Sulphur, or brimstone–the stone that burns–is one of the essential materials of our civilization. We use it in some form in all our industries; in some way it enters into all our wares and mechanisms. Yet most Americans know little about this vital mineral, or about the ingenious process that makes it available. 
This book tells the exciting story of the American sulphur industry, from the earliest pioneering days in the Louisiana swamps through the years of struggle and competition at home and abroad, right up to important new sulphur recovery developments in France and Canada. 
The author, who has visited all but two of the sulphur operations on the Gulf Coast, knew many of the sulphur pioneers, and he has filled his narrative with the vivid detail of first-hand recollections–stories of the old Union and other early companies, of “shoe-strings” and “blow-outs,” and of the men who built the industry: Frasch, the clever, persistent inventor; the forceful Swenson; the persuasive Pemberton; the quiet-spoken Seeley Mudd; Ashton Brady and “Count” Rossi hacking their way through the Mexican jungle and finding sulphur on the third try when the money was running out; stories of smart traders in mineral rights, of rugged financiers who backed sulphur against long odds, and of the resourceful engineers who built plants in a sea of sticky gumbo, miles from town or railway. 
This updated 1959 book, based on a work published in 1942 entitled The Stone That Burns, contains numerous illustrations, including priceless photographs of the original Frasch operations at the pioneering Union Company. They contribute a unique pictorial view of the production and distribution of American sulphur over the last sixty years. 
Here is a valuable and interesting history of one of the country’s vital industries–absorbing reading for everyone concerned with the dynamic growth and development of American business enterprise. 

ISBN: 978-1-68593-130-8

6 x 9 Hardcover

308 Pages

Includes black and white illustrations

Published: 1959, Reprint 2023