Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-01-09
How the Silver Ore is Worked-Myste-
ries Of the Process.

AAV" sAA0 0ASo1 VIZ - WVIAeV- ySLo'
ries Of the Process.
Tho Nevada correspondent Of the Gin
cinnati Commercial gives the following in
teresting description of silver manufacture: /:
The reduction of silver ore is a heavy
manufacturing business, requiring extern
sive and complicated machinery and appli-
anccs, and rather more than the usual
proportion Of skilled labor. Step with me,
if you care to see an illustration, into the
new and complete mill ola company at this
place, and watch the ore turn, in due process,
to bars of bullion.
Outside is small hill ofore, transported
by wagon, at cost Of from four to six
dollars ton, from the mines ten miles
distant. The ore is simply hard quartz,
in6ltratcd with various metals. Unless the
ore is very rich you can seldom discover,
even by the aid ofa glass, any ofthe minute
PARTICLES of silver. Some ore looks like
gray limestone. The Pahranagat ore is
almost prismatic, being spotted yellow by
decomposed lead, blue by copper, brownish
red by iron, and dark lead color or black
by silver. The ore is carried in ox-hidc
baskets to the crushing room, where it is
weighed and registered. Then it is poured
out in the stamp-room, where man with
a long handled shovel feeds it under the
stamps. The ten stampsa are simply upright
iron hammers, weighing six hundred and
fifty pounds each Their province is to
crush the ore into dust as fine as -four
The dust cannot escape from the stamps
until it flies through sicves in powder so
minute as to be almost impalpable to the
touch. A ton of ore can be sufficiently
crushed in two and one-third hours.
The next step is to roast your finc powder
(or pulp, as it is called) in order to burn
up all the base metals in it except silver,
gold and copper. The roasters" are Or
dinary ovens, like those used for baking
bread, except that the aues are admitted to
the chamber where the pulvcrixed ore is
deposited. Workmcn called "roasters"
also stir the dust with long-handled shovcls,
keeping up cherry red heat Each Of
the five furnaces has capacity for half a
ton of dust, and the time consumed in
roasting the pulp is six hours. Your dnst,
when thoroughly roasted, contains nothing
but gold, silver aud copper, in powdered
quarts. The other metals have been ef-
lcctcd by the fire and large quantities of
salt thrown in to chlorodize them.
The roasted dust is raked out on the op-
positc side of tho furnace and conveyed
into amalgamating pans, or large tubs filed
with hot water, where it is further ground
in sort of iron fanwliecl, and where five
pounds of quicksilver are thrown i'f for
every pound Of silver you estimate your
ore to contain. Quicksilver will take up
one-ffth Of its own weight Of precious
metals. The union made, tho amalgam Of
the two metals sinks to the bottom Of the
tub, and the quartz powder runs of in q
muddy rill from an orifice above. 7'
Next, tho malagam is taken from the
bottom of the tubs and strained through
canvas bags, in order to get rid Of any su-
peraous quicksilver. Tho amalgam, after
this straining, is Eve parts quicksilver and
one part silver. It looks and feels like .
silvery sort Of wet, white sand. The ANAL
gam is now ready for the "amalgamator," "
the most important artisan about the mill,
and the one who generally has charge Of
both mill and workmen. He places the
amalgam in furnace Of his own, and builds a
are hot enough to send the quicksilver of
in vapor, leavinga residuum Of silver.
The flying vapor is condensed in water and
returned to its original form Of quicksilver,
ready to be used again, having lost but one
per cent. Of it's bulk. The silver left in
the retort looks like rusty chips. dragged
metal, and is anything but precious in ap-
pearance. s...-s ...s
The process Of casting the silver bar (its
usual weight is about cighty-6ve pounds)
is simple enough. The silver chips are
placed in = black lead mould, melted, and
come out in bar of silver, or rather bar
about 800 parts silver and 200 parts cop
per. Such is tic bullion Of commerce,
and such bar is worth from 81 200 to
81, 800 in coin. The copper is taken out
in the mints, in such a manner as to save
il. ....... f..v.
A good silver mill, with its branch build
ingr, covers two acres, asd is crowded in
all parts with machinery. The milling
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