The Topeka state journal., 1902-07-22
Man who Invented Trego Gold
Process Deposed.
Pioneer Shale Company Substi-
tutes the Motz Process.
GOT $500 IN ONE WEEK.
But This Did Not Satisfy the
Company.
Demanded That Mr.. Gage Con-
tinue to DO So.

few ingots of real gold, worth sew
eral hundred dollars, is about all there
is left of Prof. Chas. Gage and his pro-
cess for extracting gold from Kansas
shale. The Kansas Pioneer Gold Shale
company, which backed the Gage re-
duction process, has turned out Mr..
Gage and his process and has entered
into contract for the installation of
what is known as the Motz process at
the Smoky river mill. But the company
has got the Jumps of gold which Gage
claimed he was extracting from the
shale at the rate of $500 week.
Gage could not satisfy the members
of the company that his process was
bona fide. There is no doubt that he
extracted $500 worth of gold from the
result of one weeks work in the Pho
neer gold mill. But that did not salts
fy the members of the company.
go ahead and do the same thing next
week. said the officials of the COM
pany.
PAY me for the work already done,"
mot until you have proved to us that
you can repeat this $500 result for week
after week, without fall" said the COM
pany.
II won't work without pay said
Gage, and he forthwith left for Denver.
The Pioneer gold shale mill has been
idle ever since.
It is a well known fact that Mr.. Gage
is not rich man. and that if he had
gold into the ash which he secured as
a result of his mill run. his financial
ability to continue the game for any
great length of time would be limited.
1t would cost him about $500 a week,
under such circumstances to satisfy the
owners of tthe mill. That is rather a Sc
we're drain on the resources of anyone.
unless that persons income is proper
tionately large.
Gage stood to win large amount of
money in case he could prove that his
process was all right. His reward would
have been well up in the thousands II
he had been able to continue the 5000 a
week system of operating the mill. But
for some reason, best known to himself,
perhaps, he would not stay at the mill
to complete the demonstration. He is
reported to now be at Denver. Col.
where he has an assay Office and test
mill.
Gage is well known in Topeka. He
has been a conspicuous figure in the
| Topeka circle of gold shale pen for
several years. He came here claiming
| to have a secret process for extracting
| gold from the shale. He showed his
! process to some of those who now con-
| stitute which is called the Fahrig COM
pany. These men had Mr.. Gage make
| some tests, which proved remarkably
successful. The cost of manipulating
the shale was almost nothing. A huge
| tank was built in a room in the Veale
| block, and here Mr.. Gage continued to
| get good gold values from ton lots of
| shale But the men who were making
| the investiga ton became suspicious of
Mr.. Gage, and finally, when he sudden
| ly left town without completing his
| work. he was set down as doubtful by
! the men who were employing him.
| Later on, some very careful tests were
made of the Gage process in the Close
| mill at Smoky Hill City, and the re-
| suits were ridiculously small, being only
| fraction of cent of gold to a ton.
Gage promised to come to Topeka and
set up a small mill at the Midwinter ex-
! position. and demonstrate his process to
| the public. He failed to show up.
1 After Gage had been turned down by
| the so-called "Fahrig crowd" he was
| taken up by the Pioneer Gold Shale
company, and under his directions. a
! costly mill was built on the Smoky
| river. Those who have seen this mill
report that it is a very well built struc-
ture, equipped with the best and most
substantial kind of machinery. When
the mill was ready for use, Gage came
/ on from Denver, and operated the mill
| with the result which has been statd.
Now the Pioneer Gold Shale company
has decided to throw out the Gage pro-
cess entirely, and substitute the Motz
process.
The Motz process is the invention of
a man named Motz who lives in North
Carolina 1t has been used successfully
on certain gold bearing ores in that
state, and it is believed will prove sue
cessful in treating Kansas shale. The
| Mott process is an electrical one, very
similar in many respects to that invent
ed by DIR. Ernst Fahrig. 1t involves a
liquidization of the shale, and treatment
with chemicals after which the liquid
| is brought into contact with electrically
charged plates which collect the gold
and silver.
The Fahrig mill is now in process of
construction at Smoky Hill City, in Ellis
l-county. This mill is being built by
money subscribed by Topeka capital
lists, and has no connection with the
Pioneer Gold Shale company.