The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-10-06
PUZZLES HND QUERIES.
Some Problems Which are Really
Worth While Working Out.
Answers.

A. The best way to tell gold from any
thing that looks like it is to heat red hot
| the suspected piece. If after heating it
| looks much the same under Il nagnifyinG
| glass, it is probably gold. Pyrites, which
| is also yellow at times is hard scratches
steel. and turns red or black after heating
giving off bad smell during the heating
None OF these phenomena occur with
gold. Mica. which sometimes occurs in q
piece of rock in yellow fakes, usually
| changes color on heating. 1t is so char
acterlStic in appearance when examined
| under magnifying glass as almost to
| preclude possibility of error.
Detection OF gold in an ore is more diff
cult, and absolute certainty can only be
attained by an assay. As to the appear
ance of rock which is likely to contain il
| this varies in each mining camp AMI
must be learned by experience. No rules
can be given, except that sandstone. lime.
stone. and granite are not likely to con
| tain it in any amount though there are
exceptions; quartz. the hard white rock
which occurs in veins so often, very often
| does. Frequently in quartz it is associ-
ated with pyriteS or with little cubical
cavities where pyriteS crystals have been.
Pyrites itself in all its myriad forms is
| likely to carry gold at times.
| A rough test for the presence of gold in
a rock is to burn it in the campfire until
the whole piece is red or white hot, then
drop it into water. and pound it to a fine
| ing. The powder is to be panned. This
| is done by stirring the powder into water
| in "goldpan' and working it until
the clayey matter is suspended, when the
water is poured off. The additions of
water and working are repeated till there
is nothing but clean water and sand left.
When this stage is reached the real pan
with With water, held d. a Slightly sIanting
position, so that tfhe groove formed by
given a Shaking, B.g{ion. This causes the
heavy particles II gold to settle through
this sane xl ths o oSeet p of tae
preliminary work. The pan, still keeping
il in the slantins position, is now placed
gently waved hack and forth. This
washes off the top layer of sand, which is
free from gold. The pan is then with
drawn and again shaken. the washing re
peated, and SO on till only a spoonful or so
of sand is left. Ifcafe has been observed
all the gold is beiow9this sand The pan
IS now emptied dfIallGw except a little, |
and its contents washed round the pan |
from one side ta9anDther by way OF the |
crease. et.
II this be done carefully, yellow sand
will wash first, leaving a trail Of black |
sand behind it. At the tail end OF this |
crease will be found the PARTICLES or
'colOrS" of gold, if any. Five minutes
of a miner will teach more |
han pages OF description, however. The |
process is easy but requires knack.
some OF the miners allecc their ability to
ind 5 cents worth of gold to the ton. But
bid miners allege many things. Keno
iDle.
II. Michigan is not q gold producing
State, but | think it is useless TO look for
,old except in quartz rock or in an allu
'ial deposit made by some stream flow
nG through quartz formations. Gold is
lot found as an ore but Il metal. some
ines alleged with silver or copper, and
II nuggets and grains, large or small |
md easily seen, and perhaps in scales
90 small to detect with the eye. Have q
hammer, bottle OF mercury, a pocket Of
alt, a small bag of buckskin Pound the
uartz fine, stir it well in the mercury.
train through the buckskin bag and
here may be scales of gold left within.
! hiie stirring the quartz all rises and
nay be skinned off.-Asa W. Sayton
~. The Southern Cross is between 9th
egree and 9th degree from the South
ole OF the heavens and of course can be
cen to that distance north of the equator
t has one star OF the first magnitude 81 I
egrees from the pole, one of second {
Magnitude u degrees from pole another
second II degrees, one Of third - de-
recS, and one OF fourth 20 degrees away {
It these distances north of the equator
ach OF these stars would be in the {
ORION; hence one should be within 20 |
egrees OF the equator to see the whole
constellation plainly W Slayton [
10. Since a line has length only and no {
readth or thickness, no one ever saw Il l
ne, nor do any exist except in the {
Nor did anyone ever see a +,
bought. a fiber of silk suspending a
eight may represent straight line but {
lie smallest spidcr-web would be million /