Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-08-20
Potomac Items.

The boating on the canal is still slow
owing to general dissatisfaction among the
boatsmen, and they are the greatest sufferers.
A meeting will be held here next Satur-
day to form Hancock and English club
and make arrangements to raise pole All
OF this community who favor our cause and
want to keep the ball rolling are invited to
be present
Some Of our people visited the Washing
ton Grove Camp Meeting last Sunday and
listened to an eloquent sermon, which had its
effect, as we saw many of your influential
citizens and young men looking for the head
quarters Of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation. Whether they found it and profit
ed thereby we are unable to say, as we left
on the 5 o'clock train
n glass ball shooting club was organized
here, last Saturday, for sport and the lawful
protection of game and fish: Winfield Of
futt was elected president; Thos. J.. Perry,
treasurer and O. S. Maus, secretary. Ten
signed the roll, and had an Inauguration by
shooting at twelve balls each, from rotary
trap, with the following result Winfield
Offutt, 8; l.. W. Offutt, Jr., IL; Thomas f.
Perry, g. o. S. Maus, 8; Harvey Fawcett,
Jr., II; j. w. Carroll, 10; VIM. Offutt, 8 !;
II. G. Fawcett, 6; Chas. Stone,5
On Monday last we paid n visit to the
Montgomery Gold Mines, to witness the
Robertson process of extracting gold. On
our arrival we were met by Mr. Harrison,
the superintendent, who is always pleased
to show his many visitors. the mine, its
interior and exterior surroundings. Capt
Hoedter invited us down the shaft and after
being provided with d lamp we undertook
our Underground voyage. During our in
vestigation we were surprised at the vast
amount OF wealth concealed in the bowels
of the earth at this locality. In some places
veins of quartz are seen from three to nine
feet wide and with depth unknown. After
an hours investigation, we again assembled
to the outer world, none the worse off hut
fully satisfied that the mines must prove a
success At twelve, noon, the new mill was
started and every movement was closely
watched. The process consists in the quartz
being run through a crushing machine Of
fifty tons capacity per day, which reduces
the stone TO about the size Of hen egg. 1t
is then thrown into rcvcrberatory furnace
where it is slowly brought to red heat after
which il is easily reduced 10 powder This
powder while in a red hot condition, il
plunged into cold bath of strong Brine
sulphate of copper and cyanide of potassium
After this it goes to the amalgamating pan
and then to the settler, where the gold is
run off with the quicksilver, strained, re-
torted and then the gold appears in all its
prestine beauty.
One ton Of ore was run through in one
hour and fifteen minutes, which yielded in
value $3.50, and some was left in the pans,
as some of the party was anxious TO depart
for home and could not wait for thorough
cleaning up
Mr.. Robertson said one ton an hour could
easily be worked and was sure all the gold
could be gotten out. He informed us that he
could take the "tailings" which was worked
by the Nevada Mill and get at least nine
hundred per cent more than was obtained
by the first workings and his assertion is
sustained by the experiment. as the Nevada
Mill process did not yield an average Of
more than IS perton (which would not pay
and the balance had 10 lay in the tailings
until the stone become rotten, when il was
again worked over and much remained
with the sulphates, etc.
The owners Of the mine were much pleased
with the result The president, in n neat
speech, presented the proceeds Of the first
ton TO Mr.. Robertson, (the inventor OF the
| process) who in turn presented II to the
daughters of Capt lloeder the assistant gu.
perintcndent.
Among the capitalists prescntwere Mcssrs.
John p Hale, Vernon Tcaman, Theo. vii.
liams, II. II Wills, J. l.. Garrison and Thos.
w. Shannon, all Of New York; Thos. II.
Gill, John Tracy, J. Il. H. Galway. G. p.
Coleman, H. G. Eggleston, DIR. Herman Bur
gin and H. d. Hughes, Of Philadelphia, rep
resenting sl5,0O0,0O0 capital. Montgomery
county was represented by Messrs. VIM. @.
Council, DIR. Grey Smith, A. Y. Kilgour, II.
C. Fawcett, o. $. Maus, DIR. J. V. Carraher,
George Cummings and Jacob Poss. The
visitors were highly interested In witnessing
the proceedings.
Mr.. John A. Robertson, the inventor Of
this celebrated process, was born and raised
in Patrick county, Virginia, but for the last
twenty-one years has been resident Of Cal.
ifornia, where be has amasscd large for
tune from mining and his gold extracting
process. NJ.