Grass Valley telegraph., 1856-03-11
From the Sacramento Daily UniOn.l
Important Aiacovery---A New Process
for saxinS Gold,


The blowing letteF written to DR.. F. W.
Hatch, of this city, has been kindly handed
to us By him for publication. The signers are
distinguished chemists and mineraiogists, and
natives Pf France. One of the gentlemen car
ries with him an experience of twenty years
as a chemist, mineralogist and practical min
er in Chilli Years have been spent by them
in experimsnts to perfect the process by which
they claim to be able to detect and save
gold in large quantities where all other
known No. Of operating have failed to de-
velop and sa it. The results Of their as
says of tailings.And black sand, as stated in
their letter, are truly astonishing. and if ev-
en- one quartef they claim can be accom-
plished by the aid of their newly discovered
chemical process for saving gold, the discov-
cry will prove the introduction of a new era
in mining in this State. Gold is our great
staple, and any scientific discovery or inven-
ton calculated to insure an increased pro-
duct of gold dust, should interest every man
in the State
These gentlemen have spent weeks in
Amador county, and so far as we can learn
their experiments satisfied all those who took
the pains to examine the results, of the reali-
ty as we'll as the great value of the discov-
cry. We have seen specimens of the dust
extracted from fine black sand, and from that
more coarse, or what is termed "hydrate of
IRON" The process, Of course, is only known
to those gentlemen, who claim to be the dis
coverers. The chemicals are not costly, can
be made by themselves, and, as before re-
marked. if future experiments, on a more eX-
tended field, exhibit results one quarter as
great as those shown by the assays made on a
limited scale, the road to wealth may be said
to be open before them. But in thus accumu-
lating wealth, as the reward of long scienti-
fic research, they must confer lasting bene-
fit not alone upon the miner, for the world
will be included. 1t will cost comparatively
but trif1e to put up the works necessary to
test this process thoroughly, and we are glad
to learn that the incipent steps have been
taken in Amador to fully determine its value
practically as a gold saving agent. The
plan of operating, as we understand it, will
before the Company, which has been already
formed. to put up works for assaying ON an
extended SCALE these to be located in prop
er position, and then assay tailings, black
sand, &C., &c. as they may be brought in
from the surrounding mills and mines-the
Company to assay for a certain portion, or
pay given price for the sand or tailings to
the owner.
Those wishing to inquire more particularly
about this discovery may obtain information
from DR.. Hatch, at his Office on Second st.
1t is known that millions have been wasted
in this State for lack of the necessary know1-
edge to enable the owners of quartz lodges
and mills to save the gold after che rock was
crushed. Hundreds of experiments have been
made with amalgamating machines which
proved failures, and, if models of all these
machines could be gathered into one room,
they would form real cabinet of curiosties
in the shape of inventions to save gold.
This new process may furnish the key to
unlock that book of knowledge so essential to
the highest success in mining We hope a
consummation so devoutly to be wished by
quartz miners may certainly follow the more
extended experiments yet to be made by
these scientific and persevering gentlemen.
Such an expenditure of intellect and labor
merit success.
NJ. Chevalier and his partner are now in
this city, and will visit San Francisco to
purchase such machinery and materials as
may be needed for the works to be erected
in Amador..
Below welgive the letter, which we think
will be generally read:
SUFFER- CREEK, Amador Co.,
, r., Feb. 1st, 1856.
DEAR SIR We left for a Journey in the
quartz mines of Amador County, and here is
our promised report of them. g Herei Uidi.
Uici," proudly wrote the great Roman, and
prouder would we feel, if after having van
quished nature, we could write that we had
vanquished also the prejudices of quartz
operators in their injudicieus proceedings
Truth, no matter how kindly expressed, is al
ways unpalatable to those whose want of
knowledge is forcibly shown by its exposi-
ton, but as chemists and mineralogists, we
imposed upon ourselves duty for the benefit
of the whole country, and we now publicly
discharge it, in giving fearlessly the results
of our assays and practical Investigations.
The quartz veins or spurs in Amador are
Immensely rich, and, so far, but sparingly
worked. In point of naturalization they are
perfect. and promise to rival, if not to super
cede IN continuation any mines of the same
formation known in the world. Apart from
the gold perceivable in the rock, the greatest
amount of gold lays in the different sulphur
cts OF IRON and copper, which they abundant
ly contain; as well as in the hydrates, car
burets and oxides of iron. All these envelop
the gold in its metallic but almost impalpable
state, and nothing but chemical and metal
lurgic treatment of these different ores will
compel them to abandon the gold to a good
process of amalgamation, and hinder them
from interfering with the reunion of the
amalgamated atoms at the separation from
the sands.