Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-03-29

or Person ore was not yet finished, and promise
given that i should We.wia take up
this again shall get tile leisure. In
stead of consisting nanl was stated of the black
oxide Of copper, the main body OF the ore, on which
its value will depend, is Copper Glance or NITROUS
Copper having associated with it small amount
only Of Black Oxide Carbonate of Copper Sui phate
of Copper witk perhaps one two other of this
metal The economical value Of the ore is still the
per and the facility Of reduction.o i with any
with SO small difference that may be elected
E A. The of copper that is most frequently met
with in North Carolina is Copper Pyrites composed
when quite pure, of Sulphur Copper, and Iron in
nearly equal tons of each. There
is little more than third of sulphur and little
less than third of iron. This is the principal ore
at the Frentress mine in Guilford The only sub-
stance which there is danger of ones installing for
it is IRON Pyrtes the 5isulphuret of iron. This
the Iron Pyrites, is of light tin yellow colour
/ the Copper Pyrites of orange yellow. sThe iron
is very hard, so as to give fire with steel the
| copper ore may be scratched with the point of a
| knife. They often mixed in the same specimen,
which is a mass of Iron Pyrites, with small grains
nodules of Copper Pyries scattered through it,
| the reverse. g-.4..s 5ga --E .-.s
The processes for smelling Copper Pyrites very
tedious The iron and sulphur have to be separated
from the copper, and no short method has hitherto
been devised of accomplishing this. The sulphur
has to be burnt Off, and the iron to be oXydiZed, and
melted along with common sand or white flint, so as
to be taken out of the furnace pretty nearly in the
condition of the cinders that around black
below the melting point, and four MEETINGS, are re-
quired to accomplish this.
The great seat Of this business is at Swansea in
South Wales, where there Is separate establish
ments, of which turn out from 40 to so tons of
fine copper per week. More than half of the copper
that is brought year by year, into the market of the
world is made at this place. The facilities for carry
ing the work so great the skill of the work
men far ahead of what is commonly found else
where, that ores shipped to Swansea from Aus
traia, Chill, and Cuba and L suppose it probable
that some part of what has been raised in Guilford
County, n C., in former years, may have been car
red to the same market. The processes of reduc-
ton follows: .-....
l. The ores are roughly sorted and mixed in such
way to contain about 81 eight and half per
cent of copper; go 20. per cent is sand white
flint, and this proportion, something like it, is re-
quired to take up the oxide of iron that is formed
during the operation. The charge of ore is from
three tons to three and half and the roasting lasts
for hours when the materials drawn out through
holes in the bottom of the calciner.
2. The roasted ore is put into another furnace and
melted, one charge after another; the Stag which is
lighter than the impure metal and floats upon
it, being raked off, till the basin of the furnace is
full when its contents out into water which
graduates the coarse metal it is called and fits it
for the next operation of roasting. The charge is
ton and half; the work goes constantly, and
five charges are finished in q hours Something
more than one per cent of copper is ost-cannot be
separated from the Stag.
8. A repetition of the first roasting process, on
the product of the second or the coarse metal the
main object being to oxydize the iron. The charge
is three and half tons, AMI the operation lasts "a
hours.
4. A repetition of No g. The mass now contains
about 60 per cent of pure copper.
5. Repetition of the first process, charge tons,
lasts "a hours.
6. The second or melting operation over again.
There is from 70 to so per cent of pure metal.
7. Final roasting-lasts from 10 to "a hours, the
principal object being still to all the IRON
g. Last or refining opcration-2O hours.
IA he in q rife
is tedious business, requiring large expenditure
of material time, and labour. Also with the facts
that have been stated in view have the means of
ascertaning with some approach to accuracy, when
a copper mine may, may not be wortiI working,
and the reasons why
Pig copper is quoted at this time in New York at
from 80 to 81 cents the pound We have that
Copper Pyrtcs contains about third of its weight
of copper, little it should have, according to
our theories experiments give little less. The
whole OF the copper cannot be obtained by any
smelling process now in use. 4 little will remain
in the condition of oxide of copper in the Stag We
may assume, therefore, that pound of pure Pyrtes
has available copper in it, of the value of o cents
But from this is to be deducted the expense of trans
porting the ore, to the furnace where it is to be
duced the cost of the reduction, which at Swansea
amounts to between fourth and third of the price
of the ore ITSELF and the profits of the owners of the
smelling houses, and of the different agents through
whose hands the the metal will have to pass. !
These taken together, will hardly be less than one
half OF the value of the If therefore, place
the value OF pure copper PyrltcS at cents the |
pound, when dressed and ready for delivery at the
mouth of the mine, it will probably be high |
price as it is likely to have in the market. Any
one, then, who has copper pyrites on his land may
satisfy himself whether not the vein is worth
working, simply by ascertaning whether after set
ting aside enough to meet the other expenses of
the mine there will remain something like pounds
day of pure copper pyrites its equivalent mix
ture OF copper and iron pyrites, for each hand en-
ployed. '5s r. ..-g.-. =.f -
B. At McIver's mine on Rocky River, in Chatham
County, there is Varegated Copper or Purple Copper
mixed and associated elsewhere, with other ores
of this metal and of iron. This is valuable
ore than the pyrites, not perfectly uniform in its
composition, but containing about double the guam
tty of copper that is in the pyrites 1t is smelted in
the same way, or rather it is thrown into the fur
along with the pyrites and the principal advan-
tage is that there is larger yield and less iron to
be gotten rid of do not know that it occurs else
where in North Carolina than at this Chatham mine.
1t may be distinguished by the Red bud or Peach
blossom colour it assumes after having been exposed
for some time to the air. q. gSs3.
G. Carbonate of Copper This is in this State the
most deceptive of all the ores of this metal. Its
green colour attracts attention and makes it very
evident that at least some copper is present But it
IS commonly just thin plating the surface of the
slate or other rocks or they are merely stained by
t. 1t is not in such quantity as to give it any the
east value It is often accompanied bv the specu-
ar oxide of iron. so @
d. Black Oridc Of Copper. This has been met
With IN some places-associated in small quantity
With the other oreshaving been produced by chan
res which they have undergone. Contains 79 Sc in
IN hundred of copper 3 S q
E. Copper Glance. This Person or Granville ore I
do not know IN which county It is---somewhere 2