THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF VIRGINIA 819 1 Includes glass, engine, ground sand,
and sand for other construction and industrial uses.2 Includes fill and gravel
for miscellaneous and other uses. 
 
 Salt.—Chlorine, caustic soda, soda ash, and other chemicals were produced
by Olin-Mathieson Chemical Corp., Saltville, Smyth County, using brine recovered
from nearby captive salt wells. Production of salt was moderately lower than
in 1966. The company began modernization of its Saltville complex last year;
the improvements include not only its chemical facilities *but also the company's
captive limestone and lime-making operations near the Saltville plant. When
the modernization program is completed, soda ash production is expected to
increase substantially with a parallel ' increase in salt and lime consumption.

 
 Sand and Gravel.—A lower tempo of housing starts and roadbuilding
activity in Virginia in 1967 sharply reduced the demand for construction
materials; production and value of sand and gravel de 
dined 43 percent and 25 percent, respectively, compared with 1966, the record
output year. The less severe total value decline was due to an increase of
$0.30 in the average value per ton over the $0.97 of last year. All but about
5 percent of the total output was consumed in construction applications,
for which about 9 million tons were required, compared with almost 17 million
tons in 1966. 
 Commercial output comprised 98 percent of total production and value; the
remainder was State and local Government output, mainly for highway maintenance.
Of the commercial production, 86 percent was used in building (39 percent)
and paving (47 percent). Other sand and gravel uses included other construction
uses (fill material and miscellaneous and unspecified applications). Sand
comprised 59 percent of the total commercial sand and gravel output and 50
percent of the 
 
Table 8—Sand and gravel sold or used by producers, by classes of operations
and uses 
(Thousand short tons and thousand dollars) 
Class of operation and use 
Quantity 
1966 
1967 
 
 
Value 
Quantity 
Value 
Commercial operations: 
 
 
 
Sand: 
 
 
 
building 2,305Paving 6~62~7Fill 1,913 
$2,561 
4,033 
1,105 
2,332 
2,233 
634 
$2,757 
1,862 
305 
 Other '  386 
 Total 11,231 
 
Gravel: 
927 
492 
1,257 
 
8,626 
5,691 
6,181 
 
 
 
 
 Building 2,218 
 Paving ~,649 
 Other 2 986 
 Total 5,853 Total sand and gravel 17,084 
 
Government-and-contractor operations: 
Sand: 
 Paving 38 
3,732 
3,675 
564 
1,433 
2,307 
203 
2,739 
3,157 
179 
 
7,971 
3,943 
6,075 
 
16,597 
9,634 
12,256 
 
13 
27 
10 
 Fill 53  Total 91 
 
Gravel: 
18 
34 
13 
 
31 
61 
23 
 
 
 
 
 raving 16 
Fill                                                 
 Total 16 Total sand and gravel 107 
 
All operations: 
 Sand 11,322 
 Gravel 5,869  Grand total 17,191 
7 
162 
6 
204 
11 
 
7 
168 
215 
 
38 
229 
238 
 
8,657 
7,978 
5,752 
4,111 
6,204 
6,290 
 
16,635 
9,863 
12,494