The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1868-07-31
SHIPMENT OF ORES.

While many of the mills of Montana
are saving a handsome profit on ores.
it is still a fact rs indisputable as un-
pleasant TO contemplate, that machinery
and the processes known and in use are
inadequate to the proper treatment and
separation OF some of the richest assay
ing rock in the Territory. Ores are to-
day netting handsome proi:, while the
tailings run from the sluices will assay
double and treble the amount saved in
the mill still others are intractable,
the mill or furnace being Incompetent
under any treatment in practical use 20
effect a separation of the base and pre-
cious metals, with margin for the own
ers. & is held that 80 per cent. of the
fire assay of rock can be made in practi-
cal reduction of large quantities, and
this guarantee is made both in New
York, Swansea and Berlin. The fact
that ores less valuable than those of
Montana are shipped from California
and Nevada, and more recently from
Colorado To the East and Europe, and
the fact demonstrated that they are ca
pable of thorough reduction, has per-
haps been the principal cause of a move
menJ Lual Will result DeneIClullI 10
Montana first in establishing the value
of ores; second, the proper treatment
of them and in the introduction of pro-
cesses and reduction works suitable to
the character of the ores. This move
ment is the shipment of ores, some to
Jersey City and New York, others 10
Wales and Prussia. The first shipment
was a ton and a half of smelted copper.
in pigs, by Mr.. Charles Hendrie, of the
Helena Foundry and Machine Shops,
and was sent by the Mountaineer about
June 1st. 1t was shipped to Swansea,
Wales and a letter per last mail from
Branch & Cooks, forwarders, st. Lonis,
advises him of its departure from there,
per Atlantic Mail and Steamship Com
pany. The freight from Montana to St.
Louis was $40 per ton from St. Louis
| to Liverpool we believe the rates arebut
/ SO per ton. The copper was from the
/ furnace of Harvey, Ray & Co., Butte Gty.
and was smelted from the Parrot and
/ Original lodes. The supply of ore is in
eNhaustible, aud the furnace is capable
of smelling two tons of ore per day.
/ The percentage of copper is from s5 to
/ II per cent; the ore red oxyd and green
carbonate, the best quality, and its
value from 20 to % cents per pound.
! With all this ii is not manifest TO the
proprietors that, ct the present rates of
| labor, ETC., it can be made profitable,
unless the gold and silver known toex-
ist in it can be separated and a fuller
margin had tor contingencies. Fire
assays have shown the presence of pre-
cious metals in paying quantities. and
this Shipments is made to ascertain by its
separation under the most skillful treat
ment, the value. components, and best
method of practical separation If il
pays metal will be shipped for separa
tion, or the requisite means adopted fol
its reduction and separation here. The
company has also a mill at Butte City
to reduce milling ores. This was the
first shipment from Montana to Europe
and returns from it are anticipated in &
couple of months.
Another shipment made on Saturday
was 1000 pounds of fargentiferous galen;
ore from the Lee Mountain lode in Ter
Mile District, by Messrs. T. L. and D. G
Tut, the well known Helena merchants
This was also shipped to Swansea.
assays about $50 per ton of gold anC
silver, the proportion being, gold 3 sill
yer 1. The object is TO ascertain the
{ proper method of reducing that charac
ter of ore. and the introduction of prope
machinery for that purpose.
BY far the largest shipment of ore YET
made, is that OF Cole Saunders, the in
domitable. il consists of twenty tom
of silver ore from the Poor Mans 10,
lode in Flint Greek District. Seventeen