The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1868-11-26
NO. s5.

y heavy metal wheels reyolve, weighing
d f'om one to two tons each. 4 current of
] water flows constantly into each pan, the
/ main body Of the gold is anal gamated with
y the mercury in the pans, and the fine
n fu'rts issues through screens over ANAL
5 mated Plates just as in stamp mills
+ This process OF crushing is, Think, pref
: cradle to the stamp miil will Go more
e work with less power and tear of machin-
e cry, but 1t requires more care and skill in
its use, and fer that reason is not so ac-
ceptable. There are 10 other processes
for crushing ores that have attained any
measure of confidence, but there are in
Vulnerable patents for separating the gold
after the ore is crushed. Silver ores are
!. usually roasted before crushing, and gold
ores, iutermiXed with silver, are also i'm
proved for reduction by roasting. Silver
ores, continuing 10 per cent. Or more OF
lead, can be reduced readily by smelling,
as the lead serves to fGx tie ore; but If
less than 30 per cent. Of lead is found in
1t, it cannot be smolted in this section so
rs to pay. Lead is worth from 30 to 70.
cents Per pound, aud salt $40 per I0Gs
pounds. The ingredients are too costlv-
as yet for the reduction of any other than
the Galena lver ores, excepting hy the
ordinary crushing ana amagamatiug pro-
cess in use to produce free gold. In
/ Colorado some Of the refractory ores are
smeltcd, and the gold, silver, copper, &c ?
all run cut in bars together, and are thcus
shipped 10 Swansea for sepa ration, but
do net know the measure Of success that
has attended the effort The Consoida-
ted Gregory company OF Colorado is work
ing by this process, but has IS yet paid no.
dividends.
After a run has been made 10 a quarts
mill, usually from one TO three weeks,
they clean up. The batteries CT pans are.
run down low, and then the mercury AMI
remaining fue quarts scooped cut tor the
process of panning \ small pan is filed
with the quartz and quicksilver out of
the battery, and whirlea around in tha.
water until the sand and earth are wash
cd ont, and nothing but the mercury (hol-
ding the goid) and heavy sulphurets re-
main. The quicksilver is then poare1i
out from under the particles of ore and
iron, magnet is run through it to sepa-
rate the PARTICLES Of pure iron, and the res
iduu, which contains gold in iron, is pull
verised in hard morter. and what little
goll can be saved is gathered in mercury.
The amalgamated plates over which the
pulverisei ore has been passed are then
carefully scrared with square pieces of
rubber, and the gold (mixed with mercu-
ry1 is added to the mercury from the bat
teries. The tuiliugs caught in the boxes
and ripples are then emptied to be work
Cd over in an arastra or barrels. The
quicksilver gathered from the plates and
batteries then contains all the gold saved
by The iron, but the gold is in invisible
particles in the mercury. The mercury
is then strained out Of the gold through
buckskin, leaving so many ounces Of ga
magam" as the clean up. The amalgam-
is worth from So TO 81 per ounce, depen-
ding upon the fine or course quality of the
gold-the gold that is coarsest in its par
ticlcs being the most valuable, as the
mercury can be better strained out of it,
The amalgam is about the consistency
of thick meal mush, and nearly the same
color-the gold giving the mercury soft
yellow color. 1t has yet to be retorted
before it is pure gold The aralgam is
placed in little iron box, much like G.
brick mold, full of fine needle holes. The
box is so constructed rs to allow the lid
to be pressed down with clamps and screws
until the amalgam is compressed in TIE
smallest possible space. 1t is then put
inside of another iron box, three times its
size, and lid fitted on it perfectly air.
tight, by means CT clay joints In the,
top of the larger box there is hole, pro-
L,hl IL IL, Il =,
tached pipe that comes down to the lie.
vel Of thc bottom Of the box at distance.
of probably three feet. The box is thens
set in small furnace, and the end of the
pipe placed in tub of water. 4 hot fire
is made around the box until it is heated
to red heat, when the heat evaporates
the quicksilver in the inner box, out
through the needle holes into the larger
box, whence it escapes "a vapor oat thro',-
the pipe into the water, where it congea,s
and is Ioun in the bottom of the tub
ure quicksilver agaia. This heat is con-
tinued until all the quicksilver is eVapo-
rated from the gold, aud congcae el in the
tub, when the box IS takea out, cooled,
opened, and in the little inner box will
be found little brick, probably half the
size OF an ordinary building brick, the
fruits of mining, hauling, stamping, pan
ming, Sc % 10, or, it may be, leo tons.
of ore. The brick is assayed 10 ascertain.
It's actual value, and is then rea y for coin
ing or manufacture into any of the thou
sands OF articles for which il is used. Ia
this patient, laborious manner, this coun-
try is now producing from seventy to one
hundred millions Of the precious metals
ANNUALLY. at Us Iittle proGl just now, taken
as a whole, as any other branch Of indus
try can comp'aiu of, bat ten years hence
the yield should he nearly double, with