San Andreas independent., 1857-06-20

SUGGESTIONS IN QUARTZ MINING.-The reply
of Prof Hardnge to the eletter fthe editor of the
S. ]. Republican, says the Town Talk which we
recently republished, appears to have attracted
nearly as much attention in the interior as the
original announcement of the discovery The
Mariposa Democrat alludes to the process as
likely to be made available, at least so far as re-
CARDS the tailings in quartz mining, and as it
accompanies its remarks with some useful sug-
gestion to operators in quartz, we quote them
for the benefit of our readers. 1t says
As the discovery will shortly be practically
demonstrated to the world, we refrain from
specializing upon its feasibility or efficacy in
rendering the process of quartz mining more
simple, expeditions and profitable. a few ideas
advanced, by way OF inquiry, may not be out
ofplace, and may induce some gentlemen, versed
in the chemical science to venture an opin-
ior as to the manner of the process and the eff
feet it will have on mining operations. Up to
the time we write, we have seen and read of no
process for pulverizing quartz rock, equal in
simplicity and availability to the stamp or the
pounding hammer. 1t forcibly strikes us that
there is scarcely any gold bearing quartz-when
the lode from which it is taken is advantageously
situated for obtaining the ore-that will not paw
a reasonable profit when water power can be
obtained for reducing the rock To crush a ton
of ore by stamps, when water is used as the
motive agent, will cost little over one dollar to
the owner Of the mill. This is a great saving
of expense when compared with the steam driv-
ing power. As in almost every case that we
have seen, we have thought that it would be
more profitable to haul the quartz to water
mill, almost at any distance within ten miles,
than to reduce the ores by a steam engine. Mr..
Hardnges discovery, we presume, will only be
applied to the tailings after leaving the ANAL
gamtng tables, or after all the gold has been
extracted by the ordinary processes in use by
quartz miners. The solubility of all ores is
greatly increased by being finely pulverized, and
IN view of the promised assistance from Mr..
Hardinge, we would suggest to those engaged
IN quartz mining, the expediency, in all cases,
OF SAVING the tailingS for future reduction of the
precious metal attached to the fine grains of
quartz, Or that are so combined with foreign
substance are not to be affected by usual modes
OF operating. Nothing more rapidly and efica-
ciously disintegrates the gold from the sulphu-
Ie's, than exposure of the ores when pulverized.
" tue atmosphere. All that is reouired to
o'isn.en the gold and free it from its foreion
nesano coatlngs is reasonable time of exnos-
ure TO the action of the oxygen of the o+,pos
pnere. we have heard many complaints fror,
quartz miners that they were unable To savo
the gold, after resorting to numerous natent
amaigamators after an expenditure of great cost
ana iapor, and yet when the tailings were rnn
through the mills at a subsequent ner;od oftn.
exposure 10 the air, more gold was obtained
than at the first crushing of the ore Thersfora
we urge on our friends who are engaged IN
quartz operations, the great advantage in savna
the tailings from the mill, for whether there is
or is not truth in Mr.. Hardinges discovery, vet
the gold disintegrated by the atmosphere will
doubly pay for the trouble and delay, the extra
work being only the small task of putting the
tailingS through the mill"