Sources.—Sources
of the supply of platinum remain practically the same today as they
have been for the last twenty-five years. The chief supply is from the
Ural .mountains in Eussia. A great difficulty formerly experienced in
regard to the transportation of the ore or platinum sand was due to
the fact that it had to be hauled a distance of over 200 miles; that
difficulty is now removed by the railway that has been brought near the
mountains. The other sources of supply are not constant except that
portion which is held by the French in La Eepublica de Colombia, South
America, whence a small supply is regularly received.
Production.—The
production of platinum in the United States was very slight during
1888, being limited to 500 ounces, valued at $2,000. This was the
product from the occasional saving of small placer mines in California.
It consisted principally of platiniridium, and also contained much
iridosmine, some of which was separated for pen points, but the rest
was melted in with the platinum. The Canadian product from the
Similkameen division, British Columbia, is also still small. In 1886 it
amounted to 1,400 ounces, valued at $5,600, and in 1887 to 1,500
ounces, worth $6,000. The product of Russian platinum for 1887 is
stated at 113,724 troy ounces.
An
interesting discovery of a compound of platinum was made at Sudbury,
Ontario, Canada, by Mr. Sperry, chemist of the Canadian Copper Company.
The material was found in a placer resulting from the breaking up of
the copper pyrites which comprises the copper and nickel ore of the
Canadiau Copper Company. Knowing this, Prof. F. W. Clarke has examined
some of the rich specimens of copper pyrites containing nickel obtained
from the body of this ore, and in it has identified this same platinum
compound, thus tracing platinum to its occurrence in place. The compound proves to be arsenide of platinum, PtAs2,
and is the first mineral yet found containing platinum as an important
constituent, other than the natural alloys with various metals of the
platinum group. A considerable quantity of the mineral, which takes the
form of a heavy, brilliant sand composed of minute well-defined
crystals, has been thoroughly investigated by Professor Wells, who
names it "sperrylite," after the discoverer, and the crystals have also
been measured and very completely examined by Professor Pen-field. The
sand is generally found to contain fragments of chalcopyrite,
pyrrhotite, and silicates, which may be removed by treatment, first with
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