The herald., 1912-12-12
A BIG GOLD BRICK
The Trap That Jernegan Balted
With Salt Sea Water.
SCHEME OF A CLEVER ROGUE.
The Smooth SwindIer and His Accom-
pIiee Showed How Easily They Could
Extract Gold From the Ocean-Fleee-
ed Their Dupes and Then Deeamped'

pIice Showed How Easily They Coul'
Extract Gold From the Ocean-Fleee
ed Their Dupes and Then DecamPed
Various inventors have been working
for years on the theory that there
plenty of gold in sea water II onl.
some process of extraction could be de
veloped.
Some years ago the Rev. Prescott j
Jernegan was the salt water wizard o
the hour. From the day his bubble
burst and he left for Europe nobod!
seems to know what has become o
him. Jernegan, who posed as clergy
man, and c. Z. Fisher, once a floor
walker in a New York department
store and before that a diver, got to
gether in the fall of 1896 and for
whole year carefully considered TIL
problem Of extracting gold from sal
water. 1t Is true, their whole field o.
thought comprised the use OF salt wa
ter as an accessory only, the real ma
terial from which the gold was to b'
extracted being the American people.
Very artistically Jernegan. to whom
was left the matter Of publicity. per
mitted some vague rumors to leak out
"a leading clergyman had marvel
Gus money making device. The worlt
was soon to be stunned by fact tina
would make the possessor Of the orig
inal secret so rich that all the multi
millionaires would be paupers In com
parison." When they had stirred vi
public curiosity Jernegan and Fishel
went to New England and there set III
some mysterious machinery.
On Narragansett bay was an old hal
dismantled wharf, and at the sea enc
of this the two erected a cheap frame
shanty about s by 10 in size, with {
square hole cut through the floor anC
looking directly down into about fifteeI
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
NIT Of free passage Of the water bacl
and forth.
Finally the great secret was divulged
These two men had discovered a way
Of taking all the gold they wanted from
the salt water at a cost so triflinl
that 1t was ridiculous to mention it
Two wealthy persons. one a Provi
dence jeweler and the other a New
York florist, were approached by Jer
negan with what seemed to be suct
trustful and childlike proposal thai
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 a current into a pan OF
mercury held within the box, the recep
tacle then being sent to the bottom OF
the sea and drawn up after several
hours. when it would be found that
the mercury bad absorbed gold from
the ocean.
When the night Of the experiment
came the box was prepared in the
shanty, two chemists, friends Of the
bringing their own mercury
with them. The box was lowered to
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
$14 was found mixed with the quick
silver all were stunned by the discov.
cry and realized at once the vast pos.
sibilities in more extensive operations.
the original experiment having been
made with toy apparatus.
The story spread like wildfire, and
the modest Jernegan was prevailed
upon to organize a company. Stock
was sold, and after getting possession
sailed away to Europe. The success of
the great experiment was explained
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 q 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 to
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.