The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-02
TREASURES OF BARrA's INTERIOR.
Schemes in Congress to Bore for Sus-
pected Stores of Precious Metals.

Schemes in Congress to Bore for Sus-
pected Stores of Precious Metals.
From the Washington Star.
A scientific scheme of much Importance
has been agitated in Washington recently.
During the last two congresses there have
been number of representatives and two
or three senators who have used their in
tiuence in favor of an appropriation for
boring hole IN the earth several miles in
depth. 1t has long been recognized that an
inconceiyable amount of value in the shape
of precious metals and other mineral sub
stances is locked up out Of reach beneath
the crust of this planet Ali the riches dug
out of it represent merely the most super
fetal and Ineffective scratching of the sur
face. Once render accessible the internal
recesses of the sphere, and it is plain that
every human being might be a thousand
times a Monte ChrisIo
Biologists are agreed that the interior of
the earth is largely composed Of metals
Whereas the surface matter Of the planet
weighs only about two aud one-halr times
as much as water, it is known as a fact that
toward the center the average weight of
things is eleven times that of water This
is due to the circumstance that while this
sublunary orb was cooling and condensiug
the heavier particles sought the middle
Therefore it is probable that the great mass
of the sphere is iron. But there are other
metals more heavy than iron, and these
would naturally form an accumulation i'm
mediately about the center Of the globe.
Among them may be mentioned most impor-
family gold Geologist Gilbert of the geo
logical survey said the other day that he
would rather expect to find a vast accumu-
latlou Of gold at that point than anywhere
else his notion being that such of the vel
low metal as is found on the surface of tue
earth is only an accidental detri,uS. How
ever, there are two or three substances
known even more wsighty than gold, and
one OF them is platinum, which has doubled
in market value within the last year or
two, owing to the increased cost Of pro-
duction.
so it is not unreasonable that certain
members Of congress, and other persons of
keen judgment, should consider the advisa-
bllty of boring hole in the earth for the
purpose of extracting some of its metallic
contents. For scientific purposes pit has
recently been sunk at Spelling, in Ger many,
to the depth of a mile Unfortunately,
water has teen struck, and no results which
add very materially to human knowledge
have thus far been obtained. Another well
has been driven at Wheeling. W. Va, as
far down as three quarters of a mile. 1t is
dry, and the boring process is proceeding
at the rate of about ten feet day. The
management will be disguised If oil or
something is not struck before the hole
comes out at the antipodes and somebody
tumbles into it at the other end.
No really scientific person has been so
foolish as TO imagine that possible results,
commercially speaking, could be secured
without digging much further than this.
Estimate is made that at twenty miles from
the surface of the earth every known .sssur
stance-metals, rocks and all-becomes
fused and liquid. Once let this point be-
reached, and naturally whatever below
must sprout up of its own accord, without
expense of mining. Immediately the price
of metals in the market would be reduced
to little or nothing, and new age would
dawn upon civilization. 1t has been sug
gested that such an artificial conduit wou d
tie, to all iutents and purposes, a volcano;
but any dangers which it would otherwise
threaten might be obviated easily by estab-
fishing the works on an open prairie.