Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-11-03

Iout into plates less than thou-
,andth of an inch in thickness, OF
nav be drawn into wire sixty-mil-
Ilionths OF an inch in diameteh. Such
wires, known as "spider lines" are
employed in telescopes, the tubes oil
which, by the way, are sometimes
lined with a thinfi film of platinum.
That the metal is largely used In the
manufacture of surgical instruments
is we'll known, of course, and its
high price is likely to increase its
vogue for watch chains and other
articles of jewelry.
Discovery of Platinum.
Away back in the year 1876 a
Spanish traveller and scientist named
Antonio d'Elloa, came across a new
white metal in the gold-bear sands
of the Rio Pinto, in South America.
Evidently It was not silver, because
It was twice as heavy as the latter.
Il was not so white; 1t did not take
so high a polish, It could not be
worked as easily and It was far less
abundant. SO it's discoverer named
1t "platina," meaning "little silver. r"
A substance with such remarkable
operties-heavier than gold Tin
fact, the heaviest of all metals), and
proof against corrosion and heat
could not fail to excite attention and,
in the long run, to find a steadily
increasing employment in the arts
Thus It comes about that platinum
today is indispensable. Gold is a con-
venience, but the "little silver" Is a
necessity. For many years past min
ing experts have been looking for II
all over the world. and trying to
discover 1t Gin place"--that is to say
in the original rocks of which It must
have been part. But up to now no
such discovery has been made. II Is
found In river sands and beach
sands, which have been brought
from a distance by streams.
In 1898, a sudden and urgent de-
mand developed for osmium--a rare
metal which was wanted for the
of incandescent man
ties for gas lights This stimulated |
a search for platinum, owing to the
fact that osmium is usually found |
where platinum occurs, and as a re-
suit, 1t was ascertained that the |
black sands OF California and Ore
gon contained some platinum
though how much was not realized |
until recently. The sands OF Del |
Norte county, and especially those
of Hay Fork district of Trinity coun-
ty were discovered to be very rich
and along the Trinity river nuggets
as much as quarter of an inch in
diameter were picked up.
Immense quantities of black sands
have been thrown aside in heaps, In
'idental to mining for gold at numer-
fun Hih'Ns hh TIC 4 hNAllN Nodnlt anu
hese accumulations will afford a
profitable yield of platinum for many
years to come. The method to be
adopted for separating the metal
lbased as II is upon scientific prin-
'iples) Is sngularly different from
hat in use In the mines of the
Jrals, whore the workers dig pits
rom Is to 40 feet deep. until the
eyel of "pay dirt" in struck, and
hereupon drive tunnels in all direc-
ions. The material taken out (Which
'onsits OF gravel carried down from
he mountains ages ago) is washed
m primitive mills, mostly by women
nearly 200 carloads being requlr-
I'd to furnish one pound of platinum.
In the placers thus described. by the
way, are frequently found wonder
'ul quartz crystals, the carving OF
which is performed with great skill
'y the Russians.-S. f. Chronicle.