Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-10-28

means. After the finely powdered
ore passes over the amalgram plates.
leaving some of its free gold here
and there, it is borne by the water
that carries it along below the mill,
where it often accumulates into
large sand banks. 1t is known as
tailings, and after being exposed to
the influence OF the weather for q
year or more, is sometimes worked
over again, generally with the re-
suit Of getting more gold from it.
and sometimes more than was orgin-
ally with the result Of getting more
than was originally obtained after
crushing. Tailings. in some in
stances, have been worked over
three or four times, always yielding
more or less goll. The question
here naturally occurs,
WHY WAS NOT ALL THE GOLD OBJ
TANNED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
There is mystery about it, which
can only be explained in two ways.
Tbe fine particles Of gold may be in
closed in some talc-iike sacs or COW
erings, but which the air and water
in time will destroy or there is a
chemical combination winch the
,nercDfy caauot overcome, bnt
wili b may be dissolved by the OK
idizing agency Of air or water, or
boiii combined. This latter is Mr..
Wetherbee's theory, He arrived at
it In very curious way. After
treating ores by amalgamation on
stream in Colorado for some time,
without obtaining enough gold to
pay for working, his partner and
him ,clf one Gay while examining
the bottom Of the creek some dis
stance below their mill came across
a putty-like substance that looked
like amalgam, which in reality it
was. The leak from the mill had
been almost imperceptible, and was
evidently of quicksilver which had
been Toured or reduced to such
minute PARTICLES that it would not
adhere or coalesce and they no
donbt fioated off without adhering
to the plates. Yet these must, even
in their minute state, have con-
tanned gold in infintessimal parti-
cles, which may have impaired to
them the property of mutual repul-
sion, was in tims, however, over
come by the action of the water,
and they resumed their normal
functions. The amalgam thus found
was treated in the ordinary way
put into bag and the quicksilver
los much as would separste)
squeezed out of it. The remainder
WAS retortsd in the usual way, when
10 the gold was obtained in the ex-
pected proportion.
THIS FINDING OF AMALaAM IN
III u a
Is by no means All unusual exper-
ience with miners at the west, But
II the circumstance excited thought
it led to no definite result until Mr..
Wetherbee gave it his attention. AZ
ter thinking over the new discovery
for some time it occurred to him
as If by intuition, that the gold
thus recovered was not free gold, but
had been chemically combined with
the sulphuret ores which he had
been treating in his mill.-the ore
being hrst roasted to drive or the
sulphur and oxalize the iron-but
which, from its nature could only be
recovered by the active agency of
water. Acting on this sup,
position, he built small machine in
which to place the powdered ore,
and kept it agitsted In water for a
time, adding the quick
silver and keeping it constantly stir
red up with the mass ali the while.
He did not roast his sulphurets at
high heat before crushing, ON the
theory that at high temperature tho
held gold would be vo-
Iatslizsd. Crude rs this machine
was,
ITS SUCCESS WAS UNMIsrAKABLE.
But the lew idea was large one,
and needed capital and protection to
properly develop it. Before its dis
covery Mr. w. had spent all his means
aud he now thought it prudent to
come East and perfect his machine
and plans connected Herewith. In
the meantime he WAS compelled to
go into other business, and make
haste with his invention slowly.
Some three or four years passed
away, before he got it into working
shape, when he sent his former part
ner with it down into North Caro-.
lima This oertlenau-a Mr. eros