Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-07-25
GOLD In THE SEA.
VAST MINES OF THE PRECIOUS
METAL IN THE OCEAN.
Millions of Tons Said to Be Held in
Solution In tho Form of To-
dine-How It NIay Be
Garnored.
ToRTY-FoUR years ago Mala-
H. quit and Durooher startled the
world by announcing that tn

such small proportions that it would
hardly prove profitable to attempt to
gather 1t, says tho Philadelphia Times.
Tho more important and reaching
discovery has now been made that the
waters of the vast oceans contain gold
i'll solution in such quantities that the
annual output could DO moro than
troboled if science finds n way of ex-
tracing the precious metal.
There is reason to bclievo that in
tho future more gold will be extracted
from the salt waters of the ocean than
from the mines now worked in the
richest rart of the world'sgold regions.
The vast size of tho ocenns mako the
field practically inexhaustible, and
while tho mines of the land nro yield
ing their thousands of tons tho seas
will produce their millions. Even
though tho gold is found in small
Quantities tho aggregate yiold would
he enormous. Professor Hamsey. one
OF tho best gold experts and miner
aio3lsts in this country, has given con-
hioerablo attention TO the subject. and
in speaking about it he gave somo in
tcresting facts.
lit seems almost like reviving the
dreams of the alchemists in predicting
that gold will soon be produced
abundnntly by ocean miners" no said.
Nevertheless, there is sufficient
scientific data TO warrant ono in this
speculation. 1t is no now thing to
discover either silver or gold in salt
water, but recent researches have
directed moro interest toward tho sub
lect by proving that the quantity is
large enough to DO of practical use.
The exact quantity TINT II ton of ocean
water contains depends upon local
conditions, and varies all the way from
one twelfth to onc-quarter of a grain.
Even much higher proportions of gold
may be found in portions of the ocean
not yet investigated. The tompera.
turo OF the water greatly affects the
amount of gold held in solution, the
warmer the wator the less amount ono
would find, and the colder the tenn.
pernturo the moro that would be held
in solution.
Taking tho low figures given for
tho waters in warm cimates-one-
thirteenth OF grain of gold to one
ton OF sea watcr--and what probable
yield of gold would one find? WHY.
1t would be an enormous quantity.
one that would completely eclipse our
present product on tho land. Tho
average depth of tho oceun has been
scientifically estimated Mt $500
fathoms, with 400, 900, 900 cubic miles
OF space. In this vast area about
1887, 030, 272, 900 millions tons of
water are deposited-an amount that
10 hardly conceivable when expressed
in figures. Well, if each ton Welded
the lowest quantity of gold obtained,
the whole yield of tho ocean would be
about 10,200 million tons of gold.
Compare tho amount OF gold in
tho ocean with tho total quantity that
has been taken from tho gold mines of
tho world during tho last four cen
turtles. The total output of the whole
world from 1891 to 1894 Appropriated
about 5O2O tons, and the present m
nual output is about 200 tons. What
nm insignificant quantity And the
reports are that the gold mines of the
world nro showing decided signs of
exhaustion. This gold III the ocean is
held in solution by tho iodine which
IS obtained from tho iodate of calcium.
If you mix gold with solutions of
iodine it can very readily be reduced
to soluble state, and in this condi-
ton 1t can DO prevented from drop.
ping through the water to tho bot
tom. Possibly tho lower strata OF
water contains certain considerable
quantities of preoipitated gold TINT
has never yet been reached by deep
soundings Wo know that it is fire.
quently released and dropped by the
iodine, fol- this latter is absorbed by
the sea weeds and plant growths of the
ocean. Along the consts OF Great
britain, France and Sweden the
"kelp" or sea weed is gathered and
buried, and then from the ashes
Iodine is extracted. This iodine in its
simple form In tie water, before being
absorbed by the plants, holds the gold
OF the ocean in solution.
Every time this iodine liberates
the gold it probably drops to the bot.
tom OF the ocean to form beds of gold
Tor future generations. Should the
ocean ever reoede from the Sargasso
Sen great veins Of precipitatcd gold
may be found there, for the vast for.
ests Of seaweed are continually alb
sorbing tho iodine and releasing the
soluble gold. Unless arrested by other
deposits of iodine the released gold
would rain down upon tho bottom of
the sen in continued showers
Tho question of obtaining this
gold from the ocean is tho most i'm
portant that concerns lis to-day. If
these vast reservoirs of gold could be
opened up 10 commerce tho world
would be deluged with yellow metal.
No one could wish that the yield would
be too lurge, for the depreciation OF
tho metal would DO 80 great that no
ono would be actually benefited by it..
Besides, the money centres of the
world would be shaken to their founda.
tione. Coin and currency of all kind
would be so altered in value that no
man could tell rightly what he was
worth. Governments would be bank
rupt, and everybody who had their
fortune in currency and gold would
suffer.