New-York tribune., 1868-08-22
AIEXIOO.
SILVER HACIENDAs--

Tho clca0ness OF silver reduction, as compared 10
{ls conversion Of 9th hr metals especially IN TINS
country. is well shown in the haccnlas Of Paehuca'
THIS is the capital Of silver region radatins 'ieo
or four leagues round. and comprising score oi
mines with half q dozenworks OF redgcuon tie plIe @
majority OF which are in operation. Inc "uh3 tIi-
ploy tile barrel and tOua processes ol MaeHLis'
Smelling is disused, as the quantity Oh slSI 10 oo
extracted thereby docs not invite the cosI OI airy
,jeod frcf,, Z,iIapan In o country Of railroads
fhfs objection would not be: DouDtless' uhuer He
proposed liberation OF mHHe from taxes ueIo
would be ample chance TO uttibe ab the processes,
ani saye an the ore. BY sueltng the ore IS fused
viii lead which subsequently IS separated IRON tne
nvnr Nv oyidizatiOn INTO litiarge Most fuOt all,
tbe ore ground in this place Is subsequently, mixed
nm into chemical mud-cakes. or tOrtaS, which take mp
"a GREAT space of the hacienda To be explicit a
hacienda is, IN the ordinary sense farm; Dut' as
Orc is worked into silver Within 1t the entire le-
duction is accommodated, and by means of stamps,
aIaStras tortaS, barrels. puddes. ana troGgn5 uIo
ore is crushed, ground mixed, and cleared AZ snOi
hacienda carries on in grand scale the DhsiioS' u
turning dirt into money. -. .lo;oodos
and 100 aTasTas more or less The ore, IN tIe H9O
place Is brought mp ia hali-broken state loui tno
mine by means of fiTe-whn, and then, amer Dein9
hammered into convenient Jumps, am anu m tIe
from al attic or worthless stone ~ IS pU uuueI Wy Wy
stamps to be crushed The hacienda OF LeLeto SUI sun
employs the rude stamping machine OF inc op'IIllauS
a great flat COg-Wheel moving cogged cyIhueI'
with system of wooden tOOths by when the stamps
ore lct mn sud down ike so many lrOn-hObbed cODDle-
,onuders From the stamps the ore goes INTO the
arastras. These are like bark mills, ana are tuineo
by mules They include round space OF lIoin W ~ 10
IS feet diameter which is paved with stones set up
ON edge leugthwise, and tim smoOthcd FROM the
center moves in sockets vertical smart from WnEu
projects the aXles whereto are atSnJu tVH ~ +o -,
heavy millstOnes. aud 10 winch are hltclea te ap9
of the mules. Under these stones, Teauliy piouehU
from the mountains and ehpped lhto shape, Ile I Io
is ground as meal Each araSVI;t mas se1eIdly
,fonr al Them with rs many mules. Jhe mules arc
blinded 10 save kicking ltisalitte astonishing how
we'll these mills do their work The Old-fashloned
stsn1,s have fber place also better class of poun-
Cers would. of course work with steam; put con.
eidering that wood is scarce at Pachuca, ana that
the haClcndas have no slealh Inc OPdhIsh e'"WPo
serve good turn. .,,-., IL,
Is sometimes mixed with the ground ore, but ltlS IN
the patio that 1t almost wholly undeTgOes chehlcau
combination. From the arastIas the fne ore Is run
out into tanks, where, after the metal IS allowed 10
settle aud the water to dram on III is iaAei lhU io
q,qfio a department which is commonly nothing
moro than the courtyard of good mexican mousse
INT which here signifies the amalgamti0n yard OF
silver hacienda 10 this ward the goes TO be
bepsfeaied OT--tO translate the Spanish NerD rom
winch tho miners have coined tins terh-to DE mace
good Here it becomes torta or immense hIuu
cake into which salt is thrown two pounds or so 10
every hundred wei ght, For one or Two days inc
mixture rests, lime beng meanwhile auded 10 cOoi u
if IL heats too fast. Continuing cold, maglstIal is
mixed with IT, Magstral is an ore compounded OF
copper pyIites and sulphuretted iron, which when
roasted yields large percentage OF the copper SUI
uhate SO necessary to analgamatiOn The burnt
magistTal, reduced TO a powder, ana sometimes
slightly mixed with salt, Is applied TO the tOtta IN
one of the calculated mass of silver In basin the
dzoqao or aInalgamator tests his mixture. and II
there is too much suphate Of copper he corrects u
by means Of ashes, lime. or copper pIeelpitale lie
general effect OF the mixture Is, OF course
10 liberate the silver so that II snail anal
pamate with the quicksilver. The tOrta, which
in ITS complete state is composed OF ore In the shape
OF mud together with murate OF soda. sulphate
of iron and copper and quicksilver Is trOdden round
for many hours by mules to make the amalgam per
feet Formerly this muddy and not very wholeeone
business was done by men, bnt nov, ~ Is eItnIe3y n3
attest the effect of cooper. According 10 neeu more
of each chemical ingredient is added from day TO day
The silver is taken mp by the quicksilver IN time
VARYING from eight TO forty days When the azOger0
is satisfied that hls process has yield all the silver
possible the tortamud is scraped or shded by means
Of mules into large vat, where the mass is cleaned
the anagam settling and the refuse beng washed
nway In many cases men tread The vat, INTO when
regular streams of water and poured. in order
10 str up the ore so that the water shall carry oil Its
worthless particles. Sometimes shaft with arms
turned round by mules does the same work as elect
ully to say the least, / have seen thirty or forty
mules Jogging round in the tortas, and beHetcdtd
with mud up to their fetOcks-some bringing great
puddles to the yats followed by drivers as much tho
benefciaries of the mud process as they The scene
was worse than Broadway in Winter. AT the yats
however man and mule have better time OF 1t,
though as yet have seen no mules.
Quicksilver and silver in amalgam are the residue
after the OTta mixture is welwashed and the water
gently run of, Some alnalgam perslstently escapes
into the troughs which run Tor a considerable dis
tance but these trOughs are gently Obstructed here
and there with wood, and tho feet of boys are like
the gam is taken and poured into thick can
vas bag, through which the largest portion OF the
quicksilver is strained and dry amalgam left IN
side. Then it is nodded into three-cornered blocks
by beating, and In this state is put into what Is
called tho CdpcRd This consists OF big bell which
fits over circular hollow, framed OF iron, round
which water is made to run In this hollow and
over pldfUd with holes is piled the amalgam, on
top of which the bell shuts down. Fire IL made to
play around the bell, which again Is lnclosed IN a
large brick eapOte. through which the flames of the
furnace pass. The results of the capeilna process
are the yapOrizng and precipitation of the mercury
by heat leaving porous silver called TO8ca which Is
subsequently melted and cast into bars. There IS
less clumsy method for separating the silver than
that pTactced under the Old-fashiOned capote. The
campana or bell is set lengthwise with door and u
vent conducting to water, and the amalgam thrown
in is subjected to heat and precptated with less GER
emOny, This is the German method
What is known as the barrel process remains to be
described. BY way of preparation therefore the ore
has 10 undergo roast. Ten per cent OF common sea
salt is mixed with the ore and the whole calcned
The heat raised to ignite the sulphur, always IN
combination with the ore as sulphate or sulphuret
and 10 make the red hot Thus III about four
hours the metals become OxIdi5ed, and sulphurous
acid gas is given Oft. At an increased temperature
vapOTs of chloride Of iron and hydroehlorc acid &C
company the sulphurous acid gas. The firing ls con-
tinued an hour or less until the charge ceases TO
evolve sulphurous acid the object being to decOm-
pose the sea salt by of the metallic uphates
The ore Increases IN bulk, becomes a deep Drown
and the roasting being done, the charge taken out
The suphurets Of copper and iron enter with the ore
into the roast and have sOmeWhat the effect OF
nagistra in the patu process. This being premised
the chemical explanation Of the roast as given by
Regnault, is interesting and IN place. The two sui
phurets named disengage sulphurOus acid and are
converted into oxides and SuphateS. The silver sui
phuret in contact with these becomes sulphate:
The sulphates fuse with the sea salt and suphate of
soda chloride of silver, and chloride of iron. are
formed With the help of atmospheric ar sesquiox-
ide and sesquiuchOrde Of iron are formed. Sulphur,
cts of antimOny and arsenic are also OXydzed ana
the roast further contains chlOrides Of manganese
sodium and lead besides the sulPhate of soda
Whether this statement will be intelgble or not 10
n will qf
variety of elements which enter into the composition
OF ore.