The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-02-24
SECTION AROUND MURRAY
MAY BECOME BIG FACTOR
CONTINUED from Page u

tions of Nevada. Here In the north
ern division of the Occur d'Alenes ne
excitement heretofore in the history of
the camp has bordered on the present
one for tungsten location. Every
piece of white quartz Is being staked
upon as a snow location for the time
being If it can be uncovered from I'M
der 4 and 10 feet of snow for careful
work in the spring Samples of rock
still come in almost daily to Mr. Ken
nan, who continues to test them for
tungsten values, very kindly free of
charge. Unfortunately for the past
two weeks the samples have material
lied in only two instances, the others
being barren of the mineral Yet the
number of samples so far tested show
that the entire watershed of Prichard
creek, including part of Beaver creek,
about 16 miles square, is mineralized
with tungsten ore-so far only schee-
lite. Whether all the localities where
the ore has been found will become
commercialized remains of course for
demonstration. This can not be made
for several months here, until the
snow disappears. Elsewhere condi-
tions are no doubt more favorable
and 1t will not be surprising to learn
that new discoveries have been made
in all the tungsten states, and perhaps
Others. 1t Is quite certain that the
prospectors and miners will make
every effort to supply the present de-
mand, and in this effort the Murray
district patriots will endeavor to
come out just little ahead. One
prospector who brought in 60 per
cent piece of ore cried out in his en-
thusiasm Watch my smoke"
Platinum in the Murray Belt.
Platinum is quoted in the market at
500 an ounce, or five times as valu-
able as gold This reminds the writer
that the metal was found in the Muir
ray district some years ago by George
Moison and Fritz Demuth. Mr. Moi
son Is now an honored citizen of Wal
lace, but Mr.. Demuth has passed
away. Hence Mr.. Moison will alone
have to verify this item, because a
writer who is personally interested
with what he puts into print is gen
orally placed in Roosevelt's Ananias
class. Mr. Moison and Mr.. Demuth
were residents of Murray at the time
and had leased the Buckeye Boy gold
mine, a mile west of town. and owned {
by the writer. After digging out sew
eral tons of quartz the lessees reduced
the same in Dodge pulverizing mill,
They secured very fair ball of ANAL
gam and ran it into a bar themselves,
including button. The bar weighed,
as the writer remembers, at SIG an
ounce, $92, and the button was valued
1t about "a. Both had an ashy white
color and this was perplexing. 1t did
not look like gold at all Moison and
Demuth turned over the button to the
writer as royalty, 10 per cent of the
gross yield having been agreed upon. !
ma TOOK the bar to the local bank. I
The bank refused to buy it, saying
here was no gold in it; that it was
cad. The gentlemen then took the
'ar to a local assayer He promptly
old the men that he would refine the I
'ar and 1t would not cost them any
hing. The refining" was done and
doison and Demuth got bar that t
haN sold OF he =
hey informed the writer of what they Il
Iad done, the writer requested them t
o go to the assayer and demand the e
esidue. The assayer informed them d
hat he had thrown it away The Ii
ritter the same evening showed the u
utton he had received to an amalga- p
lator named Weinhart, who died last Il
ear at Mullan. He simply glanced Il
the button and said. THAT is half a
latlnum. That makes the white col IN
r, The writer thereupon sent the Is
luton to the Helena assay office, and ii
lat court of last resort for the preci- II
is metals returned a judgment for et
atinum. From that day to this it Ell
as been a question to the writer as al
why Mr. Nelson and Mr.. Demuth m
Ilted themselves with the precious
hite metal, double the value of gold "
the time, and allowed an assayer to
It away with it. The high grading OF
sayer' had the laugh on all of us,
was finally elected to the legsla-
re and then settled in Idaho coun- a.
ed