The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-30
GETS BLACK EYE.
Kansas Shale Receives Another
Setback.
Government Assayer Found Very
Little Gold.
LOCAL MEN EXPLAIN.
Say Mr.. Lindgren Used the
Wrong Method.
Kansas Men Are Therefore Not
at All Discouraged.

.
:.
waldemar Lindgren. geologist and
assayer representing the United states
geological survey, has made an ofhclai
report to the government of his lnvesti-
cations concerning Kansas Snale, anu
declares in the report 1T is extremely
improbable that this material Will ever
be of economic Importance as a silver
or gold ore" Mr.. Lindgren found only
IL cents in gold and silver to the ton.
according to his most prolific assay, ana
he made " assays In making these
tests, Mr.. Iindgren used what is known
as the fire assay, the "old original
method of testing ores for gold and Sill
YER
1t is claimed by the local shale men
that this is the explanation OF Dr.
Lindgren's failure to get better results
from the Kansas shale. They say the
fire assay has been tried on the snale
hundreds of times by dozens OF d1Herent
assayers and the invariable report from
such assays is that the results are not
satisfactory. An electro-chemical pro
cess for extracting the gold has given
better results, but it is stated that Mr..
I.indgren did not attempt any processes
except the fire assay
Mr. Lindgren's official report is pub
lished in a forthcoming bulletin of the
United States geological survey. This
bulletin is still in press, but synopsis
of it is published in the Engineering and
Mining Journal of New York, in its Is
sue of July 26.
1t is a noticeable fact that while Dr.
Ifndgren failed to find gold, ne admits
LAT the accuracy of the fire assay is
open to question, and varies with the
character of the material. He says:
1.-The accuracy of the fire assay varies.
of course, with the quantity and char
acter of the material, the purity of the
reagents and the skill of the assayer,
DR.. W. F. Hillebrand, operating In
Leadville rocks gives 0.O05 ounces per
ton as the limit of accuracy for silver
assays. When using four assay tons in
ordinary work one ought to easily de-
termine quantities of 0.05 ounce OF sill
yer per ton, and 0.O05 ounce, or 10 cents,
per ton of gold"
In summing up the conclusions which
he reached by his Investigations, DR..
Lindgren says:
The results indicate that minute
quantities of silver are contained in
these shales and that some samples
show the presence of very small guam
titles of gold. The same samples do
not always give the same results when
repeated, which goes to confirm the
statement that the metals when present
are SON ewhat unevenly distributed
through the rock None of the samples
contain gold silver in economically
important quantities. While it is i'm
possible to say what may be contained
in those parts of the shale beds which
have not been assayed, 1t is extremely
improbable that this material will evA
be of economic Importance as a silver
or gold ore"
In view of the fact that Mr. I4indgren
did not try any processes except that
of fire, which the people who have been
working in the shales for years say is
not successful, the local shale owners
and mill projectors are not at all dis
couraged- They say that they will go
ahead with their plans with full con-
fidence in the successful outcome.
Ihere. is no doubt, however, that Dr.
Lindgrens report will have great weight
with 11nhiaCpd ofoy.c nd nil
serve to make it necessary for DIR. Fab
rig and the Pioneer Gold Shale con-
pany with its Motz process to actually
produce the gold from the shaIe in pay
Ing quantities. People will have to be
shown.
w. ]. Black of this city. one of the
enthusiastic hackers of DR.. Fahrig in
his process, says:
This adverse report does not dis
courage us in the least The work of
fitting up the Fahrig mill will go ahead
as rapidly as possible. The foundation
OF the mill is now complete and is only
waiting for the detailed plans for the
superstructure, which DR.. Fahrig is now
preparing.
1.-THE work of building the founda-
TOMS of the mill was delayed for some
time by high water in the Smoky river
Since DR.. Fahrig commenced to work
on his plans. he has made several
changes, with view to securing the
= most economical operation of the mill
possible. He expects to have it ar
ranged so that 1t will run almost auto
matically.
1T is not surprising that Dr. Lindgren
could not get results by the fire assay.
III he has tried DR.. Fahrig's method, he
would have secured as good results as
DR.. Fahrig did
DR.. Fahrig himself was not able to
attain any success by the fire assay
method, although he made over 200 as
says. 1t was during the second one
hundred assays that he discovered the
reason why he could not find gold in
the shale by this method. Previously
DR.. Fahrig had taken the shale and
analyzed it, thereby finding gold in
small quantities. In making his fire
assays he discovered that there were
certain properties in the shale which
were of such character that they car
r1ed the small particles of gold when ii
was put in the fire tests and it was
therefore necessary for DIR. Fahrig to
find some method whereby this waste
could be stopped. His electrolitic pro-
cess is entirely new and is of such q
nature as to evade the trouble which
all have experienced in the fire assays "