The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-01-07
4 REFUSES INVENTION.
A New Method OF Working Re-
bell1ous Ores.

A New Method OF Working Re-
bell1ous Ores.
The Stockton correspondent of
the San Francisco Chronicle under
date of December Gath, gives the
following extended account of
the doings and invention of re-
cluse located at that place:
ION entering Stockton by boat
the attention of the visitor is first
attracted by some low sheds close
to the waters edge where the Nor
mon and Stockton channels join.
The queer-looking structures Of
wood and canvas have been there
for nearly three years and all that
time an air of mystery has hung
about them. Probably thousands
of passengers have asked what they
were and why they were there with
out receiving satisfactory answer.
The people Of Stockton knew no
more about the slight structures
than persons who were strangers to
the city. In truth, by reason of
their acquaintance with the locality
they only wondered the more why
any sane man would put any sort
of buildings in such lonly spot,
exposed as it is to the full force of
the winter storms and invariably
swept by the foods in spring.
In the past week greater has the
wonder grown, for out of those
sheds has come an eccentric old
man who announces to the world
that he has perfected within them
an invention Of more Importance
to California than Beesemer's pro-
cess for making steal, Bells discov-
cry of the telephone or Edison's ap-
plication of electricity to incandes-
cent lighting. The few experts who
have been permitted to look upon
the contrivances so carefully guard
ed within the sheds have imbibed
much of the venerable inventors 8
enterprise.
Mining men will understand the
nature of the discovery and realize
its Importance to the State when
they know that the inventor claims
to have perfected q perfectly feasi-
BILE and practicable method of work
ing the most refractory and rebel
lious ores found in the Sierra Ne
vada. If this be true, aud there
seems to be every reason to believe
it, the discovery adds untold mil
lions to the value of the mining
properties in this State. As mining
men and prospectors all know,
there are hundreds upon hundreds
of mines and claims unworked to-
day, although rich in precious met
ais, because there has been no
known process by which the gold,
could be economically taken from
the quartz. In many of these mines
assays have shown that the ore run
even as high as 500 a ton, and yet
these properties have been aban-
doned. There were ways to get out
the gold, but they were laboratory
methods, and dear experience
proved that in using them at the
mines it cost more to. free the metal
than the gold was worth when con-
centrated into bullion. 1t is
claimed for, this process by those
who have seen it applied that it
will work at a profit the most re-
fractory ores, even though they run
not more than 50 to the ton.
Those who have gone to the Yo-
semite by the Milton route will re-
member Moffitt's bridge over the
Tuolumne river. The queer indi-
vidual who built it is the man who
has now turned inventor. J. R.
Mofitt dropped into Tuolumne
county, no one knew whence, some
ten years ago. At that time there
was ferry over the river and the
old man who tended it made good
living by charging all he could get
for taking people across. The first
thing the people of the county knew
Motif was building q bridge across
the river at his own expense. As
soon as it was done all the travel
turned that way and the poor old
ferry tender, in his dependency,
blew out his brains. By that time
the eccentric Moffitt was deep in
another project. He had built a
dam, thrown the river into q fume
and was taking gold out ofthe sand
by the bucketful. In three months
he had cleaned up $4,000. To the
surprise Of the people Of Tuolumne
county no sooner did it appear that
Moffitt had q fortune within his
reach than that very odd old man
allowed the water to run through
the river bed again and abandoned
both mine and bridge.
Then Mofitt came to Stockton,
put up the framework Of the sheds,
covered it with canvas and began
to spend his days and nights as q
recluse. The people-of Tuolumne
county, apparently Of the opinion
that Mofitt had gone for good, be-
gan proceedings to get possession
cf The toll bridge. Mofitt came