332 
MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967 
 
fields were Northeast Hampton field in Rush County, producing from the Arbuckle
at 3,800 feet; West Donelson field in Cowley County producing from the Marmaton
at 2,600 feet; High Hill field in Graham County, producing from the Lansing-Kansas
City at 4,000 feet; and Northeast Stark field in Pratt County, 
producing from the Viola dolomite at 4,100 feet. 
 Much of the drilling activity in 1967 was again in the central Kansas Uplift
area but the search for oil appeared to be moving to the southwest, west,
and northwest flanks of the central Kansas Uplift. 
 Geophysical activity dropped 50 percent in Kansas during 1967. 
 
REVIEW BY MINERAL COMMODITIES 
 
MINERAL FUELS 
 
 Carbon Black.—One firm, Columbian Carbon Co. produced carbon black
in Kansas. In the last 6 years carbon black production has varied from 48.1
million pounds to 102.3 million pounds. A strike in the rubber industry had
an adverse effect on carbon black production, since most of it is used as
additive in rubber manufacturing. 
 
 Coal (Bituminous) .—Five strip mines in Cherokee and Crawford Counties
reported an output of 1,000 tons or more each; production of less than 1,000
tons each was credited to three strip mines in Linn and Osage Counties. Over
99 percent of total coal mined was mechanically cleaned at three cleaning
plants. Of total shipments, 89 percent was by rail and 11 percent by truck.

 
 Helium.—Two privately owned and operated helium plants—the Kansas
Refined Helium Co. plant near Otis and the Alamo Chemical Co.-Gardner Cryogenics,
Inc.. plant at Elkhart—produced grade A helium for sale to commercial
(nonFederal) customers. Neither plant is associated with the Federal helium
program in any way. Combined production from the two plants, both of which
began operations in 1966, was estimated at 225 million cubic feet, or almost
triple the 75.5 million cubic feet produced in 1966. The 1967 production
was valued at $5.4 million. Both plants can produce large volumes of liquid
helium. 
 As part of the Federal long-range helium conservation program crude helium
(50- to 80-percent purity) was produced at four plants in the State. These
plants—Northern Helex Co. plant near Bushton; Cities Service Helex,
Inc., plant near Ulysses; National Helium Corp. plant near Liberal; 
Table 5.—Coal (bituminous) production' 
 
 
Number of mines 
 
Short 
Value 
Year 
Under- Strip ground 
Total 
tons 
(th~.u- 
sands) 
(thou 
sands) 
1963__ 
1 9 
10 
1,169 
$5,311 
1964        
1965 
7 
6 
7 
6 
1,263 
1,310 
5,749 
6,072 
1966        
1967        
5 
5 
5 
5 
1,122 
1,136 
5,355 
5,294 
 1 Excludes mines producing less than 1,000 short tons. 
 
 
and Federal Bureau of Mines plant at Otis—~produced a combined total
of 2,719.7 million cubic feet of crude helium valued at $32.6 million. This
was a slight increase over the 2,624.2 million cubic feet produced by these
plants in 1966. About 43.5 million cubic feet of this production was in excess
of contract requirements and was sold by the companies to private producers
of Grade A helium for purification and Eale.3 The remainder was purchased
by the Bureau of Mines under long-term contracts, and most of it was stored
in a partially depleted, underground natural gas reservoir in the Cliffside
gasfield near Amarillo, Tex. When needed the helium will be withdrawn, purified,
and sold. 
 The Cities Service Cryogenics, Inc., plant near Scott City was still under
construction at yearend. This plant, when operational in 1968, will produce
Grade A helium and will be owned and operated independently of the Federal
helium program. 
 
 Natural Gas.—With a record output of 871,971 million cubic feet, Kansas
ranked sixth in the Nation in the marketed pro- 
 
 3 An additional 57.4 million cubic feet of crude helium was produced at
two conservation plants. This helium was stored in the Cliffside field for
the credit of the producing companies. As it was not sold, it is not included
in these data.