The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-04
THE VALUE OF PLATINUM.
A Rare Metal, Deposits of Which
May Exist In Utah.

Cyrus o. Baker, jr., of the firm of
Baker & Co., gold, silver and platinum
refiners, Of Newark, n. j.. was in the
city yesterday, on his way to the coast.
Mr.. Baker, who is an affable and well
| Informed gentleman, is an enthusiast
on the subject of platinum, and par
ticularly SO as his house is the only
firm in this country which handles this
rare metal, and he deplores the fact
that it is necessary to import all, or
nearly all, Of the platinum used in the
United States from Russia and New
South Wales. and especially SO as ma
tive or. crude platinum is worth S12 an
ounce, While one of its by-products,
osmo-iridium, is valued at from S. 80
TO 81 an ounce.
While the discovery of platinum in
this country would result benefcialy
to the firm of Baker & Co.. it would
prove douEly SO to the mining frater-
nifty AID NJ. Baker suggests the pos
sibility that This metal exists in Utah.
although its existence is unknown to
the mine-oWners of this region, and he
is of the opinion that With a little care
and the requisite knowledge of how the
presence of platinum can be deter
mined, it may be that deposits of this
commodity may be found in paying
quantities in the several mining camps
Of this state.
Platinum ore, according to Mr.. Baker
is usually found in the form of rounded
or f1attened grains, or sand occasion
ally IL Irregular Jumps of the size of
peas; large nuggets are very rare-the
largest as yet found weighing q
pounds.
The ore has a metallic lustre and is
DISTINGUISHED by it's steel gray color,
shining light gray streak when rubbed
h h; -
gravity DC to 49, infusibility in the
hottest blast furnaces and insolupility
in any single acid. 1t is not affected by
boraX or salt of phosphorus before the
bloWpipe, except il the finely divided
state, when reactions for iron and cop
Per may be obtained. Ii is soluble only
in Tot NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. acid aqua
Regia).
Platinum ore is complex body, con-
sisting of the metal in combination
with varying proportions of the other
members of the platinum group, suchas
iridium, rhodium, palladium, ruthenium
and osmiun, together with from 4 to
20 per cent of iron. In alluvial depos-
its the ore is generally associated with
iridosmire ca native alloy of iridium
and osmium possessing degree of
hardness superior to that of hard-tem-
pered stecl) magnetic iron sand. chro-
mite, garnet epldOte ana OFTEN with
zircon, diamond and chrysolite. Russia
is the only country. excepting possibly
New South wales, that at the present
time mines platinum ore for itself alone.
Mr.. Baker was loaded to the guards
with samples of platinum, one of which,
and which is the king Of platinum mug
gets IN this country, or even found on
this continent, weighs nearly two
pounds. It was found in South Amer
lea by a native, and intrinsically is
worth between $500 and $500, although
as a specimen it is valued at several
thousand.
In view of the rarity of this metal,
and the high price which it brings on
the market. it would be well if Utah
miners and prospectors would endeavor
to find deposits of it in the hills and
mountain ranges of this intermountain
region.