The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-10-02
HUNTING
What Mr.. EdisOn's Agent is LOOKING
for and what he has Found.

for and what he has Found.
Mr.. Edison's agent, Mr.. W. f. Hidden
who has been in Western North Carolina
for several weeks in search of the mineral
platinum, for use 10 Edison's electric l;obt
arrived in the city yesterday. He has Visi-
ted twenty-nine places.in Burke. Mcdowell.
Iredell, Buncombe, Henderson and other
western counties in which the metal as sun
posed to exist and has thus far met with no
success. He left last night for Abbeville
county, s. g.. where it is represented in the
newspapers that the metal has been found
in appreciable quantities.
Mr.. Hidden is himself a mineralooist Tx
profession and a member of the Academy
of Science, of New York. He saws that
while he has not been able to find any of
the miner al he is satisfied that it exists.
His search has been confined mostly TO gold
mines, not there is any affinity Of platinum
for gold, but because, ii found at all If Is
most likely to be discovered bv those in
search of gold. 1t is a matter of scientific
record that it has been found in four differ
ent places in North Carolina, to Wit:
Jamestown, in Mcdowell county. huntsville.
in Yancey county, Brown Mountain. in
Burke, Tusquittee in Clay, and at one
or more points in Rutherford county. I'll;
found in a free state, usually in fiattenca
Sioibc VI iIISlSh lLS DuI GCDcrolIt
small, and in color not unlike steel, though
Jumps have been discover weighing several
pounds. Russia has hitherto furnished
the supply for scientific purposes, but Mr..
Edison want to get it in tins country. On
account of the great amount Of it used in
his electric light apparatus and the heavy
cost Of transporting it from abroad. Con-
seqent he is willing to pay a large price for
a mine. In fact he must have It. in order
to put his electric light into practical use.
The light itself, or the apparatus for it, is
complete, and he awaits now the requisite
quantity Of platinum.
Mr.. Hidden will visit Georgia, Alabama
and other points in central North Carolina
before he returns to the North, and if I'M
successful will afterwards turn his face to-
wards the Pacific coast. He says, however,
that his trip through North Carolina has
been Of the deepest interest to himself and
to Mr.. Edison. He has found two metals.
Zircon and Samarskite, in considerable
quantities, both of which can be used with
great advantage to Mr.. Edison. The for
mer possession the peculiar quality of in
feasibility in the electric light, which may
be of the higheft importance to the famous
inventor. The latter is combination Of
many substancese of which comparatively
little is known, and any one of which may
also prove valuable. Gen. Clinsman has a
large mined IF the former. Mr.. Hidde
also discovered a mineral, anas,asc, which
was not hitherto known to exist in this
State and another which is entirely un-
known to the scientific world. He remark
ed in the course of the conversation that
North Carolina was absolutely the best field
for minerals in the world; that nowhere
is there anything like the variety which she
furnishes, and as a rule they are by far the
most perfect specimens known. Il was
shown said he, a quartz crystal by Mr..
| Adlai Stephenson, of Statesville, who has
a small but highly valuable cabinet, which
I would have come all the way from New
York to have SEEM and SO with specimens
of rutile, coundum, &c. Observer.