River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-11-13
GOLD FROM DESERT SANDS.
A Machine which VIII Gather Un
and Separate the Precious Metal
MS 1t Runs Along.

as 1t Runs Along.
Billions of dollars worth of th-
yellow metal waiting to be gathered
up! The problem of separating it
from the sands of the desert solved!
There is a sort of fairy tale
sound to this, but nevertheless an
enterprise that has this very thing
for q foundation is being backed by
Philadelphia capital in plenty, re-
ports the Los Angeles Herald.
That the machine in question will
sift gold particles out of sand, as
tanning machine separates grain
from the chaff, is no matter of doubt,
inasmuch as the writer has seen the
thing accomplished with his own
eyes. The only question is as to the
amount of the yellow metal con-
tanned in the desert sands, and the
cost of working the apparatus.
The former of these two points
seems to have been settled by thor
ough investigation. A series of 216
samples of sand taken across one
stretch of desert so miles in width
yielded varying quantities of gold,
but the least amount obtained was
~ cents to the ton. Some of the sam
pies rose as high as is cents ton.
Very little. one might think, but,
when it is explained that it costs
only two cents a ton to separate the
precious stuff from the sand, the
enormous profit obtainable becomes
apparent. This two cents covers all
expenses involved in the getting of
the gold in pure state, including
the running of the machine.
The machine, which is the inven
ton of DIR. Elmer Gates, of Washing
ton, weighs 5000 tons. 1t is built to
run over the desert on broad wheels
and carries a powerful dynamo, to-
gether with a series of bucket con-
veyers operated by chain. For
electricity to run separator hand
ling 5000 tons of sand per day the
cost is only 16 cents per diem, the
chief expense being for lifting the
sand in the conveyers to a height of
four feet and dropping it through
the hOppers.
The sand, as it is taken aboard, is
poured into the hOppers in continu-
Gus streams. Each stream is about
eight inches wide and half an inch
thick, and falls vertically through
magnetic field Ga space within the
influence of a powerful electro-mag-
metz, thereby inducing static charge
in the gold particles, which conse-
quently fly off and away from the
sand, being attracted by metal
knob of opposite polarity.
This seems rather complicated, but
in reality is simple enough. The par
ticles of gold in passing through the
magnetic field are electrified, and, as
a matter of course, are attracted by
pole of opposite electrifcation. They
f1y in the direction of a metal knob,
which is provided with tube and air
suction, the latter drawing the par
ticles through the tube into a bottle
beneath.
The process seems actually magical.
AS shown to the writer, the gold par
ticles could be seen to jump distance
of eight or more inches to the metal
knob, flying through the air as though
they were bits of iron attracted to a
magnet. In this way, as the stream of
sand fell through the magnetic field,
every speck of gold was famed out of
it and carried down through the tube
to add to the yellow accumulation in
the bottle below.
Now, there are in the southwestern
part of the United States hundreds of
thousands of square miles of deserts
which hitherto have been useless for
lack of water. They are so much
waste territory; literally there is moth
ing doing-a phrase more applicable to
those regions than to any other areas
known, unless on the surface of the
moon. If they can be turned to profit
able account by working their dry
sands for gold it will be great benefit
to mankind.
Gold in two forms is found in these
sands-four gold and float gold. The
former is very fine powder of the yell
low metal, while the latter might be
compared to infinitesimal scraps of gold
leaf. The float gold will actually float
in water.
1t IS a question of extracting forms
OF gold which hitherto have not
been commercially recoverable. Every
smallest particle of the precious metal
Is separated out of the sand, and thus.
II the latter contains only 12 cents
worth Of it per ton, the net profit (de-
Quoting two cents ton for expenses
would be ten cents ton. Handling
5000 tons of sand per diem, the profit
per day would be $500 for each ma
chine.
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