Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-08-25
OCCIDENTAL REDUCTION
WORKS.


time about noon day before yesterday,
in the presence Of quite an assemblage
of mill and mining men, and other in
terested spectators. The mill iserect-
ed on the northerly bank Of the rayine
some three hundred yards below the
mouth of the lower tunnel Of the mine,
thus giving the most convenient posi-
Bile facility for dumping the ore direct
ly at the batteries, q railroad, and a
horse car Of four tons capacity, being
the principal method Transportation.
Through trap In the bottom of the
car, the ore Is discharged into q receiv-
ing dump, where the coarsest Jumps,
not passing through a large screen,
placed there for the purpose, are put
through q heavy rock breaker Of the
Brodie pattern, and together with the
balance Of the ore, passes through short
shutes directly into the mill building,
close to the batteries, convenient
for shoveling into the mortars.
Being built upon a side-hill, this
mill is most conveniently arranged for
the cheap and convenient handling Of
the ore, so that 1t passes from n
stage of treatment to the other with
the utmost facility, being merely sent
farther down hill each time till 1t Is
done with. This Is q twenty-stamp
mill, capable of reducing from sixty
to seventy ions of Occidental ore per
day. The stamps weigh $50 pounds
each, and the mortars are very firmly
bedded OH heavy timbers standing on
end, the lower ends resting upon the
solid bedrock of the hill itself. In
deed, everything about the mill Is Of
the most substantial style and COLI
struction. The pulp from the bat
teries passes into an extensive series
Of settling tanks, whence it Is shoyeled
into the grinding pans, Of which there
are six. They are Of the famous Ste
phenson pattern, considered the most
effective in use, and being Of the
largest size, they are capable of work.
ing two tons each ut a charge, the time
required for working this charge being
four hours. Thence the pulp passes
through the settlers, of which there
are three, nine feet in diameter each,
and q huge cistern agitator at the out
side Of the building. The pulp-now
"tailings'-passes thence along the
hillside through q long series Of blan-
ket sluices, arranged for catching the
heavy sulphurets, until 1t empties
itself into the bed Of the rayine. Even
there it has to pass through q series OF
dams constructed for the purpose of
arresting what little value Is supposed
to be left, although enc wonld naturally
suppose, after passing through such an
apparently effective milling process,
every particle Of precious metal would
be extracted from the ore wen before
1t got to the sluices. The water supply
for the boilers, batteries and other pur-
poses usual about such o mill, Is very
abundant, there being an excellent
unfailing stream from the lower tunnel
of the mine. There are, we should
Judge, fully seven or eight inches Of 1t,
miners Observation-Disclosures SUI
ficient for a mill of considerably greater
capacity.
The engine which drives the batter
les, pans, and all the other machinery
| of the mill Is q very neat, smooth
working one, capable Of being worked
up to 1W-horse power, having 16-inch
| cylinders and three feet stroke. It Is
from the Vulcan Iron Works, San
Francisco. There are four boilers,
each 16 feet in length by 81 inches In
diameter, and each containing As three
inch tubes. They were manufactured
at the Nevada Boiler Works, Silver
City. Only two are needed at q time,
therefore the mill never has to stop for
repairs or cleaning Of the boilers. The
amount of fire-wood daily required Is
about seven cords. Everything about
the mill Is very conveniently arranged,
and we noticed with approval that all
the pan gearing and similar driving
machinery Is beneath the floor, out OF
the way. The mill building, compris-
ing boiler-roOm, wood-house and all,
Is Of commodious size, well built, and
painted with brown, fire-proof paint.
Reese & Browning, of the Union
Foundry, on the Divide, were the
building contractors of the mill, their
bid being 81, 500. They sub-let the
wood work and setting of the ma
chinery to Armstrong & Sweetapple,
the grading and foundation work being
done by the Company. The mechanical
| part of the iron work vas done by MIR.
| Cummings, of the Union Foundry.
| Everything about the mill Is we'll con-
structed, and creditable to nil having
anything to do with 1t. MIR; William
Weston is President of the Company.
Mr.. Simon Schleweck attends to the
milling department, and Mr.. William
Skyrme Is foreman of the mine. After
the mill got we'll into operation, those
who were assembled to see 1t, were
treated to q most excellent lay out Of
refreshments, both substantial and
liquid, and In sparkling champagne, OF
foaming lager, from the Philadelphia
Brewery, they drank success tothe new
mill and the Occidental Company,