Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1879-05-10

A New and Successful System for
Their Reduction.

Their Reduction.
The Sacramento Bee says: 1t is a well
known fact that this State abounds in
mines, the ore from which could not be
worked heretofore. on account Of the re-
bellious matter they contained. 1t is well
known, also. that these ores contained a
large percentage Of gold and silver, but
notwithstanding experiments without num-
bor have been tried from time to time,
with a view &, separating gold and silver
from tie blse metal, all efforts in that di-
rection have proved failures. At last,
however, a system has been discovered and
patented by John A. r ID ertson, Of Oak
land, which is known as the Electric Pro-
cess, which tire ltens to revoiutionize the
entire business in the successful treating
of ores which were heretofore regarded as
worthless. Experiments, on a small scale,
were made with the process some time ago,
and the results were so satisfactory that,
within a short time extensive works, for the
testing Of the principle on a large scale,
have been erected in Sacramento, at
Thirty-irst and J streets, adjoining Clark's
pottery, and their working has been so
successful as to warrant the proprictors in
the expenditure of a large sum OF money
to carry on the business.
The process is very simple, and the OBJ
ject is to perform in a single operation
what has required two or three operations
and much time to effect in the process Of
extracting precious metals from rebeIlious
ores--that is to say, by thoroughly desul-
...arising the ore and bringing the pre-
cious metals to a condition to amalgamate
freely, aggregating the same, and freeing
it entirely from the influence and union
with the base metals.
To effect this object there is placed a vat
or receiver Of sufficient capacity to hold
the ore Of the most convenient quantity
for a single operation say one ton-and
immerse the same in a quantity of water
sufficient to cover it. The required guam
tity Of salt to make thick brine, or as much
az can be held in solution with the same,
is then used, adding thereto about one
half pound of cyanide of potassium and
one-half pound of sulpha.e of copper,
forming a solution of salt and cyanide of
potassium in the above described man
ner. The ton or other desired quantity of
ore is slowly heated to a red heat, and
afterwards plunged, while red hot, into
the aforesaid solution, the ore being
broken up to about the same size that it is
broken for milling. By bringing the ore
in contact with the solution it becomes en-
tirely ~desulpuhrized.
The entire operation Of desulphurizing
and d~isintegrating the quartz and sulphur
els is almost instantaneous.
Iron pyrites and ~sulphurets. generally
are reduced to a very fine florr. or almost
impalpable powder, and the quartz disin-
tegrated. that it may be readily picked to
pieces with the hands, and requires SO
little rubbing that it may be readily pre-
pared for amalgamating in an ordinary
amalgamating-pan.
The action OF the cyanide of potassium,
in connection with the sulphate of copper,
cleans, 5rightens. and Immediately pre-
pares the precious metals for amalgama-
ton with the quicksilver, no matter
how fine and impalpable the same may be.
The solution composed Of the above in
gradients, and the manner of treating the
ore previous to its being brought in contact
with the same, rendering the operation of
extracting the precious metals from the
ore very simple and eflectual, and accom-
plishes it in a very short time.
The works adjoining Clark's pottery
have q capacity Of one ton per hour, the
cost of chemicals will not exceed 81 per
ton and two cords Of wood will run the
furnace twenty-four hours.
Such is the excitement whieh this new
discovery has created that of late num-
bers of mining men from San Francisco,
Los Angeles, Shasta, Ell Dorado, Placer and
other counties nave visited this city and
+I1~1,nlI, .ncpeotal tba urprfiroS of fha
new process and its wonderful results for
themselves.
Among the samples worked was me
from what is known as the Gold Deposit
of Ell Dorado county, seven miles from
Placerville, from which nothing could here
tofore be obtained. By the electric pro-
cess, however, this ore yielded about 81, 600
per ton, and so favorably impressed are the
owners Of claims in that vicinity with this
new invention that several carloads are
to be sent down and worked at an early
day.
Meadow Lake ores, than which~none
more refractory were ever known, have
also been successfully worked and made to
yield handsomely by this process. One
pound of sulphurets from Greenwood, Ell
Dorado county, which was worked here
recently (which ore had been heretofore
regarded as worthless), yielded Sl,e00 per
ton. and many other similar illustrations
Of the success of this process might be
quoted.
On Wednesday last a cleanup was had
Of the working of one ton OF ore from the
Washington mine, Mariposa county, and
the result was a yield Of $50 per ton, while
at the mill only SO or 80 per ton can be
saved by the ch~lorinization process.
From a pound of refractory ore from
Auburn a test by the new process yielded
a gold button the size of a large %pin-head.
Negotiations have been already entered
into for the shipment of large quantities OF
ore from various localities to this city Tor
treatment by the new process, and in a few
days the works will be started up to their
full capacity.
AT Sweetser & Alsip's Office, on Fourth
street, between J and K, can be seen the
first bar ever produced by this process.
The ore was from the Enterprise mine in
Mariposa county, very base. and at the
mill only Si3 % was saved. Nine tons OF
ore were worked by the process and the re-
suit was a yield Of $50 per ton. Some OF
the gold Wa Kept for small specimens, but
the bar, which is about 3Isx2 inches i'll
size and IL inches thick, is valued at
S443.
The discovery is a wonderful one and its
Ultimate benefits are incalculable.
Important Mining Sale.
The Eclipse reports a sale of valuable
-. NJ