Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-12-05
Platinum.

mum is always found more or less alloyed
with the metals osmium, iridium and
palladium, and these have heretofore
been considered q detriment. 1t is
found now, however, that these attend
ant metals are desirable in the manufac-
ture of filaments for the latest improved
electric lights, and the whole combina.
ton may be used together. The fact
that platinum is so scarce in the United
States, and in fact all over the world, is
deplored by metallurgists and inventors
of electric appliances. The manufac-
turers also regret the scarcity. as it could
be utilized in 30 many ways to great adj
vantage if it could only be produced a
little cheaper.
Bulletin No. 1913 Of the United States
geological survey contains quite an elab-
crate report from James A. Kemp on
platinum, its nature, its source, its uses
and the kind of rock IN which it most
generally occurs. According to this emf
nent authority, the metal is found (1) in
placers in the Ural mountains, in Colum-
bia, Brazil and in British Columbia.
(2) In veins in the Hartz mountains, in
Brazil, in Santa Rosa, California. Also
in Russia, in Spain, and the Rambler
mine in Wyoming. (3) 1t is found dis
seminated in eruptive rocks in sperry-
lite, with the copper nickel ores of Sud-
berry in Canada, and as native metal
in basic eruptive rocks, frequently asso-
ciated with chromite. But in all these
the metal is so sparsely found that its
mining, extraction and separation is
rarely remunerative. He says further
"the chances for finding it in sufficient
quantity to pay are small, and when
found in the mother rock, the problem
of recovering the metal other than by
stamping and washing is yet to be
solved"
Here is point which we wish to inn
press and To do so we will repeat it. ''The
problem Of recovering the platinum,
other than by stamping and washing is
yet to be solved" We are particular
about this, for although it may not yet
appear, still we know that we are writ
ing now upon subject of vital interest,
not only to our miners and mine owners
but to all the people of Custer county.
For be 1t known, and be it known that
we say it, we have rich veins of platinum
ore in Custer county. There is belt Of
veins not more than two miles from Gus
ter City, on the east side which are large,
strong, continuous and vertical, which
are rich in platinum. Not in thin, mar =.
row seams, not 10 pockets, or streaks, bot
strong veins from ten to twelve feet in
width in which the platinum mineral is
disseminated throughout. Most of the
chemists will not get this platinum for
the reason Gas we take it) they have
never learned how, and no wonder for
if Prof. Kemp is right. "The problem
Of recovering the platinum other than
by stamping and washing is yet to be
solved" We presume that he means on
commercial scale, for it is certain that
there are chemists who, having been
schooled in treating that particular kind
of ore, are able in their laboratory to
extract the platinum. We are convinced
however, that their method is very in
tricate and particular, but nevertheless a
few of them have done it for us, and
have saved all the way from 2.7-l0 OF. to
l9 OF. of platinum per ton of ore. We
mean by this platinum with it's usual
alloy of osmium, iridium and palladium,
and one of them promised to separate
these but was called away before he had
time to do the work and we cannot learn
where ne at present resides. There is
in this ore many kinds Of mineral in
combination with the platinum, namely,
gold, silver, copper, tin, antimony, lead,
iron and wolfram, or tungstic acid, and
perhaps others as yet not ascertained.
The question now arises, what are we
going to do about it? Well, we hardly
know. According to Prof Kemp it is
very discouraging to try to do anything,
as he says, stamping and washing is the
only way they have yet found to ex-
tract the platinum, and we know posi-
lively that that process will not save the
platinum from this ore. Shall we turn
our back on ten foot vein that shows a
value Of four thousand dollars ton ?
Well, hardly. At least We don't want to
if we can help it. Especially as we have
found out by our experimenting that we
can save the gold, and that too as high
as $500 per ton. This we can do by
crushing fine and retorting the pulp. In
which way We find that the platinum
goes out through the tube in gas and
passes into the water. together with all
of the other base metals. In this way
the platinum is retained in the water
while most of the gold remains in the
pulp in the retort. Fifty per cent of this
gold remaining in the pulp is in condi-
tion to be treated and saved by amalga-
nation, by grinding in quicksilver and
retorting the quicksilver. This would
pay and pay well, but what shall we do
with the platinum which is still in solu-
ton in our tank of water, combined still
as it apparently is with all the base
metals which have also passed out
through the tube, and for the most part.
still remains in solution in the water,
We have got that far along in our ex-
periments, and thus far we know that
our method is pratical and not very ex-
pensive. Just how to separate platinum
from its combination and to precipitate
il separatively aud save it is still beyond
us. Is there chemist who feels compe-
tent to formulate a complete process for
saving this platinum? If 30 let him
come forward and try his hand, and if
successful he will have chance to max Q
more money than he ever dreamed of
making in any other way. We make no
pretense to being a chemist, although
we have studied hard. and Of course have
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