64 



California Art & Nature. 



65 



WULFENITE — Very fine crystals of (analysis by Mr. Curry, of Pittsburg, 



molybdate of lead were obtained by Pa), 

 the writer in 1888 from some of the C. R. ORCUTT. 



mines north of Salton, in the Colo- 



rado desert. METALS AND ORES. 



MOHAVE DESERT IRON MINES. 



Abcut 16 mies due south from a 

 point midway between Newberry and 

 Ilaz'itt stations. 275 miles from San 

 Diego, Cal., and 180 miles from Los An- 

 grocs, Ca\, by the Santa Fe route, oc- 

 curs prob^b y the largest deposit of 

 i.-oi ores on the Pacific Coast. It is 

 A-aiiouly crtmatei by conservative 

 men that fifty to one hundred million 

 tors cf magnetic and hematite ores lie 

 fb'"V2 and convenient to a suiable 

 rai'way grade, which can b3 (iUdrri3d 

 r:;'hcr Ih^n mined— if we restrict the 

 wcrl r-i ing to the English sense of 

 u'drground workings. 



The ch'ef chemist of thg U. S. Geo- 

 logical Eurvey, after an examination of 

 the mag etite, ?ays: "A very high 

 L'.-ade of magnetic ore with but a trace 

 of titanium." 



Prof. Pierce de P. Ricketts, the well 

 knov/n ex-chief of the school of mines 

 and m:ta'lurgy, of Co'umbia Coliege, 

 N?w Yo.'k, secursd the following re- 

 sults from an examnat on made foi- the 

 fo! owing elements only: Meta ic iron. 

 68.48; Manga-ese. .038; Sulphur, .076; 

 litsniim, .01; Phosphorus, (trac) per 

 centum. 



Prf Woulfe, ch mist of the U..ion 

 Iron Works, San Francisco, Cal., se- 

 cured the following results from a car 

 load ca:h of the Magnetite (M) and 

 Hematite (H) : Sesqui oxide of iron, M 

 68.8, H 81. S4; Proto oxide of iron, M 25 5, 

 H 8.28; Alumir.a. M 2 843. H 3.24; Man- 

 ganese oxide, M .52, H .43; Lime, M 72, 

 H 82; Mag.e?ii, M 3.81, H 3 18; Phos- 

 phorus a-.hydride, M .013, H .0:6; Sul- 

 phur, M .C33, H .47; SiMca, M .845, H 

 .061 per centum. 



Sampes of surface ores from all the 

 workirgs. aggrcgc-ting 50 lbs, givj: 

 Iron, 66.25; Silica, 1.65; Lime, 1.35; Mag- 

 ncrix, 33 ; Euphjr. .031; Fh spho -ic 

 acid, .554; Tatanic acid, 0; Alumi:a, .81', 

 Marganrse, .25; Iroi porox d^, 72.21; 

 Iron proto oxide, 20.1S; Mancancsa ox- 

 ide, .39; and Phosphorus, .024 per cent. 



ANTIMONY — An ore carrying about 

 38 to 40 per cent of this metal, and from 

 $5 to $30 per ton in gold, occura near 

 San Diego, and awaits development. 



CAESIUM— A rare metal contained 

 in minute quantities in lepidolite. It 

 v/cu!d prove useful if an available sup- 

 ply existed. 



LITHIUM.— Amblygonlte, Ie:?idoli ie, 

 spodumene, and triphylite are fhv; prin- 

 cipal o.-es of this rare metal, Iha l:g.it- 

 est known. 



PELECYPHORA ASE3L.LIP0RMIS Ehrenb. 



The Kafchet cactus is a little gem 

 from Mexico, so-called trom the shape 

 of the tubercles. It bloomed in San 

 Die:ro on May day, scarce % inch in 

 len,rth and br-eadth, with thirteen 

 bright mar-enta colored petals and 

 seven or eis'ht pale lavendar sepals, 

 the four stig-mata white, style and fi'a- 

 men*^s tinged with purple, and anthers 

 bright orange. The largest plant 

 srrnr.p: c hr-'^red is but little over an 

 inch in height and diameter, and in 

 earlier days they were literally wc^f^ 

 their wei.cht in gold. The flowers are 

 open onl^' in sunlight. 



