Note on a large lump of Gold found on the Middle fork of the American River.
BY PROF. WM. P. BLAKE.
In July last, a mass of gold nearly free from quartz, was taken out of a placer on the Middle Fork of the American River, about two miles above Michegan Bluffs. It weighed, as taken out, 187 ounces troy, and sold for $17.50 per ounce, netting the finder $3,272.50. In melting, a loss of six ounces was experienced. There was a further loss to the purchaser, from the poor quality of the gold, the assay return of which I have not yet been able to obtain. The ordinary gold of the claim is worth $17.50. It is a singular fact, often remarked by dealers, that the large lumps of gold are almost always poorer in quality than the smaller ordinary grains from the same placers.