Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-05-05
A NEW METAL.

Interesting Find on Holman Prop
erty Near Tunk Pond.
Holmanite is a name which will be new
| to the biologists and mineralogists, Tor
this metal, until within the past month
has not been known to exist in the world.
This metal was discovered about three
weeks ago upon Catherine hill, on the
shores OF Tunk pond, by B. w. Hills, an
expert in the employ of c. vey Holman,
of Bangor, and who, using the right OF
the discoverer, has named it in honor of
| Mr.. Holman.
This metal is, in reality, natural tin in
alloy with bismuth. 1t is found in sheet
and ingot formation, but how great the
deposit, is not known, no prospect to as
certain this having been made.
So far as Mr.. Hills and Prof Ora w.
Knight, of Bangor, the chemist and min
eralogist, have teen able TO ascertain, no
such combination ever has been known,
and both these gentlemen do not hesitate
to say that outside the collection of Dir.
Holman, there is not specimen of the
metal in any collectors cabinet. Pure tin
has been found, and tin in alloy with lead
! 10 well known, but never in connection
| with bismuth.
| Catherine hill has been considerably in
the public eye for the past few years be-
| cause of the discovery Of deposits OF
molly there. Mr.. Holman pur-
chased large tract of land on the hill
from Hon. Harold NJ. Sewall, of Bath, and
Linwood Nash, of Kennebunkpo port, soon
after he located molly bdenite ON the pro-
.perty. Since that time he has been at work
prospecting the hill and preparing to open
up mine as soon as certain litigation
could be settled. This litigation grew
out of dispute over the boundaries of
MIR. Holman's land.
About the same time that the Bangor
gentlemen secured the tract of land from
Messrs. Sewall and Nash, party of New
York gentlemen secured the ownership of
another large tract from Capt. Goodwin,
OF Bangor. These gentlemen were inter-
ested in the moly bdenite proposition, and
they claimed certain sections OF the land
which Mr.. Holman had purchased.
Out OF these disputes grew law suit,
which was pending at the last term of the
supreme court for Hancock county, held
last month in Ellsworth. The suits were
not tried, as the New York parties with
drew their claims and allowed Judgment
in favor of the Bangor man.
While engaged in making a survey OF
the property for the purpose of obtaining
information to be used in the trial of this
case, Nh. Hills came upon the peculiar
new metal. 1t had all the appearance of
being molybdenite, which had become
furnished. 1t looked to be a good-sized
piece and Mr.. Hills thought be would
knock it off and take it along as a speci-
men. When his prospector's hammer had
| been removed, the piece he saw was an
entirely different metal. Taking it to Mr..
Holman, who has had much experience
with metals, they made an examination Of
it. Having no chemicals or apparatus
with which to make proper test, they
were unable definitely TO decide what the
| stuff was, but felt sure that it contained
some tin.
Mr.. Holman at once took the sample to
Bangor, where Prof. Knight made
thorough test, which established the fact
| that Mr. Hills had discovered metal
hitherto unknown. The owner of the hill
wanted MIR. Hills to name the new metal
Hillsite, but that gentleman insisted that
| it be called Holmanite.
| Prospects are now to be made for the
purpose of aseeriaining if the metal exists
in sufficient quantities to make it COM
mercially valuable. In its alloy with the
bismuth this tin is malleable to remark
able degree. 1t can be hammered out to a
thin foil. When alloyed with lead, tin
becomes brittle and cannot be pounded
out in this way at all.
| 1t is an odd coincidence that since the
prospecting on the hill under the direction
of Mr.. Holman and other parties, nearly
every rare metal known to the world has
been found in its granite sides, and now
comes the discovery of metal the exist
ence of which never before has been
| known.
During the past two years, the hill has
carefully been examined by some Of the
greatest experts in the country, including
those of the United States geological sur
vey, and yet they did not discover this rare
metal. This is accounted for by the fact
that since it's discovery, brief examination
has shown that where it does crop out it
so nearly resembles furnished molly bdenite
that it escapes attention.
Some idea of the value of this discovery,
II the metal is found to be in large guam
titles, is had from the statement that the
known supply OF tin in the world will be
exhausted in ten years. Tin is one Of the
most used Of metals, and when the pres
ent known supply is gone, deposit Of
metal such as that discovered on Cath
crime hill, will be Of the greatest possible
value.