Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-11-29
A BIC COLD BRICK
The Trap That Jernegan Baiteo
With Salt Sea Water.
kCHEME OF A CLEVER ROGUE.

The Smooth Swinder and His Accom-.
pIiee Showed How Easily They Couio
Extract Gold From the Oeeaa-Fleee.
ed Their Dupes and Then Oecamped.
Various inventors have been working
for years on the theory that there is
plenty of gold In sea water if only
some process of extraction could be de
veloped.
Some years ago the Rev. Prescott J
Jernegan was the salt water wizard Of
the hour. From the day his bubble
burst and he left for Europe nohod!
seems to know what has become OF
him. Jernegan. who posed as a clergy
man. and c. Z. Fisher, once Il floor
walker In New York department.
store and before that diver. got TO
gether in the fall of 1896 and for O
whole year carefully considered the
problem of extracting gold from sal,
water. 1t Is true, their whole field Of
thought comprised the use of salt wa
ter as an accessory only, the real ma
terial from which the gold was to be
extracted being the American people.
Very artistically Jernegan. to whom
was left the matter Of publicity. per
United some vague rumors to leak out
"A leading clergyman had marvel
GUS money making device. The world
was soon to be stunned by fact tha
would make the possessOr of the orig
H. III ali h.
millionaires would be paupers in com
parison." When they had stirred uI
public curiosity Jernegan and Fisher
went to New England and there set uI
some mysterious machinery.
On Narragansett bay was an old hall
dismantled wharf. and at the sea enc
Of this the two erected cheap frame
shanty about 8 by 10 in size, with
square hole cut through the floor ant
looking directly down into about fifteer
feet Of water. An electric wire fron
a small battery was run along the pill
ing of the wharf and attached to
mysterious box. with heavy iror
clamps and holes all through to per
init of free passage of the water back
and forth.
Finally the great secret was divulged
These two men had discovered way
Of taking all the gold they wanted from
the salt water ut cost SO trifing
that 1t was ridiculous to mention it
Two wealthy persons, one PrOvi
dence jeweler and the other q New
York florist, were approached by Jer.
negan with what seemed to be sucf
q trustful and childlike proposal that
they both embraced 1t eagerly. 1t was
that, all his apparatus being ready FOL
experiment they would come to the
shanty on the wharf prepared to &C
through a nights vigil and witness the
result. accompanied by any scientific
friends they cared to bring along.
The idea. as outlined by Jernegan
was to send current into pan Of
mercury held within the boz, the recep
tacie then being sent to the bottom o
the sea and drawn up after severai
hours. when it would be found that
the mercury had absorbed gold from
the ocean.
When the night Of the experiment
came the box was prepared in the
shanty, two chemists, friends of the
capitalists, bringing their own mercury
with them. The box was lowered tc
4 the bottom, and then the party Of five
began their wait. Soon after daylight
Jernegan announced that 1t was time
to draw the box up again. This was
done. and the whole party eagerly SET
to work to find out whether any gold
had been received. When the chemists
announced that gold to the value Of
e14 was found mixed with the quick.
silver all were stunned by the discov'
cry and realized at once the vast pos
abilities in more extensive operations
the original experiment having beer
practically made with toy apparatus
The story spread like wild6re, and
the modest Jernegan was prevailed
upon to organize a company. Stock
was sold. and after getting possession
of thousands Of dollars the promoter
sailed away to Europe. The success OF
the great experiment was explained
afterward. Fisher, the diver, had gone
out from the shore in his diving suit
opened the box and, taking out the
mercury that had been brought by the
chemists, substituted vial of his own
that had been strongly impregnated
with gold.
Both before and since the Jernegan
fraud many attempts have been made
to extract gold from salt water. some
Of them fraudulent. some genuine and
based on scientific grounds that have
from time to time appealed even tc
deep students. But all so far have
failed dismally. Though traces Of gold
are to be found in salt water, com.
mercial application is practically i'm
possible.-New York Press.
A Constant Sufferer.
"Is your mother suffragette, Rob.
ArtY'
"Yep. she's always suffering. If Il