Poison

Harley_Goldman · April 6, 2020, 4:47pm

I just got back from 8 days in the desert. I found this drum in a wash downstream from a mine. I made the image more a weird historical reminder than a wall hanger. I assume it was used looking for either silver or gold? It was a very rough mine, a few feet dug out of a wall and buckets all around filled with some kind of big rock flakes. I treaded softly and kept my dog out of there. I assume any poison washed out decades ago, but why risk it.

I brought out the print as well as I could manage. It is pretty faded on the drum.

Preston_Birdwell · April 6, 2020, 5:19pm

Creepy! I can read “cyanide”, but can’t read the word to its left. Do you recall what it is?

I do know that certain cyanide compounds were used to extract gold from crushed ore.
-P

Harley_Goldman · April 6, 2020, 5:52pm

As far as I can tell, it says SCOHIM CYANIDE. It was really tough to read out in the field.

Paul_Breitkreuz · April 6, 2020, 6:40pm

Harley, some ugly remains from yesteryear. Yep they used cyanide for gold extractions back then. The top white lettering says Poison.
After seeing the movie Dark Water recently mankind’s chemical usage & mistakes can sure bring about a lot of damage.

Ian_Wolfenden · April 7, 2020, 7:42am

Something of a museum piece, Harley - well worth a shot in my view !

Bonnie_Lampley · April 7, 2020, 9:57pm

Perhaps the “SOCHIM” was the manufacturer. Below that looks like some indication of mixing ratios, maybe - I can make out 160 lb. / 90…something.

Cyanide is still used for gold extraction - gold mining companies build giant heap-leach pads to process ore.

Jim_Gavin · April 8, 2020, 12:22am

I think it is probably sodium cyanide although it doesn’t quite look like that. Now that I look more closely the word does seem to be sodium.

Lon_Overacker · April 11, 2020, 8:27pm

Haryley,

I guess “great find” isn’t quite appropriate here… perhaps “nasty” find… This certainly tells a story, historical, good or bad and as mentioned, worth of the photograph.

I can see why you kept your distance… I wonder if you could have zoomed in, and/or I expect you have enough pixels in your original, to just zoom right in to the word “poison” with the surrounding texture and rusted colors for an alternate look.

Lon