The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-08-06
PLATINUM SUPPLY
in COLOMBIA ALONE
LONG WAS REGARDED A WASTE
STUFF. is NOW WORTH SIX
TIMES PRICE OF GOLD.

The fact that platinum, lust now
worth about six times as much as
gold, was first discovered in South
America In a section of what is now
the Republic of Colombia is not ex-
actly matter of common knowledge.
Furthermore, it may not be generally
known that the world must now de-
pend for its supply of the precious
white gold" practically entirely upon
the Colombian mines, for the Russian
sources of supply are for the time be-
ing "out of the game"
Still, there's no imminent danger
of Colombia's resources in platinum
being exhausted. They have been
mining it down there for $50 years,
but the output seems to be constantly
increasing. According to the current
number of the Bulletin of the Pan
American Union, Washington, D. c.,
the exports of the metal during the
last three years were valued as fol-
lows: In 1915 at $607,50O, 1916 at
S1,250,000, and for the year 1917 at
$2,160,10O.
Platinum Once Was Waste.
Incidentally, it is interesting to
note that at one time, and that not
SO very long ago, the crude platinum
grains that were mixed in with the
ore of certain gold mines in Colombia
were regarded as a waste product,
and thrown away. DR.. George F.
Kunz, Tiffany's great expert on pre-
clous stones and metals, in an article
recently contributed to the Bulletin,
tells of it as follows:
'The rejection of platinum as a
waste product in the operation of re-
lining gold led to some strange hap
penings in Colombia. The platinum
separated from the gold by the dry
or blowing system was either cast
into the street or thrown through
cracks in the building where the work
was done.
Later, when platinum became val
liable, a considerable quantity of the
metal was thus discovered in Guido,
capital of the Choco district, where
much gold refining was done. AS
result the entire town of some 1900
inhabitants was turned into a mine
and the natives were employed in
working the streets for the govern
ment, while many property owners
llIluCu uIIuSI IIlcIE MUSES..
'In one case a man went so far as
to tear down his store, and was re-
warded by recovering enough plat
mum to rebuild on larger scale and
clear $4,000 in American gold be-
Sides"
How 1t Was Discovered.
Doctor Kunz's article is replete
with interesting information about
platinum, and, among other things,
he tells how the world first learned
of the existence of such a remark
able metal
I'm view of the many uses to which
platinum can now be put and of it's
increasing value it seems strange that
European knowledge of its existence
is dated not further back than 1875,
when the South American deposits,
now within the limits of the Republic
Of Colombia, were visited by the
Spanish traveller Don Antonio de VI
loa (1716-1795), who had been APP
pointed with Don Jorge Juan to ac-
company a French scientific expedi-
ton sent out by the government to
execute the measurement of an arc
of the meridian on the plain of Quito.
Although the first publication of
Ulloa's observations was made in his
'Replacion historical del viaje a la
America meridional,' issued in two
folio volumes at Madrid in 1748, spe-
cimens of the new metallic ore had
already been brought to England
from Jamaica as early as 1741 by
Charles Wood, an English metallur-
gist, the material having reached him
by way of Carthagena in the then
New Granada, later part of Colon
bia.
"Of the appearance and qualities
of the new metal Mr.. Wood stated
that the 'Platina de Pinto otherwise
called Juan Blanco,' was smooth and
brilliant, of uniform structure and
not liable to rust or tarnish on ex-
posture to the air. He adds that the
Spani2~ds did not take it from veins
as ore or as metallic masses, but in
powder or small grains.
''He asserted that the Spaniards
had learned the secret of melting it,
and since they made many sword
guards, buckles, snuff boxes, ETC., of
it, he concluded that it must be quite
abundant. The designation
'Platina de Pinto had been given it
because the specimens in question
came from the River Pinto. The
name 'platina' itself was equivalent
to little silver from its resemblance