The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-07-26
HOW PLATINUM REPORT
TAKEN IN COEUR D ALENE
CARIBOU OFFICERS STILL PIN
THEIR FAITH TO DOZlER
EDITORIAL.

Evidently the report of the metallur-
gists and mining engineers who in
vestigated the alleged platinum de-
posits near Occur dAlene and found
no platinum has made no impression
upon some citizens of the lake city
who are giving financial support to the
platinum promotions. After DR.. Fran
els A. Thomson, executive secretary of
the state bureau of mines and geology,
had submitted the report to the Occur
dAlene chamber of commerce last
Monday, representatives of the Carl
bou Mining company. one of the three
investigated, addressed the chamber
and announced that in spite of the ad-
verse report they were convinced that
they had platinum in paying quantl-
ties and would proceed with their OPP
erations. Their attitude is told by the
Occur d'Alene Evening Press of Mon
day in the following extract from ita
report of the meeting:
Caribou Officers Stand Pat.
&c r. Scott, president of the Carl
bou Mining company, stated that ne
and John Boothe had taken $50 pounds
of ore from the Caribou mine to Grants
Pass, had watched the process from
beginning to end and also had the as
sistance of their own chemist and then
had taken the platinum and iridium,
which had been taken from the ore
and had it tested in Portland and
found it to he platinum and iridium.
He said that assays are being made
daily and the platinum from the as
says is being saved.
"F w. Reed stated that it made no
difference whatsoever whether these
parties found platinum or not. The
speaker said r. A. DOzier had per-
fected a process of getting out platin-
UNI, which had been condemned by
Dean Thomson and others. but that
Dozier was getting platinum while the
others failed"
Still Backing Dozier.
C. r. Scott, mentioned above, is the
publisher and editor of the Occur
d'Alene Press, and has the following
editorial on the Adverse Report" in
his paper of last Tuesday:
1.-The state school of mines and sew
eral other institutions have assayed
the ores from three mines adjacent to
Occur dAlene and report that metals
of the platinum group do not exist in
quantities. In fact the
report made public by Dean Thomson
is to the effect that in 12S assays only
2 showed a trace of platinum and they
we're so faint that they could not he
classified as that precious metal.
1--WE do not desire to discredit the
liability of these learned men who
have deved deep into the lore of met
other than to state that plat
mum is a rare metal and these men
have had little, and some. no OppOr-
tunity to study the process of assay
ing platinum, and like Dean Thomson,
after making a few ritualistic attempts
10 extract the precious metals by for
mulas of men only slightly better vers-
cd, attempt to sound the death knell
10 what promises to be one of Occur
IAlene's greatest revenue producers.
Notwithstanding the report of
md its allied metals are being recOv-
,red in the laboratories at the mines.
ut is not uncommon for men of
treat intellect to err in their judg
nent and especially metallurgists.
1T is a God-send that some of these
authorities were not in existence dur
ng the early stage of development of
mines in the great west, as it would
ave been no more unreasonable for
hem to have condemned the Occur
'Alenes as lead-bearing hills than to
ow condemn the hills around Occur
'Alene as platinum bearing.
"a large sum of money is being ex-
ended to install special equipment to
xtract these precious metals in com
lercial quantities.
Doubling Thomases always have
nd always will exist. But on the
Their hand men like the late Jim Cal
han were not influenced by the 1T
mt be done type. Had they been
by these scientific skeptics'
he wealth in ores would still he lying
here nature placed them.
1.-THE 'so-called' platinum investiga-
on has satisfied its originatOrs and
as anticipated by the mine owners
no could, If they wished, enlighten
e authorities on the process of ex-
acting the precious metals. But, like
e cyanide process for the recovery OF
Id, it will come in due time, and will
given a place in the Libraries of the
etallurgists."
Neither camels nor elephants can