El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-19

bay, Madras, Penang, New Zealand, and
Bangkok-in fact to the most remote
corners Of the inhabited globe.
1t is in the shape of such bars as
those described that the United States
government buys all Of the silver it
requires for coinage, paying for them
the current market price. Thus ac-
quired, and delivered at the minis in
Philadelphia, New Orleans or else
where, the raw metal is first dissolved
in bath of nitric acid, from which
II is preCipitated by adding a quantity
Of salt water, falling to the bottom
Of the tank in powder which looks
more like plaster of paris than any
thing else. The powder has absorbed
some chlorine from the salt, and to
get rid Of this, 1t is transferred to a
which absorbs the chlorine leaving
the silver absolutely pure. 1t is then
pressed into large cakes somewhat re-
sembHng cheesess after which it is
ready to be melted in crucibles and
converted into pieces Of money. To
give the coins the requisite hardness
IN order that they may wear we'll, 10
percent Of copper is added.
Discovered by Accident.
All Of the great silver deposits of the
world thus far discovered have been
found by accident. 1t was in this way
that the famous strike was made
which resulted in the development Of
the CQmStOck lOde-the richest store Of
white metal ever located. As the story
goes two poor miners named Peter
O'Rieley and Pat Mclaughlin were dig
ging for gold in 1859, at Gold Hill, in
Nevada They were in particularly hard
Iuck. one day, however, in order to OBJ
tain the requisite water for their rock
crs-Such primitive apparatus being the
best they had at cOmmand-they dug a
hole to get it, and came upon what at
terward proved to be an OutcrOp of the
wonderful lode. 1t was queer looking
stuff, and the men, starting in to wash
some OF II, were aStOniShed to find the
bottoms of their rockers fairly COW
cred with the precious metal they
sought Pretty soon they were taking
out $1,000 worth of it per day-though
their operations were considerably OBJ
Structed by an unfamiliar kind of 'in-
fernal blue sand, as they called it,
which clOgged the rockers. 1t was not
until some time had elapsed that the
blue sand in question was ascertained
to be an extremely rich silver ore. OF
this material, incidentally rich in gold,
was composed the celebrated Big BO-
nanza-a solid mass of ore, nearly half
silver 800 feet wide and of seemingly
unlimited depth, extending across the
COmstOck Lode. Much of it yielded from
5000 to $1,000 ton-a production of
wealth sufficient to create several of
was from this source that the multiple
millions of Mackay, Flood, O'Brien and
Fair were derived-the last named be-
ing a young mining engineer at the
time of the discovery, while the other
three were ordinary miners
PROJECTORS Spend Fortunes.
Usually, however, those who make
great finds Of precious metals do not
themselves derive any very substantial
or permanent benefit-a rule to which
the case Of the Comstock Lode offers
no exception. ComstOck himself, from
whom the wonderful deposit took its
called him Old Pancake
ComstOCk because of the food on which,
in his poverty, he chose chiefly to
his share Of the property
for $1,000, promptly went broke, and
blew out his brains. Pat O'Riley dis
posed Of his share for $4,000, blew it
all in within a short time, and went
back to his old business Of prospecting.
Two or three years later he became in
sane. and while engaged in his wealth
hunting occupation was continually /
lured on by mysterious voices in the I
rocks, which called him, telling him /
Of the riches that ever lay just a lit |
tie beyond. awaiting the fortunate /
stroke of his pick. Mclaughlin, too, Z
sold out and died poor.
Another remarkable discovery was |
made by two miners near Leadville who /
that. lacking means to buy provisions.
q grub stake" from senator Tabor. !
They were so rejoiced. at this piece Of I
good fortune that they bought several ]
bottles of whisky and proceeded to get.
exceedingly drunk. 1t occurred to them.
rs a mere bit Of bacchanalian humor,
10 dig a hole in the top of Fryer Hill