sdcfia
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- Sep 28, 2014
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What does that famous photo prove? Nothing, specifically, but It can be argued that the apparent mass of metal Ova is holding may likely have come from a metal smelting operation. It wasn't slag, as slag is a waste product skimmed from the surface of molten metal in a furnace. The slag is disposed of, as there is virtually no recoverable metal in it, although when crushed, can be used for such things as railroad bed ballast, etc.....
That said, it seems equally likely that of all the things someone might fake, a big piece of slag wouldn't be in the top 10 list. The idea that it would even occur to someone to fake a big piece of slag like that seems unlikely. To me, this alone lends a great deal of credence to the legitimacy of the Victorio Peak treasure.
More likely, it was smelted metal from a spill, a common occurrence when transferring molten metal from a furnace to a mold. Or it could possibly be a chunk of solidified metal remaining in the bottom of the furnace. The big question - what kind of metal is the piece? If it was old crude-smelted gold, usually about 60%, it should be considerably tarnished to a darker color. The same with copper, unless it was melted and cast native copper, which was the first recovery of that metal at Santa Rita del Cobre back in the 1700s. No way to tell from a B&W photo.