Evening star., 1916-01-02

"A RIN1NG interests at this time
IMM when Europe IL calling for
uNIl every last pound Of copper.
zinc and lead. are concerned
over the oil hotation process of ex-
tracing the uttermost pennyweight Of
these metals. as well as gold and sill
YER. from their native ores
1t seems a very singular thing that.
without interfering with the laws Of
specific gravity. these heavy metals
can be induced to float upon the sur
face Of the ore pulp merely by the In
PRODUCTION of little oil into the mix
ture.
II one had to nnd a needle in a hay
stack his task would be difYicult, al
though perhaps not impossible; but to
extract from a ton Of ore the frac-
tion of an ounce of gold distributed
throughout its bulk is impossible with
out the aid of the chemist.
The cyanide process of treating gold
and silver supplanted the older meth
DDS and gave a positive value to low
grade ores. but now 1t must. for some
purposes at least. yield to the oil hota-
ion process. which has been in use
for several years and saved millions
anu HlliiOHb Oh dOlldrB-
The Colorado Scientific Society. the
western press and mining interests are
searching in every possible way for a
woman. that they may reward her II
living. or erect fitting memorial to
her honor If she has passed away. but
no trace OF her has been found.
Thirty-fve years ago there lived in
Denver. Col, an assayer by the nams
of ETe.son. engaged then In the prac-
tiee OF his profession. who incidentally
tooh t1 his home concentrates n small
sacks made Of heavy muslin. His sis
aer. Miss Carrie ). Eyerson. who was a
school teacher by profession. so the
ftcTy runs. had Joined her brother at
Deaver. and was making her homo
with MIN. Very little Is known of her,
except that she was keen-ninded and
took a great interest in her brothers
work. 1t Is also said that she had
reached an age and acquired such a
reputation for punctilious cleanliness
that she WAS sometimes called a pr.:n
old maid.
Be that as II may, she undertook to
keep her brothers things spotlessly
clean: and when she saw that the sack In
which hs carried the samples had be-
come soiled by contact with oil on which
dirt had settled. she promptly put them to
soak In d tub of water. little film OF
oil came gradually to the surface and
she was completely staggered when she
saw IN II traces which. thanks to her
brothsr's teaching. she knew to be gold.
She coUld hardly believe her eyes. for Il
seemed to her impossible that gold. which
she kr-" to be nearly twice as heavy a.
lead. could float Nevertheless. there was
the precious yellow metal-which she cor.
Iectiy surrnised had come in mInuteIy
small quantities from the intersticss of
the sacks-restinS quietly on top Of the
water.
II is not recorded whether she thou9ht
that, like the axe OF Elijah on the waters
OF Jordan. a miracle had taken placs. but
what she really had seen was the particles
Z CT oil in the film gold themselves about
the still smaller particles Of gold which
possess the peculiar quality Of attracting
she oil to and about them. The specific
gravity Of the resulting tiny mass being
less than that Of the water. IT noated to
- tho surface. to the great amusement Of
the overpart.cut.s school mistress.
Apparently the possible value Of this
accidental discovery, although not real.