The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-07-03
FOR GOLD.
Portland People Were Once Advised to
search.

Did you know that Portland people
were once advised to dig for goldr Per.
haps that statement Is not strictly trus
but the advioa given by an eminent geol
ogist Of his day and generation was some
thing nearly to that effect. 1t was Pro.
fessor Charles II. Hitchcock who as stat,
geologist In 1861 wrote In his annual re
port:
"Talcose schist consists nominally O
successive layers of tale and quartz
There are five or six deposits of 1t in
Maine. One of them is In Cumberla nc
county near Portland. 1t appears to ex-
tend literally from Saco TO Orr's Island
Cape Elizabeth is largely composed o.
talcose schist. The city Of Portland Il
underlaid with 1t. also interstratifier
with some mica schists. In sketch of
the geology of Portland and vicinity
written by my father In 1856, the rocks
Of this basin are represented to be inter-
stratiaed beds of talcose schist, mics
schist and quartz rock, the former decid
eddy predominatina. My father has sug-
gested the similarity of these rock,
around Portland to those elsewhere In
the United States that contain gold. AS
gold is now found in SO many localities
where its existence was not formerly sus-
pected. il may be well to examine the
foundations of Portland for it,"
1t is not on record that the remarks
the eminent man of science set the good
perple Of Portland to digging up their
front door yards to uncover the talcose
schist and put 1t under microscope in
order TO get glimpse of the yellow met
al. Had the idea been taken seriously
Portland might soon have looked like a
western boom town but the few who
heard the paper of the geologist regarded
his suggestion as of interest in a scien-
tiic way rather than as of value to
seekers for wealth. MIR. George II.
Blake, the state assayer, tells of seeing
the supposed gold bearing rock when a
deep excavation was made on Kim street
at the time the building of the Natural
History society was erected. MIR. Blake
says the vein runs from under the Clapp
estate at the corner of Elm and Congress
streets in u westerly direction. He thinks
that by digging up tbs basement floor in
the Preble house and sinking a shaft a
short distance the talcose would again
be found. Perhaps the proprietors OF
that ancient hostelry might try 1t II
there was any assurance of finding gold
in the rock. but the eminent men of SOL
ence while they agree that gold Is often
found in rocks of this kind do not 90
farther than to say that it may be- found
there. They cannot say that 1t will be,
SO it is not likely that much digging for
gold will be done in Portland right
away.
The search for the precious metal is al
ways in progress In the Pine Tree State,
however, The seekers for wealth are not
co min ed to that section of Eastern Maine
where were located most of the golj
mines in the days Of the mining crazs of
go or more years ago. The specimens of
rock sent to the state assayer for analysis
come from all parts of, Maine, though
most of them are collected in the eastern
coast section. The men who sometimes
wonder If there may be deposits OF preo.
ions minerals on their lands do not as a
ruls let their speculations interfere with
business. That is shown by tina fact
that the specimens sent for assay come In
the greatest numbers just after the hay
ing season is over. When the rush of
the summers farm work Ia done the own
ers have spare time and If they see rocks
which have the appearance of containing
hidden secrets, they collect specimens and
send them for assaying. MIR. Blake, who
beside being state assayer is interested
in the business of providing cargoes for
the sailing packets which navigate be-
tween Portland and eastern ports, does
his SEARCHING for minerals in d little
building adjoining his office on Widgery IS
wharf. 1t is here in the midst OF bush
ness offices and sheds devoted TO the stor-
ing of cargoes for vessels that the hopes
and aspirations of the sanguine are put
to the test. In the little building are
long rows of bottles containing the acids
used in making the tests. There are
stands with test tubes and pieces OF the
seen In the laboratory of
the chemist. 1t was here that TIMES
man found the state assayer boiling rock
one day last week. That's the way you
look for metals. You boil the rock
First you pulverizs 1t in big iron NOR
tar with pestle something like base
ball club. Then you pat the powdered
rock into small cruoible and pour acids
over it, the mixture then being placed
over lamp aud left to boil. Different
acids will free different elements and
when the boiling Is over the addition Of
the contents of another bottle will cause
the elements In the composition which
results from the boiling to form precipi-
tAtes in the test tube in which they are
placed. The colors of these peecipitatss
tellan interesting tale to the chemist
and assaysr. Mr.. Blake finds traces Of