The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06
GOLD IN ITS NATIVE FORMS.
1t Is Found in Curious shapes and
Mixtures.

IL Is FOund IN curious Shapes ana
Mixtures.
Washington Letter IN Boston Transcript.
During the recent excitement respecting
Alaskan gold, Smithsonian experts have
been putting together small Klondike on
their own account, for scientific purposes.
They have taken all the different kinds of
gold obtained from various parts of the
United States and have assembled them
Naturally it might be supposed that there
was only one kind of gold and it is true
that there is only one metal of that name;
but 1t is found In many shapes, some of
which are decidedly curious.
For example, there is moss gold, which
is occasionally discovered in masses near
ly a foot in diameter If bit of rock be
thickly interlaced with gold veins, and the
rocky substance be dissolved away, the
metal is apt to be left behind in this
strange form. What is called wire gold
is formed in much the same manner. In
the famous Cripple Creek region gold often
occurs in little crystals composing fern
like pieces Once In a long while a gold
crystal of considerable size, say, half an
inch in diameter, and perfect octahedron,
is picked up.
In the Snake River Idaho regular min
ing is done for flour gold.' so called be-
cause il occurs as very fine powder mix
ed with the sands at the bottom of the
stream. These sands are attacked by stern
wheel flat-boats. which are floating dredges
propelled by steam. The flat-boat anchors
in suitable place, and the gravel is hauled
aboard with buckets attached to an end
less chain. The gold is caught on copper
plates with the aid of quicksilver and the
refuse is carried overheard by a stream of
water.
The beach sands of the Oregon seacoast
are quite rich in gold, which is very pure,
though finely divided. There has been
good deal said lately about the gold in or
binary sea water, which actually does
amount to about cent and half per
ton. But the water of the Caspian sea,
which is very salty, contains from IS 20 IS
cents worth of gold per ton, and il Is
there that the proposed works should be
set up for the purpose of separating the
yellow metal from its saline solution by
electrolysis. Unfortunately, separation by
this process is expensive, a powerful cur
rent being required
The characteristic placer gold of the
Yukon takes the form of fine dust with
little bits of nuggets mixed. The Smith
sonian experts confess that they do not
know how nuggets are formed. The most
plausible guess seems to be that they are
accidental accumulations of grains of gold
washed out of the rocks. The biggest gold
nugget on record was found at Ballarat
Australia; it weighed 2,21S ounces and
was worth $4,000. Next comes a chunk
of the yellow metal dug up at Berlin,
n. s. w, valued at $S0,3l0 it tipped the
scales at Ito ounces. Two Australian
nuggets called the 'Viscount Canter-
bury and "Viscountess Canterbury"
Weighing 1,121 ounces and SS4 ounces re-
spectively, were appraised at $4,000 and
$4,000 On one claim at Dunnolly two COL
den Jumps weighing 53S ounces and AS
ounces worth $4,000 and 5000, were pick
ed up. Two other great Australian mug
gets-all the biggest ones were discovered
thene-were found by Cinnamon. and were
melted to the tune of $4,000 and 5000.