Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1873-09-11
NEW MACHINE FOR CONCFN.
TRATING TAILINGs.

ISAIANG IAlLlNGS.
We yesterday saw in operation i,
Lower Gold Hill, James T. McDoueal',
patent failing concentrator. A shed bo,
been erected in the canyon lust above m,
old Empire mill, and in this the new ma
chine has been set up and is now beine
operated, The apparatus consists in 5
broad, shallow sluice box, or series q,
boxes, somewhat resembling the slnices
used in blanket washing. except that fbe
sides of the boxes are higher. The bot.
toms OF the boxes are covered with sec.
tions Of cast iron, in which are small
grooves, the deepest part of the groove
being ON the upstream side. Standing
upon this bottom, imagine q great nun.
Der of little four-legged stools, each leo
being about an inch square and so nloce5
that it stands diamond fashion to the cnr.
rent Of the water flowing through the
sluice. These little stools are about fonr
inches square and are so placed in the
sluices that their legs form rows runnino
in the same direction as do the rows of
spots on a checker board. Owing 10 the
currents of water which flow thronob the
straight row OF pegs, legs, pins, or what.
ever they may be called, striking against
the currents passing through the diagonal
rows, sloshing, side to side motion is
generated in the water similar to that of
of the water in an old fashioned rocker
This is description of one box in the
tlume. As many boxes may be added as
is thought proper. A flume of this kind
is generally made from IS to $50 feet in
length. For the first box the little stools
are made of iron. The legs are hollow
and contain sheet of copper held in
place by wooden plug This combina-
tion Of copper and iron is supposed to pro.
duce certain amount of electrical action
by means of which fine quicksilver will
be caught. By means of his machine.
MIR. McDougal says he can reduce tail.
ings to one-half, one-fourth or one.tenth
Of their original bulk, Just as may be de.
sired, saving 80 per cent. of the gold and
silver they may contain. The machine he
is using consists of but two boxes and
was merely set up to show the manner in
which it works. When we saw it. it had
been running about two hours and upon
examination the rifles or grooves in the
bottom were found well filled with sui
phurets. A Mexican miner who exam
ined these sulphurets seemed much
pleased to find them so rich and abund.
ant, and pronounced the machine
"bueno. He said the contents of the
rifles would yield at the rate of $500 to
S4OO per ton. A gentleman who was
present placed some of the concentrated
tailings in horn, and by rubbing with
his thumb produced quite large globule
OF quicksilver. Previous to the rubbing
together the quicksilver was so finely di-
vlded that it only could be seeu by the
aid of magnifying glass. The globule
was strained through piece of buckskin
and left behind it q considerable streak
OF amalBam. Mr.. McDougal's inven-
ton is covered by three patents, two se-
cured in 1868 and one in 1870 The ap-
paratus was first put in practical use at
Sutter Creek, Amador county, Califor-
MIA, in 1868. 1t was introduced in Grass
Valley, Nevada county, in 1870, where it
is still in use, and where it is said to
work well. The sluices below hydraulic
mines are also fitted with the same appa-
ratus, but in this case the legs OF the
stools are logs of wood twelve inches
square. The apparatus is thus used at
Smartsville, Cherokee, Sucker Flat,
Roses Bar and other California mining
camps. For use in these big mines, the
wooden legs are shod with iron ON their
up stream angles. How the machine will
work here remains to be seen. 1t is to
be seen in operation at the place we have
named, and millmen can examine it for
themselves. 1t would seem well adapted
to the saving of quicksilver and the heay.
ier sulphurets. but we do not see that it
is likely to save the fine gold aud silver
which floats in the very bubbles of the
water, and which goes to enrich what our
millmen call "slimes. II Virginia En-
terprise, 9Th