Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-18
TREE ASHES
Yield Gold Dust and Timber Near the
Mines is Valuable

From the New York Press.
Many enthusiastic botanist will tell
you that certain of his specimens are worth
their weight in gold. OF course he has in
mind the extreme rarity of the plant or
root. Very different, however. Is the
meaning of Dr. F. f. Lungewitz. a we'll
known metallurgtcal chemist when he
states the proposition that certain trees
are worth prOportionate part of their
weight in gold: for after conducting many
experiments on certain classes of trees
he has come to the conclusion that such
trees actually contain pure gold in a diluted
form.
Chemists have long suspected that gold
might slowly DISSOLVE in surface water.
and have disposed of the objection that
that proposition has never been established
by analysis by contending that the solu-
ton is infinitely weak. After giving the
subject considerable study and thought DIR.
Lungewitz came to the conclusion that If
the surface water contained dissolved gold
at all. however small the quantity. it
should naturally be drawn up by the roots
of the trees in this near vicinity, and would
there appear in more substantial form.
Accordingly he selected a number of
trees growing in the neighborhood of lodes
and placers. had them felled and cut them
into pieces of convenient size. After the
bark had been removed with about one
inch of the outside wood, the pieces were
placed upon a clean sheet of corrugated
iron and fired. The ashes, which yet con-
tanned grains of charcoal were then col
lected and aSSayed. The experiment was
not a distinct success. While gold was I'M
doubleday present. its quantity was so in
finitely small that an accurate estimation
of its amount or fineness out of the
question. AS these trees were of the soft
wood variety II was thought that better re-
suits might perhaps be obtained by expert
menting upon trees Of different kind And
that is just what happened. The ashes of
some so-called ironwood trees yielded be
tween 10 and 40 cents worth of gold to
the ton.
In all of these experiments only the
trunks of the trees near the roots had
been used and 1t was determined there
fore. to ascertain whether more satisfac-
tory results could not be obtained by re-
ducing the UPPER branches to ashes. The
branches proved to be richer in gold than
any other part of the tree heretofore test
ed. In one instance the ashes yielded no
less than $l.17 worth of gold to the ton.
while IN many cases the assay showed
return of over 81 per ton The Significance
OF these experiments lies in the fact that
they establish beyond all doubt that gold
Ia dissolved by the surface waters travers-
ing and percola ting gold formation They
give rise likewise to the interesting ques-
ton to which component of these sur
face waters possesses this gold-diSsolving
property. DR.. LungewitZ has not attempted
to answer II, but has left it for further in
vestigation. He advances the theory. how
ever, that this peculiar action must have
disastrous effect upon gold deposits in
the course of time.
AS TO the business opportunities involved
in the discovery. it Is perhaps sufficient to
say that the lovers of trees need feel no
apprehension as to any wholesale destruc-
ton of them. for the gold yielded Is too lt
tie to warrant the expense.