New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-12-02
ALCHEMY IN UTAH.
TIN, COLUMBITE, AND CADMIUM.


TO tho Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: Polygamic theOcracy in the land Of
LattdDay Saints to be giving way to polygamic
mineralOgy wOrthyi OF the days Of transmutatOn OF
metals among the old achomsts Your issue Of the 23d
Of Nov contained the startling announcement by tec-
graph from Salt Lake City that scientific persons who
have experimental the Ogden tin ORE declare that
the metal is cadmium" This good news is made the
point OF editorial in the Issue OF your paper by
no means complimentary to the "washingtOn experts
who have pOollpoohed the specimens from the Utah
Tin mnes," and to the praise and glory Of the
metal, cadmium.
The writer was at Salt Lake during the time Of great
est excitement among the rocksharps' Of that city
consequent upon the allie god discovery of tin at Ogden
and saw numerous samples Of the socaed "tin ore, Us
also Of the bars ngots Of metal declared to have been
extracted from it, In every which fell under his
notice, the specimens" OF the socalled tin
cOnspicuousy. to the meteorological eye, nothing but
fragment of rock vein stone containing only black
hornblende, magnetic iron, fcdpar. quartz and rarely
small points Of white iron py rites. Scattered through
the also small quantities Of brown garnet
which sOmew rescmblcd brown oxide Of tn and may
have honestly deceived those not familiar with tin ore.
but could not pass examination OF on"
acquainted with mincrnlogy. In short, the SoNalcd
ogden tin ore was at all. but simply
gneissc granite rock occurring not In veins but as
| rock mass. and in open quarry. on the side Of
rocks he found in similar situations in almost any
ranc region. The most careful concentration Of this
rock 10y washing failed 10 defect thing of metallic
nature, except magnetic iron AMI white iron pyriic-;
and magnet promptly picked up all the black grains.
which have been called by OF the local authorities
" coumbc.' Fused with the most powerful fuxes. II"
grains Of tin were discovered by the most sklfml
assayers from the samples which in the hands Of
the blacksmith and Cornish miner at Ogden. ai'd
only by pork rnd. had run ont bars OF metal to III" eS
tent OF TO- 90 and per cent Of the mass This is
doubt To the eternal disgrace ~ the aforesaid expert
assayrrs. and of the various scientific cnsscs who.
like your correspondent. failed to and he convinced
Of facts plain TO practical men" The small bars OF
met nj produced in evidence of the Jovial OF the
Ogden tin ore certainly did contain tin: hut as they
were found to contain also lead and sometimes zinc the
unbclieyiug made Omnous suggestions OF solder!
The familiar property Of iln of giving out. when bent.
peculiar sound called by the old al"emi>ts the Of
n" quite wanting these lit;l' Ogden bars. how
ever dcny they might ne twisted ana bent; an
experiment of the simplest and most convincing
nature. Driven to cxtrcIutc>. the ogden pundi's
have sought refuge from tin ore behind
She species coumhr. which, they allcgc contains q
Of tin, which will account for the very small grains
Of that metal found by i'll their crlib"S
after the assay Of the Ogden III" chief objection +"
this explanation in the fact that the rare
mineral counbie does not ext at Ogden. a. the writer
confidently asserts. after ga. cful scrutiny nj very
numerous specimens. Now. thcn. comes the 'cadmium'
theory the last of the Stan. demonstrations Of this
inscrutlc and here II is sufficient to that the
only Of admium which could Yield hi, metal in the
in hand namely Grccnocitc, the snpulc Of cad
MUM, does not exist at Ogden. and is excessively
mineral at hest. The only commercial source Of
cadmium Is certain which often contain small
this metal similar in many OF its properties to
zinc; and Of zinc have been seen al Ogden. 40
this child OF Cadmus must to the wall like the rest.
wait the appearance OF the next actor IN this metal
| lurgical drama.
The writer docs not that thr discovery OF
| tin at Ogden is impossible. even Improbable
| but he docs say. without fear Of reasonable
| contradiction. that it yet remains for the orc
to be discovered Among the numerous specimens cx-
amncd AZ salt Lake he detected wO small fragments Of
genuine tin Ore which any tyro in mneraocy would at
recognize such Bat upon close questioning he
elected the unwilling confession that bOth thes had
been obtained from cold Cornish miner" Here he is
willing to leave the Ogden be tin, cOumhic. or
cadmium, for further developments; and no one viii
rejoice at the actual discovery OF tin ore in valuable
quantity whenever wherever in the United states
mucllcsred discovery may be made heartily
than our critical firnd. MiNbkAL0,isr.
N.tr York. Nov. -, ISL.