Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1875-02-08
THE REDUCTION or ORES.
A New and Important Inysauon.

Prom the San Fraaeiscs Chronicles, Feb. sth.1
An invention OF vast importance affect
ing the business OF milling ores. 10 chal-
longing the attention OF the leading min
ing mon in this city. II Is known rs
the Patchen process, and Is destined to
greatly choapen the cost OF reducing
ores on the Comstock. Abel Patchen
Of this city Is the patentes. The cost Of
its introduction In o mill ID merely NOM
inal. as there Is no important change
from the mechanical system at present
In vogue. The features OF the invcn-
ton arc thus described: Heretofore II
has boon customary TO ~chloridize. ANAL
gamate. etc., In iron pals. Iron being
a deoaloridizing agent has. Of course,
boon an opposing element In the old pro-
cess. and has prevented chlorination.
Tho chemicals heretofore used were not
adapted to the production OF o thorough
ohlorination. Tho third chemical sle-
ment which Mr.. Patchen INTRODUCES pro.
duces tho perfect chlorination.
Messrs. Flood & O'Brien have made
arrangements to thoroughly test tho pro-
cess in one Of their mills. Tho expert
ments have hitherto been conducted un.
der the auspices Of Louis A. Garnett,
President OF tho San Francisco Assay.
ing and Refining Works. and Professor
Thomas Price, analytical chemist Of that
establishment, aud II Ii from tho written
report Of Mr.. Garrett that the accom-.
panying statements are collatod.
WHAT HAS DEKS ACCOMPLISHED.
Eight tons Of Belcher or was worked
by the Patchen process at an Oakland
mill, In charges OF 1000 pounds zach.
five hours being devoted 10 each charge.
The charges at the washoe mills nnged
from 1900 to 1000 pounds; aud the
reason for fixing the charge ut 1000, no.
cording TO Nlr. Garnett, was in order to
demonstrate the practical value OF the
invention. The tabulated statement OF
tho results achieved through the medi.
UNI OF this process furnishes tho n
nexsd figures: The pulp assay gave for
the eight tons 5000 n In gold and
sl2s 70 in silver. or n total Of 1888 40.
The tailings assayed 81 50 In gold, and
IS ca In silver. or q total Of SIG OF. The
average per cent. Of bullion extracted
from each ton Of orc was M follows:
Gold 95.5; silver 93.2; making q total
Of o 5.2G. Tho other averages afford
this showing; Pulp assay-Gold, $50 %;
silver, $40 90: total, $40 81. Tailings
Gold, 92c; silver, 81 o.; total. ~.
''For the purpose OF comparison" says
Mr.. Garnet, az have examined into the
milling results obtained by the process
heretofore and at present employed on
the Comstook ores; and while l find
that certain mills occasionally obtain 10
TO 80 per cent, the average 10 bttwoen
85 and 10 per cent. only. For Novem-
Der, the average result OF tho Belchcr
from 1891 tons, assaying $40 per ton.
was 66s. per cent. and Tor December,
from IL, 300 tons. assaying SO per ton,
ca per cent, being respectively 2Sli
per cent. and 2Gi. below tho results
achieved by the Patehon process.
nEsuLIs I%ABDLArED.
Only two companies seem, however,
TO have furnished In their annual re-
ports tho gold and silver in tho pulp as-
say, separately. which IL necessary TO
determine accurately tho percentage Of
tho results obtained. These nre the
Halo & Norcrnss aud Savage" Mr..
Garnett next furnishes q table showing
what was achieved by working tho Hale
& Noreross mine for n period Of eight
and the Savage mine for FIVE years. The
results. according to his figures, we're as
follows: Hale Il Norcross-299. 922
tons worked; yaluo, Sll,i70,372 hui
lion produced per ton, S25 lG; por cent.
produced, 65 7-l0; vnluo Of tilings,
ISL. Savage-2ll.9 il tons worked;
value. 80. 0G0, 1874; bullion produced pcr
ton, S25 IS: per cent. produced. GiI;l
value Of failing. sl2 So. MIR. Garnett
proceeds to say: Assuming. from the
above data (rsferring 10 figures In ref
erence to the Hale & Norcross and Saw
age) that the present average production
OF bullion from tho Comstock ores does
not exceed 10 per cent. and that 30 por
cont. can 10 produced by this process,
tho difference in the aggregate yield from
the ores produced during the past year
will DO seen below:
Orc worked. 527. G23 tons; bullion
produced, $40, 400, 1888; pulp assay.
90, O0l. 100; increase to % per cent,
80, 400. 02i; saving Of quicksilver, at
80 per ton, S1,3l9.059; total saving.
SLID, 0S3.