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History of uses :  The first known use of Gilsonite turned out badly - a blacksmith mistook the material for coal, and

used it to fire up his forge.  His shop almost burned down when hot liquid

asphalt began leaking out of his furnace.  Samuel Gilson began exploration of the region in 1886 and opened the first Gilsonite mine in 1888.  He was a tireless promoter of Gilsonite as a wonder product, and it has a myriad of uses: A) it is distilled and heat-refined to produce high-octane automotive gasoline, diesel fuels, LPG, raw naphtha, lubricating oils, road oils, and asphalt paving products; B) Saturates roofing and building construction papers (tar paper); C) Base for paints, varnishes, anticorrosive coatings; D) Component of battery boxes; E) Insulating and waterproofing jackets for underground pipes; F) Stabilizer in non-smearing inks; G) Additive for oil-well slurries; H) Binder for wood fibers; I) High-BTU component of explosives; J) Can be heated and calcined to produce metallurgical grade carbon coke, and high-purity carbon electrodes for the nuclear power industry.