The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-15
UNTOLD GOLD In THE SEA.
rILLTONS OF BILLIONS, SAYS
PROF.. LIHERsIDGE or sYDNEY.


A great many people arc aware OF the fact
that sea water is. said to hold in solution large
quantities OF gold, and perhaps some silver be-
sides. In tho strictly scientific world, how
ever. this has been an open question for moro
than thirty years. and It has remained for an
eminent chemist In the University OF Syndey,
Australia, Prof. Liversidge. to offer from n
series OF exhaustive tests not only conclusive
proof OF the presence Of gold in the ocean,
but also to determine with some degree OF pre-
cision the amount.
Tho results OF Prof. Liversidge's researches
Is little less than astounding. Where no pre-
vious investigator has been able to find more
than a minute trace. which, II represented
in figures, would not perhaps amount to
. tenth OF n grin per ton of sea water, this
Australian professor has firmly demonstrated
that all sea water contains moro than hnlf n
grain per ton. and that much of IL contains
more than n full grain.
OF course. this amount is still very minute.
for a Grain OF gold dissolve so as Z, remain In
solution in water will not, whom precipitated,
show more than " thin film, like a trace OF oil.
on the top Of water. Nevertheless. when even
this small quantity Ia considered in relation to
the enor nous volume OF water in the sea. the
total amount of gold which tho ocean con-
tains mounts up to simply an unthinkable
sum-.
At from half to ono grain per ton. q cubic
mile of sea water contains between $40 and
260 tons Of solid gold. At $50 an ounce-the
actual value Is somewhat In excess OF this-a
ton of gold lie worth n little short of $500, 900.
In other words, a cubic mile of sea water con-
tains gold to the value of between S65, 000. 900
and $3.50 ,000. 900. On the surface of the
globe it is computed that there are from 30O.-
00o, 900 and 400, 900 900 cubic miles of ocean.
Taking the smaller of these estimates. at half
q grain per ton. the total amount OF gold In
the sea would be above thirty-ive million bill
lions. At one grain per ton It would be just
twice this-in figures. SIS. 900 .o0O, ZOO. 600. 900.
1t is almost impossible to grasp the magni-
tudo of such n sum-. Some comparisons will
help. The total amount of gold in all the
world OF the present tine is calculated at
something like ST 1000, 900. 600 or S0.0Oo.O O0.-
900. The computed wealth of the United
States. and this is the richest nation on earth.
is something like $50. Ooo. 900. 900 or $40. OO0.-
900. 900. The gold wealth OF the ocean is q
million times this. The ocean is, indeed. n
gold mine compared with whose value the
present wealth OF all the nations Of the world
sinks into nsignificance.
Curiously enough. the presence of gold in the
sea water was not suspected even by chemists
until the announcement made by Prof. Wurtz
- @'OSt SNAoiS "a vs.
the Advancement OF Science. Even then the
fart was not generally accepted. and it was
not until the famous English chemist Sonstadt
reported Investigations whose results con-
frmed the view OF Prof. Wurtz that the fact
was believed by scientific men. But neither
Sonstadt nor Wurtz was able to secure more
than a mere trace of the presence of the pre-
cious metal. and many chemists. who came
after them could not find even this. As late
ms two years ago the President of tho Society
of Chemical Industries of England declared.
in his annual address, that tine presence OF
gold in sea water has not been satisfactorily
determined"
Prof. Liversidge began his Investigation at
the University of Sydney something like two
years. ago, and has Just reported the results to
tho Royal Society Of Australia. The.method
which. he employed was q long and compli-
Gated one. and in order to yield any results
at all the utmost care and precision were re.
quired. The sea water, in chemically clean
bottles. was first treated with a solution of pure
ferrous suIphate dissolved in water. and to
this solution a few drops OF hydrochloric acid
was added. This was then heated slowly. so
as to prevent ebullition, and about half the
water drawn off by evaporation.
In the process of heating "A film Of ~lustrous
iron oxide was formed on the sides of the ves-
sci. and when this had attained its maximum
thickness the water was entirely poured off
and this film treated with chlorine. the result.
ing solution then evaporated. and further
treated with diluted hydrochloric acid. This
liquid was then poured INTO test tubes con-
tanning a solution OF stannous chloride. Az
ter standing sill for n few minutes gold would
then show in a hin blush or purplish tint on
the surface of the solution. Allowed to re-
main for some little time. u gray precipitate
n-oa fnrF,aI which trbar Irfal uppriaoaXt ort
cupellAd, yielded a minute bead OF gold.
In order tn cheek this process and also to
determine whether all the gold contained in tho
sea water naturally had thereby been eX-
tracted, Prof. LiversidRe made mp All arti-
fetal solution containing small Quantities OF
gold and subjected it tn the same process. With
the greatest care the loss in the gold recovered
ranged from 10 to "a yer cent. revealing clearly
that the sea water actually contains a consider
ably greater amount of gold than was revealed
by Prof. Liversidge's process.
In order to establish his discoveries beyond
any question. Prof. Livcrsidgo employed sew:
ernl other pro'"ssos OF u similar nature. all Of
which Welded equally conclusive results. though
not all OF then revealed 80 large a Quantity.
Tho long controversy may. therefore, be re-
But in the practical American MUD the ques-
ton remains. can the gold in the sea water
ever he extracted at q proftT The question
apparcntlJ uoes not greatly interest Prof.
Lircrsidge, and 1t is reasonably certain that
tit iblls uHu t'mDllUdtSu DThNtSS w WHICH he
effected the extraction would mean IN expense
all out of proportion tn the amount OF gold OF.
tanned. This is where ms part Of the story
comes In.
some years ago. when on n roughinG tour In
the northwest. on a lonely mopntainsidc in
the Cascades, / Glanced uponsR prosrector
holding down a stray claim. Starting on ,he
idea. which was then n pure assumption. that
gold actually existed in the sea water, the
Professor, as ! found the prospector was
known. had devised II very simple and very
ingenious apparatus for the electrical deposit
ton OF the gold uiOn chemically prepared
metal plates. His idea was to arrange these
plates in large sheets and subject them 10 an
electric current of low voltage, the plates mean
while being trai,"d from the rear OF II vessel
slowly traversing the ocean. When they were
sufficiently coated with the deposit OF gold
they were to be hauled out and scraped. and
then thrust back. the scrapinGs meanwhile
being melted m into inRots.
Beside the Professors estimates OF tho prob
able yield Of his mine" Coz. Sellers's mil.
lions We're mild. lie foresaw such n flood of
yellow metal as would make it a puzzle how to
get the gold into property before It's value
would fall to nothing. He hal considered
every detail az tbs case. and carefully ma
tured his plans.
You see" he oxplnined TO me-. sit would