Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-09-03

months, over sac, 900 in silver bullion.
In the Spring Of 1866, Mr.. A. W. Mason,
the agent of the company above alluded
to, recommended to his company its
purchase. He was at once authorized
to buy; and in due time the company
found themselves owners of the control
ing interest in the mine. Meantime
other parties in the States, a%ppreciating
its value, ordered Mason to buy out all
the balance of the old owners, for their
own private account; and thus was
placed in his control the entire mine,
consisting Of two thousand feet. This
being accomplished, the reduction
works, though incomplete, were put in
operation, and the first run Of 800 tons
gave the handsome return of S25. 900 in
fine bullion. It was found, however,
that the simple reduction Of the ore to
metal was but about one half the pro-
cess. The ore consists Of In oxide Of
lead and anthony, and much Of it COM
bined in the form of az antimoniate of
lead. The silver is calculated by the lead
and autimony At the rate Of from $50 to
$500 per ton Of ore, and it is confidently
believed that the average yield Of sill
yer, per ton, win vary little from 500.
The product Of the smelling operation
is an alloy of lead, anthony and silver.
The metal obtained is in weight about
Fifty per cent. Of the ore. The antimo-
ny in this alloy ranges from thirty to
forty-fve per cent. To seperate these
metals two distinct processes are re-
quired, and in furnaces peculiarly
adapted to each operation. In the first,
the anthony is volatilized and driven
off, leaving an alloy Of pure lead and
silver. This operation is called calciu-
ing. In the second, the lead is oxidiz-
ed, forming what is called litherage,
and run of, leaving the silver alone in
the furnaces, in large cakes of $4,000
to $4,000 each. This operation is
called cupelliug. On proving the read
mess with which the smelling Of this
ore could be performed, aud the guam
| tity that each Of the newly constructed
smelling furnaces would reduce daily,
il was found that q large increase in
the refining capacity was necessary to a
proper adjustment of the works. Four
new calciniug furnaces are now nearly
completed, and the single cupelling fur
mace now in operation is TO be immedi-
ately doubled. This will give the
works a reducing capacity of fifteen
tons per day, and a product Of $1,000
per day in silver alone. The pure lead
which is reduced from the litherage will
after the loss incident to the operation,
amount to four tons daily. This will
be piled up to await the call of the To-
| connective whistle which the Central
Pacific Railroad Company is expected
to sound within a mile Of these works,
before another year shall have closed.
At the present market rates for lead in
| San Francisco, it alone would pay two
| thirds the entire cost Of mining, haul
ing and reducing, besides the cost OF
transportation to the terminus Of the
railroad. The antinony-though small
part ofthis metals saved-willc constitute
no small item in the returns from these
works. The mine, asdeveloped at pres
eut, shows in what, without e~xageration,
can be called magnificent proportions.
The ledge is solid ore from wall to wall,
and measures from fifteen to twenty-five
feet Adits and inclines have shown
up at least ten thousand tons Of ore,
which four men are now taking down
from a breast twenty-five feet in hight,
and supplying the teams with sixteen
tons per day. The Company has con-
tracted for the hauling Of FIVE thousand
tons to its works, Of which, the con-
tractors have now piled up at the furna-
ces some eight hundred tons as a pro-
vision against bad roads and stormy
weather. The distance hauled is three
and a half miles. To complete the equal
adjustment Of the business, the company
has contracts for the delivery at its
works of over $50, 900 bushels Of Nut
Pine chsrcoal-at q cost Of fifty cents
per bushel-over one third Of which has
already been delivered, and the balance
is arriving at the rate Of three to FIVE
thousand bushels per week. The mag
nitude Of this part of the enterprise,
alone, would have overcome mon Of
weaker nerves or shorter pockets. The
timber from which this coal is obtained,
is twenty-five miles distant from the
works, and across q entire range Of
mountains. Here climbing up the steep
canons, over rocks, and deep raviues,
are NO less than four different companies
employing from Is to rs men each, cut
ting the scrub pines and pitching them
down to the few level spots below where
pits can be set. It is all very well to
talk Of charcoal burning in the Sierra
Nsvadas, or in the States, but it bears
little resemblance to that in the East
Range of the Humboldt mountains. The
coal is burned and sacked, then packed
down this steep gulch to where teams
can load, from whence it is taken and
delivered at the works. No less than
fifteen teams of from FIVE to six yoke Of
oxen each, are constantly employed in
hauling this charcoal. But the teaming
does not stop here. Five first class teams
are employed in supplying fuel to the