The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-11
INTEREST IN GOLD.
by the Marvellous Ac-
counts From Alaska.
From an Exchange.

From an Exchange.
Popular interest in the metal gold has
recently been stimulated to an extraordln-
ar degree by the marvellous accounts of
the rich discoveries in Alaska and in
other parts of the world Apart from the
universal desire to obtain treasure of gold,
with which man may supply all his cor
poreal daily toll, there is a sentimental
we might almost say superstitious-inter-
est in gold. The very word has reso-
nant sound. and is often, perhaps uncon-
sciousy. uttered with a slight infection
Of the voice indicative of feeling of awe
such as may he observed In the Indian
when speaking OF the Great Father" and
in the Christian when uttering the word
Deity" The miser gloats over his gold
with peculiar intensity akin to insanity.
He Will not use IL to obtain the necesst-
ties OF life. and instances are numerous
of msers having starved to death in gar
rets which would have provided them with
the comforts OF life
Gold differs I'm its physical characteris-
tics from every other metal. 1t is abso-
lutely unoxdizable. and is therefore un-
changed by exposure for ages to the at
mosphere. II is almost the only element
which is found in nature in the metallic
form Iron, for example Is always COM
ments forming oxides or earths or ores.
Platinum and some Of the very rare met
ais resemble gold in these qualities and
copper and silver are also sometimes found
In the metallic state owing to local geo.
logical causes The gold prospector re-
quires simply a hammer to break the
stones a tin pan and a supply of water
and grub" BY a dexterous rotating and
shaking movement he washes away the
lighter particles of earth in his pan and
separates the gold grains or dust. Moth
ing could be simpler than this; and we
have read recently of instances in which
miners in the Klondlke region have gath
cred hundreds Of dollars worth OF golden
grains i'm one panning.
Every now and again the old alchemi-
cal idea OF "transmutation" Is revived,
and some people are led to believe that
the long-sought for philosophers stone
has at last been found. Modern science
does not countenance any belief In the
possibility OF changing a base metal into
gold; yet Its revelations sometimes APP
proach sufficiently close TO the ancient
doctrines to startle the student and en-
courage the charlatan to new schemes OF
fraud. One OF the modern theories of mat
ter proclaim that all substances have
common origin; that the ultimate atom"
is Of uniform kind. and that the different
combinations Of atoms forming mole
cules" give rise 20 the prOteau forms OF
matter just as the architect may produce
a royal palace, a gloomy prison, or a
staring factory building from a common
pile Of bricks or stones. The Royal So
ciety Of England. perhaps the most IA
nous scientific association In the world.
a few years ago appointed a committee
OF its members TO investigate the subject
OF metals and their alloys" The chair
man Is the chemist OF the royal mint and
probably this accounts for the interesting
fact that the most important studies and
discoveries have recently been made with
gold and It's alloys. Surprising, indeed are
the results which have been 50 far an
nounced. In fact. they are simply as
founding: and n emanatlng from less
distinguished authority they would be re-
garded as fairy tales
IL rs we'll known that gold IL one OF
the dsnsest Cd all metals. II bears about
the same relation 10 iron In this RESPECT
that cork bears 10 some close grained
wood, such as chestnut A lump Of lead
1.-THE favorite metal OF the alchemist for
into gold weighing, let
US say eleven and one-fOurth pounds
would " changed into a lump Of gold OF
the same size weigh nineteen and one
fourth pounds. while a lump Of pure alum
mum Of the same dimensions would only
weigh a trihe over two and One-half
pounds Assuming for the moment that
an substances have a common origin or
genesis in the ultimate atom, how enOr-
compressed or crowded together
must be the molecules OF gold as compar-
ed with those OF aluminium. or even with
those Of lead or iron. And what incon-
ceivable intermolecular pressure must
have existed in natures laboratory dur
Ing the formative period in past ages TO
have produced such resultsl We might
suppose that the particles OF gold are IN
the closest possible juxtapoaiuon; but long
ago Il was found that " o hollow sphere
OF gold be- nllcd with water and then
squeezed IN press the water Will 0oze
through che pores " the gold as through
~ sieve. Lord Kelvin. the greatest live
Ink authority on such abstruae questions.
announced some years ago That the MOLE
culcs OF matter constituting solid objects
arc 100 far apart nH compared with the
rpHcoa between thcm that they are not
relative to tho mass. closer together Ethan
$50 men would boz lf scattered over the /
whole of Eugnnl or one man 60 400
square mllesw To the ordinary mind this
IofmH Incredible. The recent report of
De committee on metals and alloys 90 the
royal society goes ID step further and an-
n0unrfH that thD molecules OF metals arc
rushing about through This intermoleeulIr
space hltiinF agninHt each nflar conlfn-
ually and rcpounuing like ivory balls. and