Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-12-01
THE NEVADA QUICKSILVER WORKS.

OF the Quicksilver Works at Steamboat
Springs the Reno Gazette of Monday says
Last Sunday morning we paid visit to the
new reduction works Of the Nevada Quick
readers that we gave an account of the fail
ure of the Whites furnace experiment.
Messrs Humbert & Winterburn then pro-
cured their present furnace, the Knox &
Osbum, which is the same patent as the one
used at the sulphur banks, Lake County,
Cal. This furnace is % feet square, and SO
feet high. The walls, with inner packing,
are six feet in thickness. The ore is dumped
ON a large cast iron plate, in which are sew
eral slots through which the ore falls into
for the most part an open space. shaped
tile f1ues run through the inner space, and
furnish the means of the transmission of
heat from the large fire place to all parts of
the furnace The moisture in the ore sand is
expelled by heat from fire placed near the
top of the furnace ON the north side. The
escape for the useless sand is near the bot
tom of the furnace, on the east side, and
some 10 feet below the main fire place. The
inside of the furnace is, of course, lined with
fire brick. The ore in the furnace, as well
as the whole inner structure, is supported on
iron lintels. The heat generated within the
furnace is designated to be about 700 de-
grees Fahrenheit. The mercurial vapor and
h. L. thn l1frn
large iron pipes into a second brick chem
Der These fumes enter at the bottom of
this second chamber and pass up and over
an inner partition and thence through a large
iron pipe into twelve cast iron condensers,
each ten feet long and two feet in diameter
and connected with each other. The vapor
and smoke are drawn from the furnace and
into the condensers by suction fan con-
nected with the last condenser. Over the
condensers are wooden troughs along which |
a stream of water passes which is distributed |
in various places along the condensers, thus |
keeping the latter cool to condense the va
pors of the quicksilver. The smoke passes
through the condensers and thence out at
the smoke-stack. The suction fan is run by
a Haskins 12-horse power engine. The en-
tire process is quite simple. The theory of
obtaining quicksilver is to heat, by some
process, the ore containing the quicksilver to
over ego degrees F., the volatilizing point of
prevent the vapors from escaping
and at the same time conduct those vapors
into an iron chamber where the temperature
being below ego the fumes will condense, and
may be drawn off into iron bottles. The Ca
eacity of the present furnace is sixteen to
eighteen tons of ore in twenty tours hours.
The ore is thus before the main fire place
lbout one hour and half The company
nave large body of ore in sight and are con- E
ident that they can find enough to keep t
heir furnace running for several years. This |
inc ore-sand yields upon assay from one to q
fifteen per cent. quicksilver, and would pay !
or working even if it did not give over one /
alf per cent. The ore is very easily mined v
nd reduced and hence the expense of OBJ t
aiming the quicksilver is comparatively $
ght. The company are making no stir O
bout their mine, but express themselves b
atisfed that they have a good thing They h
mploy from eight to ten men, The furnace a
7as fired up nine days ago, and has been "
unning for the most part on low grade ore b
Dr. the past five days. They expect to OBJ K
MS time