PLATINUn. 



BY DAVID T. DAY. 



[David T. Day, chief of the mining and mineral resources divisions of the United 

 States peolofiical .survey, lH)rn East Rockport, Ohio, 1S59; edueated in Johns Hopkins 

 university; has eompilod the ofTicial reports on the niiueral resourees of the United 

 States since ISSo and has represented the United States at the principal international 

 expositions and been on a number of the juries of award.] 



At the time of the eleventh United States census plati- 

 num was known to occur in the United States in the following 

 localities: California — Butte, Del Norte, Humboldt, Men- 

 docino, Plumas, Sierra, and Trinity counties; Idaho — Wood 

 river country; New York — near Plattsburg; North Carolina — 

 Burke and Rutherford counties; and Oregon — Coos, Curr>% 

 Josephine, and Lane counties. In addition to these localities 

 in the United States, there was a platinum product greater 

 than that from the United States which helped to supply 

 the American market from the region of Granite creek, British 

 Colombia, and the copper ores from the Sudbury district 

 of Canada also brought in some platinum and palladium 

 in the nickel copper matte imported into the United States. 



Associated with these platinum ores were occasionally 

 found the allied metals — osmium, iridium, and palladium. 



About 1898 the demand for platinum became more con- 

 siderable and the search for it, and especially for the allied 

 metal osmium, became vigorous. It resulted in much pros- 

 pecting in the eastern states, as well as in the west, and many 

 assays of supposed platinum ores, made by Mr. A. W. John- 

 ston, showed that certain rocks in eastern Pennsylvania, 

 eastern New York, and in many other localities contained 

 traces of platinum. 



The one event of importance in the development of the 

 platinum industry in the United States was the discovery 

 by Dr. L. D. Godshall, manager of the Boston and Wyoming 

 smelter, at Encampment, that the copper ores and matte 

 of the Rambler mine. Grand Encampment district of Wy- 



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