Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-10-24
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MEN OF
TEN FIND FORTUNE IN SPECi.
MEMS SENT THEM
FIND GOLD THAT IS NOT COLO
Alaskan Miners, Seeking Geld,
N. Find Tin Ore, Formerly
SlsA ~4i-
Cast Aside @sft

NllLt!~4 resources 0t his native Stdle
were pretty well known TO him, and
lie knew that diamonds are scarce in
Colorado outside OF rings and scarf
pms So he sent his mud, carefully
registered. TO ehe United States Geo
logical Survey at Wash.neton. where
the mineralogists regretted TO inform
him that it wasn't diamond but d
lump OF quartz.
Diamonds that aren't diamonds are
among the things that come often to
the geological survey tor identihca-
zion. Many rocks OF one sort or an
other arrive With each days mail,
most OF them from people who think
they have found great wealth, Com
monest of all are specimens of fools
gold iron pyrites, which is yellow,
shiny mineral that comes nearer the
popular idea OF what gold looks like
than does gold itself.
Mica is another strong bidder for
hlst place among the minerals that
look more valuable to the uninitiated
than they are. Certain micas in the
form Of very small particles have a
yellowsh. shiny appearance that
leads to their being taken Tor gold.
The survey is forbidden by law to
make elaborate analyses and is effect
uGlly restrained from breaking the
law by the lack of money appropri-
ated for that purpose. officials be-
lieye that We're any good purpose
served by making analyses OF speci-
mems sent in by all and sundry con
gress might by persuaded to extend
the jurisdiction and the appropriation
OF the survey to include such work.
Such step, however, might be far
from desirable.
Your miner may or may not be
an honest and deserving person to
help. Men have been known to sell
mines with the aid Of artistlcally
Illustrated prospectuses that were
something OF disappointment to the
stockholders after work was actu.
Fly begun. There are mine prpmot.
CTS who only need little encourage
ment and they will sell you radium
prospect in the middle of the south
ern ocean.
The assay Is one of the important
features of selling scheme. The as
say is supposed to show how many
dollars worth OF gold is present in
the rock in question. 1t is customary
not SO much now as it once was
to make the assay from one, or two
or three, fragments of rock. Need.
less to say, the mine owner with a
claim for sale does not hunt through
his rock dump for an unusually poor
specimen as a sample for assay. He
has been know, to spend some hours
going over the dump for rich frag-
ment-maybe the only one in sight.
Not long ago there was much ex-
citenient over a gold strike in New
England. Samples assayed ran as
high as $50 to the ton in gold, which
would represent handsome profit
for a company that chose to mill the
rock. The geological survey was
asked to investigate, however, and
found the rock in actual practice
would run about 60 cents to the ton
The modern methods of big compa
mics in sampling a new property fur'
nsh a strong contrast. Thirty or
forty thousand dollars may be spent
in preliminary work, simply to hnu
! out whether the property Is WORTH
working. Since, in cases like the
Michigan copper mines. the invest
ment in plant may run up to mil
/ lion dollars, it is worth while to be
! sure you are right before COINS
ahead, One company, in doing III
preliminary work recently, took GU
iiftv samples. Each sample weighed
two tons--a total of 100000 pounds
of rock in samples" These samples
were thoroughly mixed and tn
weight was gradually cut down unit
perhaps fifty pounds Of rock re
NAMED. That fifty pounds was
rair sample of the 100000, and tn
100000 pounds was fair sample o
the property.
Up in a certain Alaskan place
eold district the miners washing gol
ilom the gravel were bothered b
The presence OF a nondescript brow
mineral that was exceedingly di
6cult to separate from the gold. COL
is separated rom gravel by takin
advantage Of its great weight; bu
tits strange mineral was also e.
ceedinely heavy. 1t made a nuisanc
Of Itself. The miners cursed 1t libel
ally, for like most practical col
miners few common ores were IN
only ones they knew. Finally som
of them remembered that a geologic;
survey expert was in the neighbo
hood and they took the heavy brow
mineral to aim. II was valuaDl
ore Of tin. And for four years no
Alaska has been producing tin at
good profit.