The Harrison times., 1912-01-13
No Gold in 0zarks.
Geological avs Prohibit lis Possibility
Says Scientist.

lure Of gold is held out is past all
comprehension, A story Of gold
discovery, no matter how big fake
it may be, always meets with a re-
ccption from a large number Of per-
sons; and the old prospector, with
years of experience gathered around
him like a mantle of protection, will
often cling to the delusion that a
piece Of iron stained flint is a piece of
the mother lode, carrying thous-
ands of dollars per ton,
1t is pitilul in the extreme, for the
dclusion often means the dissipation
Of the savings Of years and final pow
erty Such an instance as this has
Just been brought to light in Barry
county, Mo-, where recently IN ILL
advised press story credited the re-
gion to be the scene of u wonderfully
rich deposit Of gold and silver, The
headlines lared with the news
Finds Gold and Silver in the
Ozarks' But it is all mistake-a
huge mislortune-to so misinlorm
the public,
Henry Clay, former Joplin man,
possessed with the idea that a part
of the country about White River in
Barry county, Mo, offered an cx-
ccllent place for prospecting for lead
and zinc, wandered over the country.
He found rocks that were strange to
him and conceived the idea that
they must contain precious metals
Some assaycrs told the old man
that the rocks contained gold and
silver The statement sank into his
mind until he was possessed with
the idea, and started his search for
the mother lode
He bought lands, put his savings
into them and started a shaft in the
center OF a basin which looked to he
a likely place for prospecting Lay
crs Of flint we're encountered, and it
is these LAYERS of flint which, sent
away to different assayers, are said
to have contained gold and were
termed by the assayers rs quartz
The flint is absolutely analogous
TO that found in Joplin or elsewhere
in chat state, and it is no more gold
bearing than the jaw bone of an ass
that never saw the inside of dent
lists Office, Assays made of these
flint layers by absolutely reliable
chemists show no trace of gold
whatever and if Mr. Clay submit
ted the same kind of flint rocks TO
the chemists he says gave him such
rich returns in gold and silver, then
he has some explanation due him
from them, and should demand the
return Of his money at least and IL
there are state laws or q national
law regulating chemists, then he
should seek relief through them, II
there are no such laws then there
should be to guard prospectors from
being imposed upon,
The matter Of finding gold in pay.
ing quantities in the Ozarks has
been gone over again and again by
the various state aud government
biologists that have covered the
states Of Arkansas and Missouri.
The laws Of ore deposition, of gold
and silver, the association of miner.
ais and rocks are so well known
that 1t seems that at least that part
Of the public that might be termed
the reading public, would be lNmil-
lar enough with the details to have
spotted the story as q physical inn
possibility from the very start,
1t has been only two or three
years since the famous kruse gold
mine 6zzc took place at Rogers,
Ark n thing which should have
been fresh in the minds of every
newspaper man in this part of the
country and should have prevented
the publication Of the Barry county
story. 1t has been but a little over
Il year since the Missouri state gcol,
ogist, IT, A Buchlcr, put a crimp in
the gold mining fake being pulled off
at Macon, Mo for the purpose Of
fleeing the credulous public, There
is no gold in paying quantities in
the O2orks because the physical con.
diIions preclude there ever being
any, aud it will be found upon inyes.
tigNtion that every report of a big
discovery Of gold'or silver in these
states will dwindle to nothing.
The only way gold and silver will
ever be found in the state will he ip
the wealth of It's lead and zine mines
and ts quOrries Of rock It will (be
found in the n0eks of sheep, ! the
herds Of cattle, and lunches of hogs.
The orchards aud fields will Weld
golden harvest always Yes, there