Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-19
PLATINUM GOING SKYWARD.
Ii Has Recently Doubled in Value and
Will Never Come Down.

Platinum is going up alarmingly. That
metal SO essential and well-nlgh indispensable
to certain of the mechanical arts has risen 100
per cent in value within the last year, and
there is every prospect that it will continue to
ascend in the market. No reason seems to exist
for supposing that it will ever go down again.
Today platinum costs sll.50 a troy ounce. 1t
Is destined in al probability never again to be
cheaper-a precious metal, truly! This news,
of most serious importance to electricians, is
now published fer the first time.
"Four-ffths OF the platinum that supplies
the world is obtained from two mines at
Nishnee-Tagilsk and Goro- Blagodat. in the
Ural mountains, Siberia" said DIR. David T.
Day OF the Geological Survey to a STAR reporter
yesterday. "Tha rise in the price of the metal
being due chiefly to the increased cost Of its
production at the mines, you might suppose
that the natural deposits were giving out. but
l am credlbly informed that such is not at all
the case. There are good reasons of nature
altogether different
'Plantinum mines are gold mines--the two
metals are both heavy and are usually found
together. The deposits OF the Ural are mined
not tor platinum primarily, but for this more
precious yellow subtitle platinum is a 'bypro-
duct. They are placer deposits i'll the beds
OF streams and other such spots, the gold and
platinum being found mingled with the sand
that has been worn away from the hills by the
erosion of running water. Hitherto the
rlacers of Nishnee-Tagilsk and Goro- Blagodat
nave been richly productive of gold, and the
owners OF the mines could afford to sell the
platinum incide ntally obtained for a very
moderate price. But now the gold has become
scarce and they are forced to depend to a
greater extent upon the PLATINUM for their
| profits. OF that metal, happily, there is
| plenty left Thus YOU see why il is that plati-
mum has doubled in value within twelve
month and is still rising, with no prospect Of
| going down again.
but there are other reasons. Until recently
| the platinum has been carried in guarded
| wagons from the mines of the .Ural to the near
| est express station, distance perhaps of 200
| miles; but now they are building Trans
| Siberian railway. and great number OF labor
ers. not to be req laced. have been drawn from
| the mines to build the line. This, for a time.
lessons the production OF platinum. At pres
| ent the big dealers are buying up all the old
| platinum they can lay their hands on in antici-
patton or furthar rise in price, SO that cor
| ner seems to be arriving in the commodity.
| This increase OF the cost of platinum" said
| DR.. Day, IN conclusion, ''s OF an importance Il
| be appreciated when it Is considered how
| greatly the use of this metal has increased OF
late. Its non-corroding property makes it an
| invaluable material for chemical APPARATUS
and probably more of it is employed nova.
| days in the making of scient fic instruments
| &c, than for any other purpose. Besides, cleo.
| tricians could hardly get along withoutit They
| utilize it erywliere-an inch of wire for each
| incandescent lamp, In connection with tele
| graphic instruments, and in every place where
| the passage of spark creates ozone to oxidizt
the metal points il passes between. These ar.
only some of the uses Of platinum, which vii
| probably never again be half 80 cheap Us il wa
year ago."