The Placer herald., 1865-10-14
Gold Saving...The Mason Process.

For the last three years but little else has
been talked of among the mining men Of
Colorado than some new process of saving
the gold contained in the rich snlphide ores
of our mines. Unfortunately for us, there
has been more of talk than of practical re-
suits. One point appears to have been set.
tled--lhat we must get rid of the sui phur
before the gold can be collected.
To accomplish this variety Of methods
have been proposed and experimental on.
but with Indifferent success. The principal
methods proposed have been the Keith, the
Crosby d. Thompson, and the reberatory
furnace. All these have been used with
some degree of success, and yet there is. in
employing them, constant liability to Stag
the ores or partially melt them, and when
treated by these processes It is still difficult
matter to anna gamae them.
Mr.. Kenyon has now introduced process
for which he claims exemption from all these
defects. 1t is nothing more or less than the
dlsintegraling process, concerning which we
published several communications from New
York, last winter.
BY the desulphurizing process we have
mentioned, the ores were directly acted on
10y the fire. and were roasted. BY this pro,
cess, while they are completely desul phur,zed
they are not roasted at all. The process is IA
very simple one. The furnace employed.
when properly constructed. would resemble
perpetual li,ne-burner, such as are used in
The States, with stack to carry oft the
smoke fumes and sulphurlc acid. Connect
ed with and opening into the lower extrem
i,y of this furnace, or air chamber, is a char
coal furnace capable of receiving tileer
bushels of charcoal. When properly con
structed a steam pipe will pass from the en-
gine boiler of the mill into cast iron super
heating chamber, to he placed in this furn
ace. From this super heater another steam
pipe passes out in front of the furnace. an,
is so bent as to present the discharge directly
through an oritice in the door of the charcoal
furnace, but at distance of few inches
from it. Thus much forthe apparatus.
The olking is as follows: The ore cham
Der is filled with ores. either unbroken or as
they came from the mine, or what is far bet'
ter, reduced to the size of a hens egg, in a
Blake or other crusher This ore chamber
may be constructed so as to hold any guam
tty Of ore, varying from one to a hundred
luns. For economy, large ole chambers
should be used, because they require very
little if any more fuel than small ones. A
charge of fifteen bushels of charcoal is placed
in the fire chamber and ignited; when once
under way steam is admitted to the super
heater where the steam is heated to an in.
tense heat. 1t then passes out of the tube
toward the aperture in the door of the fire
chamber, aud passes in, carrying with it
large amount of atmospheric air. The steam
and air combine with the flame and carbon
of the coal, and together pass into the air
chamber. permeating the whole mass and
the desul phurization commences. Lest the
ores may be heated to melting point the
ore chamber is supplied with number Of
pipes bringing to it the exhaust steam Of the
engine. This serves to keep down the heat
When the work of desu phurizing is COM
menced, but itt!e hsa, is required, only
enough to super.heat the steam.
Fifteen bushels of coal per day have been
found sufficient for furnace of any size not
constructed. In the course of ten hours the
ore in the lower portion of the furnace will
be completely desu phurzed, and may be
time an equal amount may be put in at the
top, so Il at when the work is once com
menced it may be carried on for an indefinite
length of time, or unit tho furnace is burnt
out. The ores we have examined are cer-
lainly very nicely treated.
The desuIp Iphurizalion is very complete, and
the ores are SO friable as to be readily crush-
cd or reduced in any kind of pan or aras
ira. Properly they should, however, first be
passed through Cornish rollers. me most
particular part Of this treatment is that the
ores desuI phurized by this process do not cut
or -four the quicksilver, but on the contrary
there is no loss of that metal, and the amaIi
gamalion of the gold and silver contained in
the ores is instantaneous
Colorado Mining Register.