Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-10-14
Ed,son's New Invention.

| country are each and all commenting on
the new invention of machine, or pro
cess, for extracting the gold from placer
ground where water cannot be procur-
ed. 1t seems that the device has been
patented and sold to a syndicate known
as the Colestro company, who propose
to operate the same on the immense
placer deposits of New Mexico. For
this purpose the company have taken a
lease on what is known as the Ortiz
grant containing 10000 acres Of land, a
large portion Of which is said to be in
the form Of high bars Of wash gravel
varying in thickness from 3 to 100 feet.
The process is secret as yet, and the
principle upon which it works has not
yet been disclosed, although it is stated
that the gold is not extracted by elec
tricity as the power of electricity or
magnetism exerts no power of attra-
ton for gold. 1t is presumed that the
power to be used is air under pressure
and If 80 it is nothing new, although
the inventor may have studied out some
new application of this ancient method.
He says:
"My method has solved the problem
of gold mining without water, having
been tested and found TO fulfill all re-
quirements. Give me the low grade
ore in this country and others can have
the high grade. The high grade de-
posts are always in small veins and it
would not pay to put up my machinery
to work them. The great profits Of the
future in mining ar to be made from
the low grade ores near at hand reduce@
by such an extractor as [ have desig-
mated. would not think Of getting up
big plant to work an ordinary vein of
gold. Even about 100 feet wide and
half mile long woult not pay me. want
deposits two miles long and GOO feet
wide. | have figured ont that a small
profit can be made in gold ore that as
says as low as 81 25 cents per ton. Ore
as low grade as that could not be mined
profitably by any existing process except
mine"
Mr.. Edison estimates the cost Of put
ting up one Of his plants at about 81 ,000,-
900, and that he will 60 to New Mexico
aud superintend its construction him
self. In commenting upon this new
method and its application to tho aurif.
erous deposits of either placer or quartz,
land it seems he is prepared to treat
BOTH we would say be very careful, Mr..
Edison Go slow now. First know you
are right then 90 ahead" or the first
thing you know you will run against a
chuck post that will fetch you up a
standing. Consider we'll that this mih-
ing business is new field to you, and
the monuments Of failure lie all over
the .Iill sides Of Colorado, and the min
ing camps of the west, as thick as the
leaves in Val Ambrosia. Thousands
have failed before thy time in attempt
ing this same thing and the abandoned
processes and discarded machinery that
has cost millions of money are scatter
ed in every gulch where mines are
worked, and our own Black Hills are
not exempt from examples of the loos.
ing game. This reminds us of a case
which came under our own OBJ ervation,
which Cf our readers will pardon us, }
we will here relate.
1t was in the winter of 1880 and 1881
! that we left Deadwood to take a trip
into New Mexico, just to ascertain wha
silver mines that the papers in that sec.
ton were making SO much fuss about.
We went via St. Louis to visit briefly
family and friends, and while there we
met with man who earnestly besought
us to go and look at dry washer (as
he termed it, which he had invented
and thought it about perfect. He in
formed us that he had formed com
pany and they were manufacturing the
machines and shipping them out to
different parties, not sold, but to be
worked on royalty. They had al
ready shipped a good many. They were
made of different sizes to be run by
steam, horse, or man power. To give
us chance to witness the operations
they started up large machine Our
man first procured lot of sand from a
bar in the river, perfectly dry and
sated it with gold dust which he had
obtained for the purpose and poured
the whole into the hopper at the top,
The power was turned on, the sand
descended to shaking tables which sup
ported pans of corrugated copper. Here
the sand met with strong current OF
air which carried it further and down
ward over other pans of like cons.ruc.
tion from whence it issued with consid.
erable force. The gold being heavy
was caught in the rifles of corrugated
copper, while the lighter sand was car
ried on and out. The clean up was
made, and the gold which had been
weighed was all recovered, the process
was speedy. and everything looked like
perfect success. When all was over
| 4 ~ 80 -.