Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-11-03
THE WORLDS
PLATINUM
(By Rene Bache.)


The government bureau of mines
declares that California will soon be
producing the bulk Of the world S
supply of platinum, which might al
most be called the most indispensa-
BILE Of the metals. having found its
way into SO great number of indus
trial and scientific uses. At S2S an
ounce, its present price, 1t is the
precious metal par excellence, cost
ing considerably more than gold
THE main cause OF the rise In the
price of platinum is the recent war
between Russia and Japan" said DR..
David T. Day, chief of the bureau
of mines Nearly the whole OF the
worlds supply of the metal has been
derived hitherto from mines in the
Ural mountains, where much of the
work was done by political exiles.
But, when hostilities broke out, It
was to send them to the front, and
they among the first to go. Very few
OF them have come back, and eonse-
quently the business of digging for
platinum has been practically dis
continued. Meanwhile the world
has been Obliged to draw upon the
reserve stock which had been accu-
mulated. and which has not been re-
plenished. the result being that
platinum famine is actually imml-
nent. and the price OF the metal has
gone soaring.
"The emergency being OF a most
serious character, platinum dealers
and other persons interested in the
metal commercially and lndustrially,
appealed to the government to start
an investigation, with view TO
finding out what could be done to
develop an American supply. In re-
'ponse, congress gave the bureau OF
mines authority to examine the So
'alled "black sands" of the Pacific |
'oast, which were more than suspect
ID OF containing considerable guam.
tiles OF platinum. This was done
With much thoroughness. and II was
iscertained that the black sands,
which had hitherto been regarded as
worthless, and a great nuisance in
,old mining. could doubtless be
made TO yield rich returns In the
hape of the much-deslred tln-whlte.
heat-defying sub
tance so precious to the chemist. the
Electrician and the maker of many
.inds of scientific apparatus.
Can Supply the World.
"The mechanical contrivances re-
Iulred Tor separating the platinum.
IS well as sundry other valuable min
raj substances. out OF tho black
ands are already available kind
II shaking table being employed.
which causes the various ingredients
II the mixture, so 10 speak, TO part
rom each other according 20 their
Weights, and TO now separately down
series of little channels into recep-
acles suitably provided. 10 Is by
uch means that the black sands will
'e made TO yield, doubtless for the
Indispensable material is practically
unlimited, and already In one place
n California t400 tons of black
ands, accumulated In gold mining.
iay been set aside for platinum
The rise In the price OF platinum
lnce 1889 has been astonishing
n that year. when Il was only 81 an
'unce, syndicate made an attempt
O corner the market. buying up the
ntire product of the Ural mines for
long while ahead, and setting ont
O purchase all the loose scrap plati-
ium In the world There proved 10
'e much more OF the latter than had
NhA 'NNAhNN NfNAf ANNNhNAt anu 81
he speculative bubble burst, the
rice OF the metal. which had scared
o SIS. dropping to si1 In 1899.
n 1897 IL was s14 an ounce. and
inoe then II has steadily risen, until
oday Il stands az s2S-three times
he price OF IL years ago.
Platinum finds It's most important
ses In the electric arts, II is large
y employed In connection with both
elegraph and telephone. and every
noandesoent light must have small
iece Of platinum wire to carry the
urrent TO the carbon filament inside
the glass bulb. The metal Is utn-
led In N-ray work. and TO no small
Ntent in photography Being proof
gainsl corrosion by air, aud able 10