Arizona republican., 1891-11-07
EARTH'S INTERIOR.
thought to Be Stored with Pre-
 cious Metals.
schemes of Congress to Investigate the Matter by Boring for the
 Minerals .-- Work In
 Progress. '-rsa~

X scientific scheme or much lmpOr- tanre has been agitated in Washington recently, says the Star. During the last two congresses there have been a number of representatives and two or three senators who have used their in- aucnce in favor of an appropriation for boring hole in the earth several miles in depth. It has long been recognized that an inconceivable amount of value in the shape of precious metals and other mineral substances is locked up mt of reach beneath the crust of this nlanet. All the riches dug out of it rep resent merely the most superficial and ineffective scratching of the surface. Once render accessible the internal re- cesses of the sphere and it is plain that every human being might be thousand times a Monte Cristo,
 Geologists are agreed that the inte- ror of the earth is largely composed of metals. Whereas the surface matter of the planet weighs only about two and one-haf times as much -uS water, it is known as 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 condensing 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 thar iron, and these would naturally form an ac- emulation immediately about the cen ter of the globe. Among them may be mentioned most important gold. Geolo- cist Gilbert, of the geological survey, said the other day that he would rather expect to find vast accumulation of gold at that point than anywhere else, his notion being that such of the yellow metal as is found on the surface of the earth is only an accidental detritus. However, there are two or three sub stances known even more weighty 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 production.
 So it is not unreasonable that certain members of congress and other persons of keen judgment should considc- the advisability of boring hole in the earth for the purpose of extracting some of it's metallic contents. For scientific purposes a pit has recently been sunk at Spelling, in Germany, to the depth of a mile. Unfortunately, water has been struck, and no results which add very materially to human knowledge have thus far been obtained. Another well has been driven at Wheel ing, W. Va, as far down as thrce-quar- ters of a mile. It is dry and the boring process is proceeding at the rate of about ten feet a day. The management will be diSgusted 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 80 foolish as to imagine that possible results, commercially speaking, could be secured without digging much farther than this. Estimate is made that at twenty miles from the surface of the earth every known substance-metals rocks and all-becomes fused and liquid. Once let this point be reached, and naturally whatever is below must spout up of it's own accord, without ex- pense of mining. Immediately the price of metals in the market would be reduced to little or nothing and new age would dawn upon civilization. It has been suggested that such m arti' hcial conduit would be, to all intsnts and purposes, a volcano, but any dan. gers which it would otherwise threaten might be obviated easily by establish ing the works on an open prairie.