SCIENCE AND TAILINGS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 948, 18 June 1880, Page 3

SCIENCE AND TAILINGS.

+ : i ii« Now York Herald of April 3 contains tlio narrative of a discovery l>y the famous scientist—Edison—that will assure.dy create a sensation, both in the mining and scientific world. It gives the results of the most recent experiments in that prolific birthplace of wonders, Menlo j Park Th's “wizard 1 ' of that famous looa’it.v lias outdone Kunsslf, not perhaps in the curious and amazing appeals be has made to the popular jcuso of novelty, but certainly in the eclipsing pecuniary value of this latesl of his great discoveries. Edison has invented methods by which he can extract a greater amount of gold from the rejected residuum or (in' miners’ phrase) tire “ tailings” of aunferqus quartz or sand than is obtained by the present piocessess from the virj/fn rocks delivered fresh from the powerful tnturarion'of the crushing mills. After the system now practised has exhausted the ores of all the gold they can he made to yield, Mr Edison can take the tailings and extract more gold from them than they were made to give out before they were rejected as worthless refuse. The average yield of the crushed and triturated auriferous rocks is less than 20 dollars a ton. Mr Edison can take up the hitherto valueless tailings and make them yield an astonishingly greater amount. The specimens from the flumes yielded i‘ under his at the rate of 750Jul

per ton ; the black sand from the lava beds SOilol per ton ; the richest product was from the tailings of the Powers claim, which was at thb rate of MOOdol per ton. There is nothing incredible even in this last estimate, considering the great value of gold in proportion to its weight. It requires only about ISo'/, of gold to be worth MOOdol, and 7Soz is but a minute fraction of a ton. But if the average yield from the tailings were no greater than the ordinary yield from the virgin ores the profit would he immense, since Mr Elison estimates the expense of tire process at only u-10l per ton But the profits from tailings which contain 80dol or 750d0l or MOOdol per ton, seem fabulous.

This great discovey was an incidental result of Mr Edison's researches to find a supply of platinum for his electric lamps. He sent explorers far and wile'to discover new sources of this indispensable metal, the supply of which was limited to a few mines It was found in small quantities in the tailings of tlio Californian gold mines, and Edison set himself at work to invent a process for it cheap extraction. In the course of his experiments on the specimens sent him lie was surprised at the large amount of gold which exists in the rejected residue of the mines,' and this gave researches a new direction. Besides trying to discover a cheap process for extracting platinum from the tailings he aimed at a process for separating the far larger quantity of gold The success of this process hj is been complete, and the wealth which is likely to result is beyond computation. Before allowing his discovery to be known beyond the small circle of ids confi lential associates lie made contracts for the tailings ot a number of the most extensive mines., The Edison Oro Milling company was formed, with James 11. Banker as president, Charles 11. Leads, vice-presi-dent and Root L., Cutting as treasurer, Mr Edison himself holding a place on the board of directors. When the contracts were made it was supposed that Edison wanted the tailings merely for the platinum they contain, the most experienced mine owners having no conception of the possibilities of wealth which lay concealed in the accumulated tailings.

This great discovery comes as near as science can ever hope to come towards realising the dreams of, the old achemists. They spent laborious lives in experiments to discover the philosopher’s stone, by which baser substances were to be transmuted into gold. What they sought in vain has virtually come to Mr Edison as the reward of researches prompted by a fortunate accident. In exploring for platinum he has discovered a method of transm.itingworthlessrefuse iutoa source of inexhaustible and fabulous riches. Goothe winds up his greit philosophical novel, “Wilhelm Meister, ” by making one of the characters say to the hero ;—“ Thou rcserablest Saul, the, soli of Kish, who went out to seek Ins father’s asses and found a kingdom.” Edison went out to seek platinum for his lamps and found “the potent! dity of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.”