South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-21
NATIONS FIGHT
FOR PLATINUM
Young Engineer Gets 10000
Ounces in Russia For
u. S. Government.

I out now the most Soug hL-after metal
in the world, have been written
since the war began. Nations are
! hghting for il. Adventures are risk
ing their lives TO obtain it. Women
spies and diplomatic agents are
playing the game Of international
intrigue to control even ar ounce
OF the noble metal, as it Is known
10 biologists. so valuable has il be-
+ come and SO necessary 10 the prose-
cution of the world war.
The United States government
recently took hand in the game by
communicating all unworked plati-
mum in This country, setting there
tor "a price of Sl05 an ounce, as
compared with S22S5 10 years ago.
/ Even This action however, has not
I obtained sufficient Of the metal for
war purposes officials who failed 70
/ heed the warnings OF platinum eX
/ perts at the beginning OF the war
! are wondering how they can re
I uieve their error in not vigorously
meeting the national necessity by
I using every legitimate means 10 OBJ
4 tain platinum. For, the total amount
] Of known platinum throughout the
/ world is only 1000. 900 ounces, of
! which about one-fourth is in the
/ United States. Much OF that is viz
| tually irreclaimable through use in
I dental work and personal 5ewelry,
and the output, since the Russian
debacle, has fallen TO a fraction Of
what il was IN times of peace.
Ii is the last reason which Is Civ
ing officials so much concern Rus
STA has been the source Of most OF
the worlds platinum and. in 1913,
was credited with a production OF
100000 Troy ounces. Columbia with
5000. New South Wales and Tas-
mania. 1875, United states (Califor-
MA and Oregon being almost the
/ only producing states only 4s3.
Borneo and Sumartra, 200, and Can
ada 80.
The German invasion OF Russia
gave the enemy the opportunity Of
replenishing his stocks OF platinum.
TO the detriment of the allies. Min
ing in Russia virtually has ceased
now. even if the metal could be
shipped out Of the country. and the
world looks TO Colum bia for plati-
mum. Suggestions for a government
monopoly Of platinum have been
advanced in the Columbian con
gress. Whatever action is taken, the
fortunes Of war Will mean wealth
for the southern republic.
One Spectacular Feat.
one OF the most spectacular feats
/ OF the war was the concentration of
10000 ounces OF platinum i'm Russia
| by a young American mining en-
gineer, attached 10 the embassy
! there. who recognized the i'm
| portance OF obtaining the metal
| Each precious brick, wrapped in a
/ leather cover. was brought halfway
/ across the world 20 the United States
+ and turned over 10 the government
/ for use i'm the manufacture OF sui
phuric acid, a constituent OF ex-
plosives, for the manufacture OF con-
/ tact points i'm electrical apparatus
/ and other uses necessary 10 war An
I interesting history OF platinum is
given by the Latin-American division
! Of the bureau OF foreign and domes-
/ tic commerce.
Platinum was discovered in what
| is now Columbia. in 1875, by a span
| lard named Don Antonio de UllOa,
/ who accompanied a French scientific
| expedition, and his account of it was
| the first information regarding the
metal 10 be brought to the attention
! Of Europeans. 1t resista bility 10
acids and the difficulty of working it
were remarked upon. but il was not
1 considered TO be nearly as precious
as gold, and was used at times by
/ counterfeiters as a basis FOR coins.
/ IT was not until the middle of the
/ 18th century that the demand for
platinum for use in chemical labOra-
\ tories and for electrical uses brought
/ its value up to the point where it
/ ranged as one of the most precious
| metals.
In the placer mining Of gold in Co
/ lumbia il was formerly thrown away
as waste, and when the rise in price
made il 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
/ streets Of the principal center OF gold
refining in Columbia. Quibod, were
torn up and the soil washed for par
/ ticles OF the new treasure. One
/ man tore down his store in order 70
( get at the ground beneath. and found
SO much platinum that he was en-
abled 10 rebuild and make an extra
/ $4,000 for his trouble.
Platinum is recovered principally
I from the beds OF streams, the par
I ticles having been deposited there
/ through erosion OF large rocks, clas-
/ sified geologically as .-tertiary con-
/ glomerates" The platinum grains
/ are found with sold. the proportion
/ varying from five 10 so per cent OF
( the platinum. The two metals are
! recovered by washing the sand and
/ gravel OF streams.
The marked rise in the price OF
/ platinum in the last two or three
! ears has considerably stimulated
mining activities in Columbia espe-
| ciany on the part Of the native min