Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1877-08-12

silver From Lead-A Startling Dis
coyery-The Properties of a
Little Red Powder.

Little Red Powder.
Last December a middle aged gentle
man arrived in Eureka, and put up at
one Of our lodging-houses-not a very
strange occurrence, our readers will
say, and it would not have been had
moi certain actions and speculations OH
his part, consummated during his So
%journ, the secret of which has been
would not reveal any names of the
parties involved i'm his transactions.
We readily gave the desired promise,
from the fact that it was a very inter-
esting narrative, and one that Illus
trates and explains the strangers mys
FERROUS movements during his stay.
1t will be we'll enough to premise the
story by giving a description of the
personal appearance of the gentleman,
and no doubt our readers will recog-
nize the portrait. He was apparently
about 40 years of age, of a ~ell-devel-
oped form, above the average stature,
and inclined TO corpulency. His head
was well-shaped, a broad forehead,
and features of intellectual cast, betrsy-
ing the fact that he vas a man of con-
siderable culture. He was dressed in
an unobtrusive suit of gray. and the
only article of personal adornment
visible was a handsome gold chain
with pendant seals, which was attached
to a costly watch of foreign make. His
manners and conversation stamped
him at once as one who had travelled
extensively, and his familiarity with
events and knowledge of current liter
allure made him a delightful compa-
MON at the dinner table or al any time
when he chose 10 exercise his CONVEX
saIional powers. Still, there was no
ostentation about him, nor did
he at any time reveal what business
had called him To Eureka. The gen
eral verdict was that he was a capital
ist seeking investment for his surplus
cash, or looking at our mines with a
view OF ascertaining their worth and
permanence. This view was con-
sidered to he the true one by the fur
ther fact that after his stay had been
| prolonged a couple of weeks, he was
noticed IN close aud confidential com
munication with couple of mining
Superintendents, a home capitalist and
other solid men Of Eureka. Time
rolled on, and the longer the stranger
siaid. the more intimate did he become
with these solid men. AT night a half
a dozen OF them would congregate in
his room, and earnest and mysterious
conferences would ensue. As the
conversation never rose above a
whisper, these gatherings excited cen
siderable remark, and many surmises
were INDUCED IN as TO what grand
scheme was sfiost, OF speculation on
foot that required such frequent and
long sittings.
THE TORY.
Our informant gives US the following
as the true state of facts regarding the
scheme In which he had enlisted his
many acquaintance, and as the relator
was one o: the company his story may
be taken As "A true statement: lie says
that the man whom we will call War
rem, selected as his first confidsnt a
certain prominent mining superintend-
ent, whom, by some means, lie had
managed to become a~cquaintst aud
tolerably Intimate with. To him, I'M
der strict promise of secrecy, be re-
vealed the fact that he was the discov-
erer and possessor of a great invention,
aud one that If once introduced would
render any further workings of our
mines useless. He stated that he was
an analytical chemist by profession,
aud had devoted thirty years of his
life To that business; that he was an
enthusiast in his art, and spent all of
his income derived from the practical
part of the business in numerous cost
ly experiments, testing and making
,,,Etnafta that in tho annrGa nj
one of these trials he stumbled by
mere acciden. across a grand discov-
cry, and one that would revolutionize
mining, in this state, at least. Not to
keep the reader longer IN suspense,
we will state that this wonderful and
startling secret was the tTansmutation
OF base lead To pure virgin silver. OF
course the superintendent regarded The
mau as "a l%unatic, and relegated him
back to past ages when alchemists
duped the people with stories of phi
losopher stones and other fabled com
pounds that turned the base metals
INTO shining gold, and being a man of
a most practical turn OF mind, he did
not hesitate to express his incredibly.
The great inventor heard him through,
and then quietly asked him if he would
believe his senses if, on actual expert
ment. he should produce the evidence
in such a shape as to prove his asser-
ton hey ond a doubt. OF course no
man could object TO a demonstration Of
such a %stupendous discovery, and the
details of the experiment Vas forth
with agreed upon.
THE EXPERIMENT.
The Superintendent was to procure
an iron pot of about a gallon capacity,
a quantity of charcoal and ten pounds
of lead. He (the Superintendent was
to manipulate and conduct the opera
ton, so as to assure himself that no
fraud was introduced, and Warren
promised to procure from the ten
pounds Of lead, two ounces of pure
silver. His part of the operation was
to be confined TO the introduction of a
certain powder from which the said
results was To be obtained. Our in
formant made the preparations accord
ing to agreement, and to secure due
secrecy, procured the use OF a miners
cabin wherein to conduct the expert
ment. On the evening appointed he
conducted Warren to the place, and