The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-07-08
NATURAL WONDERS IN OREGON


In Wasco county, Oregon. there is n fat
thickly studied with springs of u peculiar
rhnra.'' thit tnrnw out mud, which has over
flowed u considerable area. some months ago
II WIS reported that this mud had boon dlscOV-
s.. .in,nus nesnvins over ~ 600 to fhr ton An
effort was made to- organize II company in this
clty to work the mud springs, hut thecutorprisn
COLLAPSED in consequence Of a suspicion raised
memorable Arizcna dumond-hcld swndlc was
too lrcrh in rcroll" ton Tor the succcesful
prosecution of another fraud in the same line.
PROT Thomas Prince annlyDed samples sub
nittrd. and reported that be- had discovered un-
Wlstdkunle evidence Ol saiting. IN" micro
s,op' showing iilnG-, crystals, anu lroc god.
which he had no hesit1tion in declaring had been
mixed 100 with tine mud with the manifest dDairn
OF iusttuiluE agrcai swiudle. Prof II. G.. Hanks
also examined specimens. tut while he was in
cliurd fo suspect fraud. he was unable 20 deter
mine positively whether the ar4cutilrrous mud
WIS ana url Hcrl or natural production. Prof.
liauke now intmutcs thatihe fluwof the Oregon
mud springs rs In reality heavily impro.uHtcd
uapurr0aI b. fore ihr California State Ccololi-
cnl $50 'inty last Tuesday evening. ThccNi-t nee
silver. says Prof. Hanks is new to- science. and
scientific mon. hoih here ana at Che ElAt. who
examined, sp'cimou., rrounun'cd them hr-
titious without hc-it. uon.. The specimens lat
terry examined hy Prof. Hanks. he sHys. were
v ry rich. amt silver was discovered i'm % free
wholly separt 4, and when then examined the
o.. ros 'opo failed 70 reveal the source of the
precious metal. Had j. lr illn-s.a sIn-ic
e
llad the silver been pr"riuitlird from sNlu-
tom Ivy copper II would have hecu crvs-
tHiiH.d, An amalEam oi SILVER ami mercury
wHud hnvc y"hrd q su.ium4r u strongly
heated i'm giu~- tube closed nt one end.
such un Hmnllum intro iu.rd into the wet mud.
Nu4 il' whole u'ht'd Suii .tniN 70 mayo vn'i-
tilted tao mercury. would have lnft the SUBJ
stance n % hard. baked state, Wli'h could mot
again laNrlpHu reduced To tho state ia which ID
the silver hal been in'roiu.a d for fraudulent
purposes tho su stance WAS very r.marNuh'',
toned NI.H.H
lluvrl NOT easily understood. Prof. llanhs
finally obtained the addr,ssof gentleman rcp-
aevr. Richard Hurley. residing in thc vicinity
of flr wonderful springs ia MaHHp county. amt
qppn9I4 70 Mn ,qr Iniormat. ON, In rcpy TO
mistake ~ to this mud containing silver. I
huNc assuyrd over 100 samples vui th contained
silver somo as high us $500 70 the ton
The samples | Obtained from the springs
myself | think tho weather has con
siderable, to, do with the mud coutainins
weather is warm Sometimes ia one of the
larger springs. when the weather * cold. the
mud viii ho ota yellow color. showing no silver
hut when the day is warm, the mud r. nid,klsh
blue. at l'u-t in pieces. aud rich IN silver They
Seem tuworN morcAruNrIy IN warm ait'rnoon.
bones of animals that fall into them bang dis
solved ia "a few months. There are old wells
which assay from 80 90 II 300 10 the ton. one
assay made from tho fiat. hdlf "a mile from any
spring. aSsaycd 81 200 tO the ton. Their" it, "a
great deal Of salt. almost pure. all over the
spring fiat. There IRE between 100 AMI 2iu
quartz leads dis covered. running ia two dirr'-
tons close t. the Surfing. IND silver in soy
errl 81 them, all the way from u few dollars to
500 Ia The ton. some Of these leads run
through the SPRINGS ut least. they point IN that
direction. Tn"a attitude oi this place Ii between
Prof. iflnss also refcrs IN his paper TO tho
recent dis oNcry of q peculiar silN'r,m bear ni'
deposit l,.atHt IN southwestern Utah. II occurs
IN the Maud Mine SIX miles from Leeds.
made In-traI Of being .nndstoue. a- sun
4 - tfltI dom Lao