, while preparations are being made to harness it both for driving electric dynamos and extracting the boric elements, which are deposited by themselves from the steam.