Evening star., 1923-10-28

government Is doing all in It's power
to extend the discoveries of natural
resources Of this type. Such materials
as chrome, platinum, tin and vana-
dium are needed for American indus-
try, and government analysis of ores
thought to contain these minerals
ana materials Is made at national ex-
pense No assays Of gold, silver, zinc
or copper are made for the genera
public at this or any other fedora
station Of the bureau of mines.
!: " + x
I TCNCE SAM annually. gets many
letters about the mushroom oil
shale investment companies which now
dot the states of Colorado, wyoming
and other regions where oil shale
abounds. The gasoline in these oil
shaies can be made available CONNER
cia3ly by expensive distillation proc
esses. When the price of gasoline
increases to 35 to 81 cents a. gallon,
it will be both profitable and praci-
cal to exploit the oil shales Unde,
present conditions it costs more to
recover the oil than 1t is worth. New
ertheless. investors are exchanging
their cash for oil shale stock. There
are at least $50 companies which now
issue stock of this description. Much
of it represents fake exploitation.
The promoters have claimed thai
much of the oil shale is rich in gold.
silver and platinum ore. Some of
them have even claimed that one ton
Of the OIL shale would yic.d as muci
as 50 in gold. Recently Uncle Sam
sent some Of his best mining experts
to the localities where these shales
are found. Hundreds and hundreds
of samples were taken and analyzed
The richest specimen Of ths entire
lot yielded only 20 cents worth of
gold per ton. The bureau of mines
does not believe that oil shale VIII
ever be utilized commercially for the
production of gold. silver and plati-
mum.
Despite the fact that the entire
United States. from widely scattered
sources, produces only a few hundred
ounces of platinum year. stock
swindlers have recently advertised
extensively and sold stock on the
basis of bogus assays. In one in
stance the assertion was made that a
property contained 100000 tons Of
rock bearing precious metal values
ranging from $3c0 to $500 a ton. An
other concern announced the discov-
cry Of ore containing platinum and
gold in astonishing quantities. Final
ly, Uncle Sam took hand in the
affair and had his experts at Reno.
New. make assays OF all the alleged
platinum-bearing ores Not a single
sample Of ore contained platinum in
appreciable quantities. Further in
vestigation even proved that certain
of the samples had been "saIted''
with platinum wire and foil in order
to delude the stock purchasing public.
Platinum is now six times s-val-
liable as gold. The tota American
output is less than 1000 ounces q
mercial agencies demand ten to If
teen times that amount every twelve
months. Platinum is recovered as q
by-product in the refining of gold.
silver, nickel and copper, but the
quantity present in the original is.
usually too small 20 detect. The keen
demand for platinum and the great
general interest which people take III
the mineral have led to the promotion
of many fraudulent enterprises.
Uncle Sam receives thousands of let
ters from American. citizens asking
advice about platinum stock invest
ments or bemoaning the fact that the
writer's lost large sums Of money
which they invested in counterfeit
platinum mines.
THERE are no divining rods. min
= eral rods or other appliances
now on the market that will really
aid in the location OF buried treasure.
gold and silver ores, or petroleum.
Special instruments such as the dip
needle, the magnetometer and the
dial compass have been successfully =
used in prospecting for magnetic iron
ores in this and foreign countries.
However, these forms of apparatus
are not useful in prospecting for
precious metals or ores that have no.
magnetic effect. A. working knowl-t :
edge OF geology and the conditions
under which ores are likely to occurs
is Of the utmost Importance to ANA !
teur prospectors who are hunting for
minerals. /.
An electrical system of locating oreS
deposits by surface examination has.
latterly been perfected. 1t is de-
pendent on the recording of a'differ-r -r
ence of potential set up by electrical
states or dynamic waves that are,
either induced or pre-existent in the
ore bodies OF metallic ores. An cleo ,
trical field is plotted by the mining
expert by recording these differences
of potential: at different points in.
certain locality. and usually the de- =
posits Of ore are found by means OF
diamond or churn drilling or by un
derground prospecting methods at
the center Of this field.
The bureau Of mines has more than
1,00e different form letters which are
used to answer the million and one
questions which yearly. are received
at its Washington Offices This does
not in any wise indicate that all the
inquiries are foolish or nonsensicaf
1t merely shows the volume Of aues
tions which flood in from all states
and counties. AS many as $4,000 ,lst.
ters OF inquiry have been received as
the result of a small news story sent
out by the bureau OF mines about the
economical operation of your, home !,
furnace. The people Of the United
States are constantly looking to their,
government for help in solving their
personal and community problems.
The great masses OF mail which ar
rive in Washington daily and arc dis
tributed among the various technical
and scientific departments Of the gov J
ernment strikingly demonstrate the