Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-03-04
BETTER THAN KLONDIKE,
Gold Is Being Extracted from
the Sea at LubeC, Me.

\ Plant Which was opened Recently
VIII Pay - Per Cent on an Invest
ment of S5O,OOO---PIRns TO 60 into
the Business on n Large Scale.
Located in Lubec. Maine. is one of the
most wonderful plants ever set III motion
in TINS country, and the stories which are
told OF 1t vie with those related of the art
of the magician From tie salt waters OF
Passamaquoddy bay. gold and silver are
being extracted, and III quantities which
pay This Is vouched for by responsible
persons.
While passing the summer Of 1896 on the
shores of NarraEansett bay, recovering
from an attack of fever, T. 7. Jernegau.
pastor of the First baptist church at Mid
dietowu, Conn, a graduate OF Brown uni
versitv and of Newton Theological semi
nary. came across the statement III scIen-
tIhc journals that the ocean held IN soiu-
ton vast quantities of gold and silver
Mr. Jernegau first satisfied himself that
the sea does actually contain these precious
metals in sufficient amount 10 warrant at
least an attempt and impaired his plans
70 MIR. Fisher, hls personal friend. They
made hundreds of tests. from Nova scotia
to Tampa bay. for over year and they
found that all the waters of the ocean
contain the same relative amount OF gold
almost an even grain to a ton OF water
They obtained the use of the best lanora
tories and apparatus IN England anu at
the Isle of Wight finally succeeded IN OF.
tanning large quantities of the yellow met
al and at an expense that assured them
that the work could be conducted on IA
large scale so as 70 prove a commercial
success
Then they began to search for "a suitable
locality where the tides and natural facili-
ties were the most favorable They found
that the highest tides IN the United States
occur in PassamaJuoddy bay and that on
the shores of North Lubec nature had pro.
vided lust the place a water privilege
was secured and the erection of a building
began.
Meantime these gentlemen mad succeed
ed In interesting several business men Of
Connecticut and Massachusetts. and com
panv was chartered under the name of the
( Electrolytic Marine Salts company.
When the plant was completed machines
were put III place under cover of darkness
a long room beneath the wharf 50 by 30
feet, was securely planked IN on all sides
divided into a hundred little rooms each
lined with galvanized iron, and in each was
pldttl u single ulhCullts Will a luTte-luCu
pipe leading into 1t from common hume
The pond above the plant holds 80, 600 tons
of water every tide, and this Is held back
by gates acting automatically and deliver
ing the salt water 20 each machine as fast
as It can work
On Feb. the machines were set at work
and results obtained which more than sat
listed both inventor and stockholders
Each machine was run on an average for
90 hours before the gold and silver were eX-
tracted. Not counting the latter metal
the plant is yielding Sl2j day, or $3.50
each week. The total outlay by the com
pany mas been a little less than $50 600. so
that with the somewhat crude apparatus
now employed, the investment Is yielding
an income OF something ike Is per cent
per year Every cubic mile of sea water
contains S6j 600, 600 worth of gold, and
there are BOO, 600, 900 cubic miles of sea on
the globe
The erection of a big plant TO contain
1000 machines will be begun April l, and
will require the labor of 500 men for over
SIX months