The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-05-25
Millions of Tons of the Precious
Yellow Metal Said to be held
in Suspension in the Sea
IN THE FORM OF IODINE.
If Some Cheap Means of Ex.
traction Can be Invented Gold
Will Soon be Too Plentiful.

There is good reason to believe
that in the future more gold will be
extracted from the salt waters Of
the ocean than from the mines now
worked in the richest part of the
worlds gold regions. The vast size
of the oceans makes the field practic-
ally inexhaustible, and while the
mines of the land are yielding their
thousands of tons, the seas will pro-
duce their millions. Even though
the gold is found in small quantities,
the aggregate yield would be enorm-
GUS. Extracting the gold from the
ocean will also be attended with less
risk and exposure to danger, and the
work will not be very much differ
ent from that required to obtain re-
fined salt from the ocean. Prof.
Ramsey, one of the best gold ex-
perts and mineralogists in this coun-
try, has given considerable attention
to the subject, and in speaking about
it he gave some interesting facts.
cit seems almost like reviving the
dreams of the alchemists in predict
ing that gold will soon be produced
abundantly by ocean Miners" he
said. "Nevertheless, there is suffic-
lent scientific data to warrant one in
this speculation. 1t is no new thing
to discover either silver or gold in
salt water, but recent researches have
directed more interest toward the
subject by proving that the quantity
is large enough to be of practical
use. The exact quantity that a ton
of ocean water contains depends
upon local conditions, and varies all
the way from one-twelfth to one
quarter of grain. Even much
higher proportions of gold may be
found in portions of the ocean not
yet investigated. The temperature
of the water greatly affects the
amount of gold held in solution, the
warmer the water the less amount
one would find, and the colder the
temperature the more that would be
held in solution.
Taking the low figures given fol-
the waters in warm climates-one,
thirteenth of grain of gold to one
ton of sea water-and what probable
yield of gold would one find! Why,
it would be an enormous quantity
one that would completely eclipse
our present product on the land
The average depth of the ocean has
been scientifically estimated at $500
fathoms, with 40O,OOO,OOO square
miles of space. In this area about
1887, ,O3O, ,272, ,OOO,OOO,OOO tons Of
water are deposited-an amount that
is hardly conceivable when expressed
in figures. Well, if each ton yielded
the lowest quantity of gold obtained
the whole yield of the ocean would
be about 10, ,250,OOO,0OO tons of gold
"Just stop and think of that for I
moment! Gold would be so plenti
full with this amount on tap that W.
would make furniture of the precious
metal, and even build houses with it
A solid gold ring could be had for
few cents. Silver would be wortl
sixty times as much as gold. In
stead of trying to put the currenc.
of the world on gold basis finan
ciers would tumble over each othe
in their efforts to get rid of all gol'
money. We would think no more O
the precious metal than we do no,
of iron or copper, and it would be n
more desirable. Compare tn
amount of gold in the ocean wit
! the total quantity that has been take
from the gold mines of the worl
during the last four centuries. Th
total output of whole world frol
1494 to 1894 approximated abou
1920 tons, and the present annu'
; output is about 200 tons. What a
insignificant quantity! And the Re
ports are that the gold mines of Il