Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-03-07
A GATHERING MYSTERY.
The Precious Metals-We Know Whence
They Come, but Whittier Do They Go
From the Alta California.

The Precious MetaIs-We Know whence
They Come, but Whittier Do They Go I:
From the Alta California.
"What becomes Of the precious
metals?" asks an Eastern journal, and
then proceeds to consider the question,
and succeeds in throwing much doubt
upon it, or, rather, leaving it in just as
much doubt SIS before. The question,
What becomes of all the pins ?" has
been oftener asked, perhaps, and has
been answered with about the same IL
Elimination. Fred Ever, many years
ago, in this city, was hugely amused at
a question asked in the Sacramento
Union. namely, "Where does all the
water go?" TO which interrogation
the questioner proceeded, with the
philosophical sobriety of an owl, to re-
ply through column article, when it
might have been answered in two
words-the ocean. But it is not SO
easy to answer satisfactorily the ques-
ton as to what becomes of the precious
metals. That vast amount has been
extracted from the earth, according to
an English writer, who, of course, must
depend to a great degree upon guess
work, not less than $4,000 ,OOC-
since the days of Noah, In gold and
silver, there can be no doubt. OF this
amount he thinks that So, 200, 100000
have been produced since the discovery
of America. The Christian world is
credited with having had $2,0O0,00O,-
900, most of which has been disposed
of by shipwrecks, gliding, fire, and va
rlOus other ways, as eHectually, we
E1ight suggest, as many of our citizens
have disposed of theirs by
investing in stocks. He thinks
this loss proceeds at the rate of
$16,OO0,OOO annually, while the
production he puts at $40, coo, 900,
which is undoubtedly, too low. One
half of the balance, 100000, he
thinks is held in the form of plate and
ornaments. Of the balance of So, 000,-
900 in the anti Christian world, wastes
and losses omitted, he thinks that over
100000, have been hidden in
Asiatic lands in different ages Of the
world, and he continues that it is we'll
known that 1000, 100000 were thus
hidden in India and China in the six
years preceding 1S5l-that is, during
the time when Wholesale murder and
slaughter and wholesale robbery and
despolition was the business of the ma
tives and their enemies. One would
think that China must be carpeted with
gold leaf, paved with silver dollars,
glittering with the precious metal, did
he think only of the vast sums sent
there for hundreds of years past, little
Or none of which ever comes back.
But somehow those metals have fate
there as they have elsewhere-they dis
appear. What became of all the gold
with which Solomon covered his
temple? What became of all the
Spanish spoils in South America and
Mexico? One might ask such ques-
tons forever and be no wiser therefor.
Gold and silver serve their purposes
and disappear, as do the human race,
and old boots and all other material
things, and there is none so wise as can
tell us accurately what has become of
them. When the faucet is turned,
where has the gaslight gone? one might
ask, and the question would be as rea-
sonable, and perhaps as difficult to an
swer. We know pretty well where our
little portion Of gold and silver has
gone, but that knowledge does not give
us any particular qualification.