Grass Valley telegraph., 1857-02-28
s"Iphurets--rheir Nature and Treat

same, preparatory to its passage over the
blankets, or through some approved appara-
tus for amalgamation. In no part of the
world is this idea more general than in
California. This fact arises, no doubt, from
the circumstance that here are found great
numbers of veins exceedingly rich in the pre-
cious metal, where but very little attention
is needed to realize almost fabulous returns
Here, men in their anxious haste to get rich,
notstop to study or closely EXAMINE but
pass on from one locality to another, in the
eager search for "great STRIKE" where they
may take out their ''pile" in a few months
/ or years at most. and then go elsewhere 10
enjoy their gains While scanty few are
successful in such practice. tie great mass,
] thus &c OF from one location tc another for
months nj years until they become perhaps
OF niinihg. 1t Was owing to this latter cnar-
aeteristic of our miners that quartz mining
was so well nigh abandoned a few years since
'a this Slate-it is to the wiser policy Of pa
tient aad intelligent appiication-ot study
and close examination, that we now behold
this interest fast taking leading position in
our Industrial pursuits. 1t is to be hoped
that the period is not far distant when full
and thorough investigation of the properties
and condition of our mineral veins shall be
made by men of energy. and of requirements
and experience, which shall fully qualify
them for such task.
Each class of mineral veins is a study of
itself The study of iron alone will occupy
life time; so also OF lead. copper, silver or
gold. The masses of operators, as we have
elsewhere said, cannot 60 into the intricacies
of such studies, but with very little atten-
tion they may be enabled to make an appli-
cation of general principles to particular To-
calities. 1t is a proper exposition of these
principles and their application to some of
our most important veins that we now need.
This is work indeed, the Onps of which should
fall upon the government. Of this matter
we may speak more at length at another
time. We set out to give an account of the
nature and treatment of sulphurets, and will
now return again to our subject.
The sulphuret of iron, or iron pyrites, al
though one of the most common and widely
diffused minerals on the globe, is nevertheless
one of the least understood. Many of its
phenomena are very curious and interesting
notwithstanding the little that is accurately
known Ofthem. It's very combination, even,
is a matter of doubt. Although it is we'll
known that it consists of sulphur and iron,
still the peculiar state in which they are COM
bined, and the condition of its seperate in
gradients during the period of it's combina-
ton, are matters which have never yet been
explained. 1t has not yet been shown whether
these pyrites consists of an aggregation of
sulpur and iron, or a chemical compound
of the two.
Some veins abound with bright gIistening
pyrites of cubical form some with those
Of dull black color and others still with
cellular cavities partially filled with soft and
almost impalpable powder varying from
light to dark brown, which is the resultant
of spontaneous decomposition of the py-
rites, and is called sulphate of iron. Some
of the cavities Of the cellular or ''honey
comb" quartz contain the pure -four of sui
phur unmixed with anything save, perhaps,
a trace of gold. The iron has entirely disap-
peared, through the unbroken and compact
mass of quartz, without leaving even stain
L LII,
How it has thus disappeared none have yet
told us. That these cavities once contained
chrystals of sulphuret of iron there can be
no doubt. What mystic power has formed
them, filled them with hard and perfect
chrystals, and subsequently changed their
condition and removed large portion of
their component parts without in the least
disturbing their nicely formed and delicate
angles, or any portion of the surrounding
and refractory silica, has never yet been
satisfactorily ascertained. There can be lit
! tie doubt, however. that galvanism, the great
opposed agency eg Mature in her woudrous
and invisible iabratory, has acted an import
ant part IN conducting this curious process.
Il has tong been known that in many great
gold bearing veIfs slese sulphurets, although
oceupsEng butt avery small portion of the
mass rhe @re. tssy from 10 8 per cent
only) aevegtleless contain large proper
X ton. and in many cases large majority Of
the gold contained in the entire mass. It is
| furthermore we'll known that the gold is
more readily collected from the quartz itself
than from the sulphuIets, and that the great
discrepancy between the assay and the prac-
tical yield, is mainly owing to the refractory
nature of the sulphurets in yielding up their
portion of the gold. Hence it becomes alb
solutely necessary that the SuLphuretS should
become subject of careful and continuous
study.
Careful experiments have shown that a
process suited to one class of sulphurets will
not answer so we'll for another. This fact
was sufficiently proved by the Russian ex-
periments already alluded to, in the follow
ing manner, and with the annexed results.