The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-06-17
A Revelation in Mining.

A Revolution In MIXING.
From The X. Y. Tribune. June Il.
Gold and Silver are very good things
TO have, provided they can he used
bas Robinson Crusoe would have gladly
snapped his lump Of the yellow ore, q
lump Is big as bis head, for Its weight
IN tenpenny nails, simply because II
was useless for his purposes. Gold and
silver, whether in big Jumps or little,
add nothing TO the wealth ofs country,
beyond q certain point tito bring them
into uae costs more than they are worth.
Our mineral wealth, enormous ss il iE,
has these limits. first that only a ceI-
tain portion of il can be made ayaila-
BILE because Of the cost of separating
the precious metals from the ore; and,
secondly, that 3 still larger portion is OF
no value, since they cannot be separs
ted At all Any process which shall
cheapen the extraction Of gold and sill
yer from their ores, viii add Immensely
10 our national means, and II 1t car
efiectually unlock those that are not
now reached st all. q new source Of
wealth is opened to US of incalculsble
value DR. j. C. Aver, the well known
chemist of New England, has recently
hit upon a method Of ~disintegrstion
and desuiphurization Of ores, which, if
il does az all that is promised of it, will
make not only the fortune OF those who
are connected with him in the owner
ship Of the patents, but add largely 20
the wealth Of the Nation. If this meth~
cd shall prove successful we are about
10 witDess a revolution in mining which
will 50 add TO our national resources IS
10 make not only the payment of the
public debt an easy matter, but which
viii influence the commerce Of the
world.
It is claimed for this new process
that it is effectual IN the disintegration
and desulphurization of rock and ores
by the application of liquid or liquid go
lutions while in a heated state. The
rock OF ore IL rendered soft and friable
aud may be easily reduced TO powder,
while the volatile metals are, at the
same time, expelled and the base met
ais oxydized. This leaves the gold and
silver free for amalgamation.
By the ordinary method Of grinding
and stamping rock, the gold therein
contained is 80 comminuted, that q
large portion Of il eludes the mercury
and Is lost. However finely the rock be
pulverized, it is found, under the mi.
~eroscope, TO be merely split into pieces
or chips Of stone, each of which eon
tsins gold within itself, beyond the
reach of mercury, and which is, Of
course lost IN the one case the metal
Is lost because it is itself ground and
reduced too fHe to be obtained; in the
other, becsuse il is not released at all.
No successful method of overcoming
these difficulties has hitherto been dis
covered, and, consequently, under the
system Of extraction now in use, miners
ouly get about one-third Of the gold
therein contained.
DR. Ayers process appears 10 obviate
these difficulties, for while it aggre-
gates the precious metals into globules,
by the natural action of heat il de-
stroys the molecular adhesion Of the
integral particles Of the stone, render.
ing il friable like chalk. It. in fact
disintegrates the rock into It's atoms,
90 that il may be easily rubbed np into
powder. So eAectusI is the atomic
separation that flint glass, OF the hard
est quartz or sgate Is made TO absorb
water like a sponge. Hence il is claim
ed that ores, treated by it, yield nearly
All the precious metals they contain
()ver 90 per ceat) for the usual means
Of extraction. The process not only
destroys the rock without dividing the
gold and silver, but also expels. by
chemical action, and volatile metals,
such q arsenic, anthony or bismuth,
whose presence iorbids RmalgAmation
by mercury while, If sulphureis are
present, the oxygen Of the decomposed
water, used in the process, unites with
the base metals, which remain As OK
ides, and the sulphur, uniiing with the
hydrogen, goes of in clouds OF sulphur
eted hydrogen, Hence mines that have
been abandoned because they could
not although rich be proftAbly worked
for any OF The above reasons, may now
afford 3 munihcent return, and even
the tailIugs Of the working mines
yield more gold than has hitherto been
obtained from the mines themselves bv
the old method. Highly suIphureted
ores are frequently among the richest
that are found, but they have been
nearly worthless, in consequences ofthe
iusuPerable difficulties OF extracting
the metals from them New those diff.
cultiee sppear 10 be wholly removed
difficulties which have locked within
the rocks an untold amount of hui,
Hon The great Poine gained, then are
J. The integral separation Of stone
into its atoms, which grinding. stamp
ing or pulveriFfng can but imperfecly
accomplish.
; Decentralization Of sulnhu-eted
rocks and ores, snd their publication
from contaminatsng metais
J. Expulsion Of the volatile metsls
4 Oxydizatio1 Of the base metals
and separation therefrom Of he nre-
cious metals held in combination.
And, these points gained. il Il es.;.
msted that the process viii yield a
working average. say, from eighty 10
ninety per cent Of the precious metals
oontsined in any kind Of rock or ore,
and net less than twice IS much as Is
obtained By any method now in use
But beside this there is an immense
saving IN the expense Of mining. AZ
The costly machinery and poxer for
stamping are dispensed with. and De
apparatus required Is cheap, and NAV
be built anywhere The following est.
mate is made:
4so sverige cost q stamping machinery
y NE ninos Is ST,ooe per stamp. tOpe
stamp can pulvefize about one TIM nar A.
4ae average eCst Of machinery 70
stamp loo tans per day.. Sfee. eao
ne average cost of furnscesio afs-
lniegrsie ead desulphurirs 100