Show production products i on of platinum num in in the U so by DAVID T DAY introduction the platinum industry remains practically stationary with reference to the worlds supply and the price the supply from the well known placers of russia continues to decline slowly but the uses of platinum do not increase sufficiently to cause the price to advance on account of the decline in supply if more platinum were greatly needed the supply could be augmented from california and oregon domestic production although the high price of platinum encouraged cou raged prospecting in the united states during 1913 the expected increase in the production of crude metal was not realized the total production from california and oregon amounted to crude ounces and was valued at of this crude ounces came from california and were rated at 80 per cent fine that is it contained fine ounces of platinum that from oregon ounces was not so carefully cleaned and was reckoned at 70 per cent fine or 1575 fine ounces of platinum the greater part of the california platinum came as usual from the large gold dredging operations in butte yuba sacramento and calaveras talaveras Cala veras counties the question of a larger yield of domestic platinum depends principally upon working the oregon and california beaches including the old beat beaches ches now several miles inland and elevated considerably above sea level several machines involving somewhat fanciful or novel ideas were installed during 1913 as reported in the last review of this series As a rule these machines were handicapped because they consisted either of competent concentrating apparatus without adequate means for digging the crude sand and delivering it to the concentrator cen or in other places the reverse has been the case and the machine well suited for large scale excavation at a low cost has not been equipped with a proper system for concentrating these heavy sands after excavating them A sample of heavy concentrates from placer mining near yacolt wash on examination showed small quantities of gold and about one sixth as much platinum as gold no gold or platinum was found in any of the sand coarser than mesh refined platinum A considerable output of platinum is annually made in the united states from the refining of gold and copper bullion A portion of this platinum originates in gold scrap sweepings etc sold by jewelers and dentists about fine ounces however was in 1 mineral resources of the united states calendar year 1913 part 1 derived in 1913 as new metal from gold and domestic mines no copper bullion from output of platinum n um concentrates was reported from lodes of the united states in 1913 in 1913 crude platinum sand was imported into the united states to the amount of ounces if the content of fine platinum in this sand is assumed to be 80 per cent the approximate production of refined platinum in the united states in domestic refineries from foreign sands in 1913 was ounces production of refined platinum from domestic sources 1903 1913 in troy ounces year value 1903 2080 1904 1905 1906 1439 1 1907 1908 1909 1911 1912 1005 45 1913 3 3 1034 46 prices r i c the following table gives the prices of ingot platinum per troy ounce at new york by months for the calendar years 1909 1913 prices of ingot platinum per troy ounce on the new york market 1909 1913 by months 1909 january 2425 5 february 2450 march 2375 april 2400 may 23 2350 50 june 2300 july 2250 august 2200 september 2550 october 2800 november 2925 december 2950 1910 J january 2900 february 28 2875 75 march 2913 april 2925 9 25 may 2955 june july august september october november december 1911 january february march april may june july f 29 S august Sep september r 45 3 october ag 0 november ag io december 1912 january february march afo aarl may june 4 KO july august augu t september 4 ab october november jau december t 1913 january february AK 50 m march l apin angrl may 40 AK 50 en june 45 50 45 july 1550 15 go A august u g u s t 4 S september ep 4 43 3 0 ar 6 0 october t 0 b e r 44 0 og 0 november 4 43 9 3 7 am 0 december eng ng and alin jour new york 1 price of crude platinum sand for many i years quotations for crude platinum sano sana have varied within wide limits so as to leave lea ve much doubt in the minds of the pro dubers d acers of platinum and as toj to what they should justly receive for their product this fluctuation has been due to two factors the principal one being the wide variation in the quality of the sand cancu sent in for sale As a rule it contains some magnetic ore or valueless grains of sand and the grains of the metal itself are impure containing iron gold and silver exception is made for the gold but payment is not made for any other material in order to determine a fair return for sam 1 ples pies of sand sent in for sale the geological survey divided a sample of crude platinum sand obtained from the coos bay region of oregon into several lots and sent them to as many different platinum purchasers with the request for bids on the material the bids were uniformly between 41 and 42 an ounce for the pure metal contained in the sand the analyses of the sand by these purchasers were fairly uniform in their re suits showing from 48 to 50 per cei cent valuable metals in the sand the valuable 1 metals averaged about 33 per cent platinum and 17 per cent and gold or 1 about 50 per cent of each sample ma making king the value of this sand as sampled about 21 per ounce ii in regard to the price of the or contained it should be noted that this is frequently called indium by the miners pure iridium would be worth j more than platinum because of its scarcity and its value for alloying with platinum to increase its hardness As elsewhere stated in this report or is is not pure iridium but contains from 30 to 50 per cent or more of osmium which is of little value occurrence of platinum in lode deposits although the worlds supply of platinum comes mainly from placer gravels this metal is known to occur in lode deposits chiefly associated with iron and copper sul j aphides and probably of origin in the nickel deposits of sudbury ontario 3 platinum ptas atas is j found as small white cubes with s rite and is also known from the rambler mine in wyoming W where here it is associated with the copper ores j and probably of igne ous origin and forming a lens in a diarl tic j rock there has been some commercial output of platinum concentrates from this anine aline palladium is also present platinum perhaps also as is fund in dikes bunkerville Bun Buri kerville nev of t at cutting I 1 pre camborain gneiss associated again with and platinum haa been reported with and gross Jul clarite arite garnet in a contact metamorphic rock in Su martra and in quartz veins from I 1 southern new zealand northern finland r and canada palladium has been found with gold in a limestone in brazil near the contact with an igneous rock and this alloy has also been reported in both placer and fl flode lode deposits in the congo free state the k gravel platinum of the pacific coast is 1 ably derived from serpentine masses of the sierra nevada platinum lode deposit at goodsprings Good springs in august A 1914 while this chapter was in proof a new discovery of platinum in lode deposits was reported to the united states geological survey and efforts were made by the survey to obtain some reliable preliminary data for inclusion herewith in view of the threatened shortage of russian supplies due to the european war for the information following thanks are due to mr fred A hale jr secretary of the boss gold mining co of goodsprings Good springs nev upon whose property the discovery was made A geologic investigation of the occurrence during the present field season is in prospect I 1 by the survey i the property upon which the discovery was made is located about ten miles west of goodsprings Good springs and development work has disclosed a considerable body of siliceous ore carrying copper gold silver and plat anum occurring along a fractured zone in f limestone and adjacent to a large intrusion of quartz porphyry some very rich ore has been reported and at least 2000 tons of ore carrying one ounce of gold to the ton with associated silver and platinum were estimated to be in sight in august one carload of 23 per cent copper ore was shipped and a small shipment of gold ore averaging 1248 ounces of gold per ton was made later other small shipments of high grade ore and a 40 ton car of ore assaying about 15 ounces of gold to the ton were also reported numerous assays essays indicated that the high grade gold ore carried as high as 65 ounces and the low grade about I 1 ounce of platinum per ton A general average sample of ore exposed at the mine assayed by the union assay office of salt lake city utah is reported to have given the following results gold ounces per ton C 72 A silver ver do 97 platinum lati num group do 7 78 8 insoluble ins ol 01 uble per cent aron iron do 94 from rom similar material 11 1 1 K lehe chemist mist for the yellow pine mining company pany goodsprings Good springs nev obtained 12 pounces ces of platinum per ton and R A perez of los angeles cal 1 ounce of platinum per ton two grab samples from a carload lot shipment gave mr the following results ounces per ton of ore 1 2 gold 67 1626 platinum 1142 from similar material sc s nt to ledoux le doux co new york city for determination the following tol lowing results were reported gold 1155 ounces per ton platinum ounces per ton the determination of palladium was not made but the presence of this metal was reported by ledoux to the extent of 1 to 2 ounces per ton A small shipment of high grade ore assayed as follows f gold ounces per ton silver do lead pere cent 10 copper do 65 insoluble do sulphur do 31 iron do 67 no determination of platinum was reported upon by the smelting smelling sm elting company but mr obtained 65 ounces per ton of metal of the platinum group from this material A second lot of similar high grade ore yielded the following assay by the smelt ing company gold gozs per ton silver do 69 platinum group not determined lead per cen cent t 17 copper do 55 insoluble do sulphur do 2 b 6 iron do 66 bismuth do 13 on a sam sample ie 0 of f similar similar material sent to ledoux company that firm reported as follows riold gold ounces per ton platinum platinum do palladium do 1600 not determined but present in small quantities it should be added that both samples sent to ledoux company showed by panning according to their report that the gold and platinum metals are in the free state and occur apparently as alloys 0 |