Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-06-10
The New FIux for silver and Copper.

The following, which we find in Wednes-
days Ala, may be interesting to those en-
gagged in making silver bars. Not being wise
in metallurgy, We are unable to give or form
an opinion as to the value of the alleged dis
covery:
Last fall considerable excitement was caused in
this city BY report that an extensive mine Of
cadmium had been discovered in Contra Costa
county. and that the ore had proved to be so good
a tlux TOR copper and silver that the business of
reducing the ores of those metals would be revo-
lutonized. A company was formed for the pur-
pose of building smelling furnace, in which the
new material was TO be tried on a large scale.
These reports were a nine days wonder, and fur
uished subjects for number Of newspaper arti'
cles, and then were forgotten. No furnace was
built no ore was smelted, no revolution took
place in the methods of obtaining silver and cop
per from this vein stone.
The matter, however, has not been dropped.
Mr. James T. McDougal, who discovered the pc.
culiar deposit in Contra Costa county, and who
first attached importance to il, says the material
is not an ore of cadmium, but a fusible hydrosili-
cate of alumna; and he has lately obtained from
the United states Government patent for the ex-
elusive privilege of using that substance as fuN
for copper and silver. The fusible hydrosilicaie
Of alumina is yellow earth hard as a rock
near the suface, but underground almost as soft
moisture which passes of at q heat of 2S00o and
at the same time the clay melts into glass and
serves as an excellent lux Mr.. McDougal claims
that il is indispensable tiuX and thinks it will
be used extensively by miners in this state. For
the purpose of giving public demonstration of
its value he intends to erect furnace at the Me-
chanics' Fair and smelt ores there He asserts
that there is no cadmium in the material, and he
SAYS that he knows of two extensive deposits of
this hydrosilicate of alumina, which can be de-
livered in San Francisco for i've dollars per ton.
From fifty to a thousand pounds will be required
in smelling ton OF copper or silver, the amount
of the tluS depending upon various circumstances,
one of which is the quantity of iron in the ore.
The purpose of the copper Smelter is TO drive
off the sulphur, separate the iron, and protect
the copper from oxidation and TO obtain this
purpose the Swansea Smelters put the ore through
six or eight processes, in each of which the heat
Is raised TO a very high degree Mr. HcDougal
claims that all the effect Of the halfdozen Swan
sea smeltings will be obtained in one smelling
with the fusbe hydrosilicate of alumina The
ore and fuN both pulverized, will be exposed to
heat of 2jO0o, which will drive off all the sui
phur, while the and hux remain as a loose
powder; then at sS0Oo the water chemically COM
bined with the hux will be given off as super
heated steam, under the influence Of which the
whole mass will melt; the iron will combine with
the silica in yitreous silicate of iron which will
cover the metallic copper and prevent its oxyda-
ton; and the copper by its superior specific grav
ity, will sink to the bottom in condition nearly
pure. Perhaps ton of coal would be required
for ton of orc, and the total expense of smelling
in a furnace, situated near the coal or copper
mine, might be $40 per ton.
The total shipment of copper from San
Francisco amounts to nearly one hundred tons
per day The average value of the copper in this
ore is perhaps 500 per ton, but the price paid
here for the ore is about onehaf the value of the
copper. If the hope of Mr.. McDougal should be
realized the miner would get nine-tenths instead
of one-half of the value of the copper ; much ore
now thrown away could be worked; many mines
now worthless would become valuable; many
places now desolate would become populous, and
California would become one of the first Of the
per-producing countries. We have satisfied
ourselves, by inquiry and examination that these
hopes are not wild, nor without some foundation
in reason for on small scale the tiux appears to
succeed admirably; but the proof Of the success
on an extensive scale is still wanting. Mr.. Nc.
Dougal says that the only reason why this proof
was not given months ago, is that Others wished
to deprive him of the benefits of his discovery and
he determined to postpone all large experiments
until he should have obtained his patent.