298 DAVID T. DAY 



oming, contained platinum and palladium. These obser- 

 vations were confirmed by Professors Wells and Penfield, 

 of Yale university, who separated sperrylite (platinum diar- 

 senide) from this Rambler ore. Further investigations 

 by Mr. Johnston and Professor Kemp showed that the ore 

 of the Rambler mine contains platinum intimately mixed 

 with all the copper ores and even the chalcopyrite, which 

 apparently was the original copper ore in this mine, also con- 

 tains platinum. This confirms an observation of the writer 

 in 1899 to the effect that platinum occurs in the pyrite grains 

 found in certain hydraulic mines on the Trinity river in Cali- 

 fornia, notably in the mine of F Huertevant. These ob- 

 servations have led the searchers for platinum to examine 

 a great many deposits of pyrite in the United States with 

 the hope of finding them commercially rich in platinum, how- 

 ever, without commercial result, so far as the writer is in- 

 formed. This work is referred to, however, as indicating 

 a direction of search for platinum which may yet prove 

 profitable. 



At the time of the twelfth census, therefore, the supply 

 of platinum to the United States market, in addition to the 

 importations from Russia and small importations from South 

 America, consisted in the supply of platinum obtained from 

 the localities in California and Oregon mentioned above, a 

 small product from the Granite creek district, British Colum- 

 bia, and a more considerable product obtained in refining 

 the nickel copper matte from the Sudbury district of Canada. 



From the domestic ores in the United States the product 

 during 1902 was 94 ounces, valued at $1,814. This was 

 obtained as a side product in placer gold mining, and as the 

 production is entirely dependent upon the more important 

 production of gold this great decrease in the quantity of 

 the platinum produced, as compared with 1,408 ounces in 

 1901, is easily understood. In fact, the product during the 

 last few years has varied most widely both in quantit}^ and 

 in the value of the product. The variation in value has been 

 due not only to the real fluctuation and gradual increase 

 in the price of refined platinum, but particularly to the fact 

 that the value given has been that of the crude grains as col- 



