The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-08-01
BIG WASTE At MINES
Scheme to Teach Owners How
to Save Riches.
en- OBJECT LESSON IN ECONOMY

what the Geological Survey Pro.
poses to Do at the Lewis and
Clark Exposition In Portland.
Many Valuable Minerals Found b.
Analysing Dumps, Says w. ID. Curtis,
Riches are so abundant In the west
ern states that those who seek them
are very wasteful and reckless, says
William E. Curtis. the Chicago Record
Herald's Washington correspondent.
The amount Of valuable material neg
lected or wasted in the mines, forests,
fisheries and farming communities
west Of the Mississippi river would
support nation like Germany or
France. The great majority of peo-
pie who have been and are engaged In
the development Of the natural re-
sources Of the west utilize only the
most profitable discoveries and results
Of their labors and throw away the
rest.
Occasionally Yankee who has not
forgotten the lessons taught by the
struggles Of his ancestors and has not
entirely discarded the habits of thrift
which his mother taught him is able
to devise methods by which q great
deal Of wastage Is prevented, but the
COW man still buys oleomargarine and
other butter substitutes, the lumber
man wastes one-third Of his timber
and the miner leaves on the ground
valuable tailings which he has not time
to work. This habit Of wastefulness u
peculiarly American. 1t cannot be
found in any other nation or ON any
other continent save ours.
The geological survey has a scheme
to teach gold miners lessons in econ
omy by which it is hoped to increase
the mineral value Of the output of the
western states by utilizing valuable
ores and earths which are now wasted
or neglected, and it is proposed to offer
an object lesson in this respect at the
land this summer
There are about $1,000 placer mines
now being worked in the mountain re-
giOns Of the west, at which no care
is taken to preserve the byproducts.
1t is proposed to begin the reform
with them. In placer mining after the
gold has been washed out Of the clay
or dirt there always remains a guam
tity of heavy metallic sand and other
material Of more or less value. The
most prevalent mineral is magnetic
a magnetic oxide Of iron, which is
oh for al orf nj
ways traces Of platinum can be found,
which is worth $40 an ounce, one Of
the most valuable of minerals. ChrO-
mite Is another common mineral that
is ignored by miners, although it Is
worth from 500 to $40 a ton, and va
rious others offer a permanent and
profitable industry to miners who now
throw them on the dumps.
In order to bring about reform
Director Walcott of the geological sur
vey has issued a circular to placer
miners throughout the United States
asking them to send In to the office at
Washington packages Of not less than
four pounds of the black sand and
heavy residue material from their
washings. Each package will be an
alyzed and classified, and experts will
be sent to make personal and thorough
examinations Of localities where pre-
liminary tests give promise Of finding
platinum or other metals in profitable
quantities. DR.. David T. Day will
carry on concentration experiments
with such materials in the mining
building at Portland all this summer.
He proposes to show by daily public
experiments what there is Of value in
the sands which are now wasted and
how to get it out.
Already several samples have been
examined, and not only have valuable
minerals been found, but also several
diamonds Of commercial value, guam
tity Of small rubies, which may be uSed
as Jewels by watchmakers, and oc-
casionally topaz or other jewel. One
sample of black sand sent in from a
mine was about Is per cent bird shot,
which indicates that there was good
deal of poor shooting in the neighbor-
hood from which it came.