I9I3-] HEYL— PLATINUM IN NORTH CAROLINA. 25 



ferent from their properties when artificially produced (e. g., the 

 insolubility in acids of certain native oxides of iron, and the com- 

 parative insolubility in aqua regia of sperrylite), we thought it not 

 unreasonable that we might have to deal with a new compound of 

 platinum of peculiar properties, and in the examination of the rock 

 we were careful to follow Dr. Colby's directions literally, however 

 useless it might seem. 



The first sample submitted by Dr. Colby weighed about five 

 pounds. One third of it was retained for examination in our labo- 

 ratory, and the remainder, in lump form, was sent to Dr. Harry F. 

 Keller, of Philadelphia, who ground it, divided it into two portions, 

 retained one himself, and sent the other to Mr, Whitfield of the 

 laboratory of Booth, Garrett and Blair. The portion analyzed at 

 our laboratory was decomposed by aqua regia, according to Dr. 

 Colby's directions, and yielded the surprising figure of eight ounces 

 of platinum and two ounces of iridium to the ton. Dr. Keller and 

 Mr. Whitfield decomposed the rock by hydrofluoric acid and Dr. 

 Keller found six tenths of an ounce of platinum to the ton, while 

 Mr. Whitfield found nothing. 



Mr. Eldred, of our company, then visited the ground, took his 

 own samples and brought them north in his hand satchel. Two 

 assays on these samples, by the fire method according to Dr. Colby's 

 directions, gave 0.8 and i.i ounces per ton platinum. 



The services of an experienced mining engineer, Mr. James W. 

 Neill, of Pasadena, Cal., were then called into requisition. Mr. 

 Neill visited the ground with Mr. Eldred, and took samples from 

 eight localities. The assays of these, by the fire method, gave the 

 following figures : 



0.2 0.3 0.2 trace 1.25 0.4 



and two blanks. 



I will not take the time to go over in detail all the assays that 

 were made on the property. Suffice it to say that over fifty assays 

 were made in our laboratory, a few of which were blanks, a larger 

 number gave perceptible traces, and a smaller number ran anywhere 

 from half an ounce to one ounce per ton. Nothing approaching the 

 figure given by the first sample was ever found again. 



