The Cordova daily times., 1918-06-26
PLATINUM IS
 MOST SOUGHT
 OF MINERALS

WoiIu, nave Deeu WTlLCeH since the war began. Nations are fighting for it. Adventures are risking their lives to obtain it. Women spies and diplomatic agents are playing the game of international intrigue to con- trol even an ounce of the noble metal,' as it is known to geologists, so valuable has it become and so nec- essary to the prosecution of the world war.
 The United States government re- gently took hand in the game by communicating all unworked plati- mum in this country, setting therefor a price of $105 an ounce. as compared with $22.S5 ten years ago. Even this action, however, has not obtained suf- ficient of the metal for war purposes. Officials who failed to heed the warn ings of platinum experts at the be ginning of the war are wondering how they can retrieve their error in not vigorously meeting the national neces- sity by using every legitimate means, to obtain platinum For the total amount of known platinum through out the world is only 4,OOO 900 ounces, of which about one fourth is in the United States. Much of that is vir- tually irreclaimable through use in dental work and personal jewelry, and the output, since the Russian debacle, has fallen to fraction of what it was in time of peace.
 It is the last reason which is giving officials so much concern. Russia has been the source of most of the worlds platinum, and in 1913 was credited with a production of 25O, 900 troy ounces; Columbia with 15,O0O: New South Wales and Tasmania, 1,275; United States California and Oregon being almost the only pro- ducing states), only 4s8; Borneo a.d Sumatra, 200, and Canada, 50
 
 The German invasion of Russia gave the enemy the opportunity of replen- ishing his stocks of platinum, to the detriment of the allies. Mining in Russia has virtually ceased now. even, if the metal could be shipped out of the country, and the world looks to Columbia for platinum. Suggestions for government monopoly of plati- mum have been advanced in the Co., lumbian congress. Whatever action is taken, the fortunes of war will mean wealth for the southern republic.
 One of the most spectacular feats of the war was the concentration of 10000 ounces of platinum in Russia by young American mining engineer attached to the embassy there, who recognized the importance of obtain ing the metal. Each precious brick. wrapped in a leather cover, was brought halfway across the world to the United States and turned over to the government for use in the manu- facture of sulphuric acid, constitu- ent of explosives, for the manufacture of contact points in electrical appar- atus and other uses necessary to war. An interesting history of platinum is given by the Latin-American division of the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce.
 Platinum was discove. ed in what is now Columbia in 1735 by Spaniard named Don Antonio de Ullot, who ac- companied French scientific expe- dition, and his account of it was the first information regarding the metal to be brought to the attention of Europeans. It's resistability to acids and the difficulty of working it were remarked upon, but it was not con- sidered to be nearly as precious as gold, and was used at times by coun- terfeiters as basis for coins. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the demand for plati- nun for use in chemical laboratories and for electrical uses brought it's value up to the point where it ranked as one of the most precious metals. In the placer mining of gold in Co lumbia it was formerly thrown away as waste, and when the rise in price made it more valuable than gold the ground on which the waste had been thrown became in its turn a field for mining operations, and even the strees of the principal center of gold refining in Columbia, Quibdo, were torn up and the soil washed for par ticles of the new treasure. One man tore down his store in order to get at the ground beneath, and found so much platinum that he was enabled to rebuild and make an extra $4,0O0 for his trouble.