Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-08-18
THE VALUE OF GOLD DUST.
T.was not Known to the Earliest Min.
ers I'm California---Varied Devices
for Adulteration.

at the saw-mill race had never seen
gold in its virgin state before the dis
coyerv. The first gold sold at Coloma,
il is said, only brought s. an ounce, but
it afterward rose TO sic, at which figure
it remained for some years. Sellers and
buyers did not for long time realize
any difference in the value of different
dust. "What are you paying for dust
to-day?' was the question often asked
by the miners of the dust-buyers. Thus
in those times no more difference was
recognized in the quality of different gold
dust than is to-day recognized IN the
quality of different sand or Sawdust.
BUYERS mixed their dust together as
they sent it to the mint, and paid an
average price for it all. This was a
very good thing for the miners who had
poor dust and very unfair for those who
had dust of the best quality. After
wards it was found that the dust as it
was taken from the earth varied greatly
in value Some of it, according TO mint
returns, was worth even rs low as 80 an
ounce. and some was worth so and
more. This is on account of the fact
that a greater or less amount of baser
metals. silver, copper, ETC., Is always
found in alloy with gold in its natural
state. Gold dust differs as much in ap-
pearance as it does III quality. Some of
it is yellow and bright, and some is dull
in color, dark green and black. The
bright yellow dust is not the best in
quality, as might ordinarily be sup
posed. Some of the pureSt gold ever
mined has been almost black in color.
There is also no uniformity in the form
or the particles of gold dust. Some is
fine and flOur-like, some Is coarse and
smoothly worn, and some is rough and
Seraggy. Dust taken from any one
locality in a mining district is always
remarkably uniform in value, color,
and form. This fact enables buyers,
after some experience. to deteTIaine i'm
uffdiately from what locality dust is
mined, and what is its value The first
question asked by buyer is: 'Whers
did YOU mine this dust?' OF course, if
it came from a region that has reputa-
tipn for producing gold of good quail
ity tlse buyer can afford to pay high
price for it. There is little use in max
ing Misrepresentation. when answering
this question, for the buyer has almost
as good means of knowing where the
dust came from as the seller This
knowledge is of great value to the dust
buyer in the way of protecting himself
against fraud in the way of counterfeit
dust, etc.
Peculiari6es in the form OF gold taken
from mining districts often gave name
to the locality. Chunk canyon, Slug
eulch. and Specimen rayine are eX-
amples. \ canyon in Ell Dorado county
is called String canyon. This is said |
TO be on account of the very singular |
form of the gold dust found in that reg |
ion. Much of it resembles pieces of |
wire one and two inches in length, and |
some of it as fine as thread.
Observations of the form of their dust /
often led miners TO make very valuable /
discoveries. All gold, as is well known,
originally came from quartz. In its nat
ufal state in the quartz it is very irreg-
ular in form. Every rich Tavine and
canyon had d gold-bearing quartz vein,
whose wearing away by the elements
had looSened the precious metal, to be
washed down by the water among the
gravel and sand. When gold has been
washed far from its source the attrition
causes it 10 become fine and smooth.
As the miner approaches the feeding
quartz vein the gold becomes coarser
and more Scraggy, till suddenly the pay
gives out entirely. Then it is certain
that rich quartz ledge is in the vicin-
ity, and in this manner veins have been
struck that have yielded many thous-
ands of dollars in few weeks.
Gold-duSt buying in the mining towns
was a very profitable business in the
g I,- 1
called black sand, composed principally
Of iron, was always mingled TO greater
OF less degree with the dust when it was
brought to the buyer. This had to be
blown out, and often the finest particles
of gold were blown out with it. Thus
in sN office where large quantity of
dust was bought much fine gold would
be scattered around the room. The
dustings of a buyers counter and
sweepfngS of his floor were often worth
hundreds of dollars a month. Some
times the buyers were suspected of
cheating in more illegitimate manner
by slyly appropriating some of the gold
while they were shaking it around and
examining it in the blowpans.
Once a miner who believed a buyer
had swindled him got even in rather
peculiar manner. lie had a pair of |
brass stirrupS weighing two pounds. |
Every time he sold dust to this buyer |
be filed a portion of the Stirrups among |
it till he had palmed off the whole of |
them for gold dust.
The Chinese have always been the |
most successful manufactures of coun-
terfeit gold dust. Many a lot of brass
or iron filings, plated with gold, has
been sold by them to unsuspecting buy |
ers. OF late years this has been less |
practiced. however, because of the fact |
that buyers almost invariably test the |
dust with acid, or burn it. BY subject |
ing it to an intense heat the gold Is not |
affected, but any other metal that may |
be mingled with it is soon dissipated in |
yapor 4 buyer was once purchasing |
some dust from company of Chinese |
miners. His balance scales were on an |
open counter before them. Suddenly |
he noticed that one Of the Cinnamon |
had slyly touched the balance in which |
the dust was to be weighed. Quickly |
looking under the bottom of it, he |
found some object sticking to it, which |
proved to be small piece of a sticky |
substance, like beeswax. 1t weighed |
haf an ounce. The willy Cinnamon |
had intended, of course, after the dust |
was weighed, to remove the wax as
deftly as they had put it on. Marks on |
the bottom of the balance revealed the |
fact that this trick had often been sue
cessful. Thus this company, and per-
haps others, had gained half an ounce |
on the buyer every time they sod him a |
lot of dust. This trick and Others of a
similar character afterward lei almost |
all buyers 10 put their balance scales in
glass cases, instead of having them |
open ON the counter.
In the early days of California life |
specie was not plentiful enough for the
needs Of trade, and gold dust was used |
almost entirely as medium of ex-
change. The miners carried it in long |
buckskin purses. This compelled all |
binds of hncipacc and Sh,,%S, 70,