Case 512

January 31st 1890
P.
Transcription

Gold is a metal of a yellow colour. It has been called the "king of metals," because it is the most precious of them. It is the most eagerly sought for by man, in its natural state. It is the most highly prized when manufactured. In its coined state it is another name for wealth or money. Gold in its native state in never pure. It is always mixed or alloyed with other metals- most frequently with silver, copper, or iron. It is found in three different forms: sometimes in little cubes deposited in a white sparkling rock called quartz; sometimes in thin crystals in silver mines and copper mines; sometimes in rounded grains in beds of sand. Most gold is found in the last of these forms. The sand in which it is found is the waste of crystal-line rocks, washed away and deposited in hollows and in beds of streams. The gold is obtained from the sand sifting and washing, and by breaking down the pieces of quartz found among it. The men who do this work are called gold-washers. And very laborious work it is, as a very large quantity of sand has to be washed before even a small quantity of gold can be obtained. Sometimes, however, a gold-seeker is so fortunate as to come