Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-12-05

after being heated up for about an hour,
twenty-6ye pounds Of salt are added and the
heat continued, with constant stirring, for
about t~hree-ouarters OF IN hour more, when
il is removed from the furnace and conveyed,
when cold, to,tubs Of about Eve feet in diAme-
ter and fty.six inches deep, furnished with
perforated false bottoms covered with camous
well caulked round the sides), on which is
| placed a strainer wicker work. On this il
thrown eight hundred pounds Of the stuff as
il comes from the c%hlorinizing furnaces, and
upon It is poured a hot and nearly saturated
| solution of salt. The temperature should not
be lower than 10 deg.r4 hrenheit, nor the
strength below 43 deg. Of Twaddle's hydrom-
eter. This il allowed 70 rest awhile, and the
LIQUOR filtered of into smother similar tub,
but containing waste copper clippings or
| filings about three inches deep. Here the
metallic silver is precipitated by the copper,
after which the solution containing copper,
which has replaced; the aiyer, is drawn off
into a third or fourth tub containing iron
clippings, in which the copper, in its turn, is
recovered by precipitation on the surface Of
the metallic iron. DO
The fine crystalline metallic silver is then
separated from the copper BY agitation and
washing, and at once melted into bars.
The precipitated copper is treated in the
same manner, while the furnace products.
deprived Of their silver in the first tub, are
taken to the reducing furnace, where the me-
tallic copper is melted out and refined in the
usual manner. DOC 81,
In comparing the Nevada system Of work
ing with these various processes it will be
seen to consist Of an adaptation Of the Next
can or Peruvian methods with the Freiburg
a. -l.-okx tho nnrnAa4aH snlphtAaa aPa
rapidly though imperfectly reduced during
the process of final pulverization in iron
pans, through the Intervention Of sulphate OF
copper and salt. Very little can be said in
favor of the other chemical substances EN-.
ployed, many OF them being totally inactive,
and some of them positively injurious. Sui
phuric acid in some cases appears to act
beneHcially in generating hydrochloric acid,
which dissolyes the iron scales formed in the
pans and floating on the surface Of the mer-
curry, which prevents contact and ~amalgana-
ton with the silver Of the ore. The value OF
sodium in amalgamation still remains to be
proved on the working scale, although the re-
suits il the laboratory Of my friend Crooks
1.-THE discovercr Of its peculiar properties) are
very remarkable. "a -.
The mechanical part Of the operation ap.
pears to have arrived at the highest degree Of
perfection, BY means Of improved stamps for
coarse grinding and the various and excellent
pans in use for final pulverization, each be-
ing iudiciously adapted TO the work it il best
calculated to perform in the most economical
manner.
Although during the last few years many
very ingenious plans for crushing have been
introduced, the old Cornish stamp still car
ries off the palm for rapid and cheap coarse
grinding. It has been superseded by the
Wheeler pan and other similar contriyances
for impalpable pulverization, while the two
together form probably the most perfect
quartz mill that can be constructed.
1t is to improved methods OF amalgama-
ton we must look for the means Of reducing
the heavy loss of silver now being sustained
in working the Comstock ores; and it is very
gratifying to find our mill men arc seriously
and earnestly turning their attention in this
direction.