Grass Valley telegraph., 1857-02-28
Liquifying StOne--ImpOrfant Discovery
Hts Application to Gold Mining.

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Hts Application g Gold Whining
AS this subject, at the present time, is ex-
citing no small degree of interest all over the
world, perhaps we cannot devote column
to better use than in giving some account Ct
the process and its objects. n
The process of dissolving stone was first
discovered in England, in 1874 by f. Ran
some, of Ipswich. The advantages sought
for by the process were numerous. He first
sought to produce cement by which he
could bind together different stoney substan-
ces for variety of purposes. He sought to
produce different kinds of artificial stone,
adopted to the various purposes for which
natural stones are usually applied, both the
proportions and the character of the ingre-
dient to be varied as circumstances might re-
quire. By using the coarser description OF
grits he hoped to form grinding stones of all
kinds, and that with uniformity of texture
never met with in the best natural stones
Auy degree Of hardness or porosity might
also be given, by varying the quantity OF sid
icato employed, ana sobjecting it to great
ar er less degree of heat
Afull description OF MIR. Ransome's pro-
cess is given in the Scientific American, Of
5.n a, 1857 with an Illustrative diagram
/ subsequently to this, as we understand it,
IL idea vas taken up by Mr.. Benz. Harding,
/ fqnerly of Cincinnati, Ohio, but now Of
NV York city. Mr.. H. has greatly simpli
fId and improved the process of Mr.. Ran
sdne, and secured patents for the same, both
athome and abroad. By his process quartz
rdk can be reduced to a perfectly liquid
site, in few minutes so as to be as limped
asthe purest spring water. in which state
evIry particle of metal which it contains
must be precipitated to the bottom, and so
conditioned that it can be readily secured
and separated
The Scientific American, in speaking of
thesubject Of liquifying stone, says: 1T may
beasked, 'what is the use of being at such
trpuble to reduce stone to liquid what use
cal be made of this stone liquid ~ If we
tale some common salt and dissolve it in
waer until we obtain strong brine, and
thel apply it with a brush to stone wall,
thewater will soon evapOrate and leave the
wal coated with salt in fine crystals. But
as he salt is soluble in pure water, it will
sool be washed away from the wall with
rai1s. If instead Of salt, we dissolve quartz,
in the form Of sand. or powder, and apply
this liquid to a wall. its water of solution will
also evaporate. and leave coat of crystal
glass on the wall but as it is insoluable in
pure water, it cannot be washed off with
rain Its usefulness, then. as coating for
gravel walls, which are easily penetrated
with rains, is therefore apparent. This is
one Of the intended applications of liquid
stone, or soluble glass.
Rnt tho rndnntinn of qnartz to a liquid
state by the process referred to, involves
vast range of other applications to the arts
chemical and mechanical. A pamphlet has
just been published by the inventor, from
which we learn that the process is intended
for special application to reduce gold quartz
to liquid state, and extract every particle of
the precious metal from it. Prof John l..
Moffat, late U. S. Assayist, certifies that he
has investigated the philosophy of the pro-
cess, and has satisfied himself of it's practical
bility."
Faraday and Marshall of London, it is said
have also endorsed the usefulness of the dis
covery. Supported by such authority, and
$50 general in its adaptations, it may we'll be
considered an important discovery.
The inventor describes his process for dis
solving the quartz for mining purposes, in
substance as follows:
"There is a calcining kiln, holding about
twenty tuns of quartz. The floor, CRATE and
trap-bridge are upon decliUity at an angle
OF about 80 deg. to facilitate its tumbling in
to the cold tank, fed by pipe leading the
cold water down near the bottom while the
warm water is conducted off at the surface.
The quartz, thus rendered friable and some
What porous, is tum6led again into scoop
platform of like descent into the battery for
crushing. From the mill the pulverized
4""A w hlAuo 1Go way, Ny d COuGlIuOuS cts
cent, into the great boiler, being first satu-
rated on its passage thence with small
quantity of the cheapest solvents rendered
caustic by lime,
A tun of quartz thus prepared 81 time is
conducted into the boiler together with sew
era barrels of water, and water only.
lhes, by the powerful chemical action, and
the happy resaiG Of an advantage taken by
highly heated steam upon the susceptible
quar- z, in addition to the latent heat. (and
the dry heat under the boiler) as well as hu.
mid heat the quartz being first rendered
porous and saturated with an incredibly
small quantity of the cheapest solvent salts
and other agents, a perfect solution of one
tun OF quartz, in three hundred gallons O
water, IS perfected in one hour.
The solvent used is common salt. The
principle, in this particular patent, is the in
PRODUCTION of highly heated steam through
a hollow shaft to the bottom of the dioester