The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-01-01

green names, Sucn as orthodox CnrlS-
tians expect Bob Ingersoll will en-
counter in the region which he
says is not. Ii all could be
made to realize that the place
of doubtful existence, but.
which has the horrible reputation
of maintaining the heat at high
temperature by means of birthstone
fed fires. was anything like so often
sive to the lungs as the fumes from
this seething pile of blue-burning
ore, humanity would at once turn
good, for the sake of reaching the
upper and better hereafter. The
men who move this ore wear
mOistened spOnges over their mouths
and noses TO condense the poisonous
vapors, and even then they are fire.
quently so seriously affected as to
be obliged to quit work. The I'M
initiated who innocently opens his
mouth near an unloading car is very
apt to get dose that he will bear in
mind when next he enters the room.
After lying for tWenty-four hours,
the ore is taken to the amalgamating
pans, of which there are twenty
four, each holding $500 pounds.
These pans are broad wooden tubs,
in which there is revolving wheel,
operating something like a churn-
dasher. The pulp in these pans is
kept boiling hot by means Of eX-
haust steam and the wheel reYOlv-
ing at the rate of sixty times q
minute, keeps up a connection like
a boiling mud spring 1t should
have been remarked that
each pan is charged with 400
pounds Of quicksilver. After
This stirring ana mixing process has
continued eight hours, plug at the
bottom is removed, and the silver,
quicksilver and other matter are
drawn off into another pan, called
the settler. OF the latter there are
twelve, and they are filled with cold
water. The silver and quicksilver
now settle to the bottom, whence
they are drawn in pots, the mud or
tailiDgs running into a large dam
below the mill, to be worked over
for the St or 81 per ton of silver
they contain, should some better
and cheaper process than those now
known be discovered. The quick
silver and silver together are drawn
Off in a canvas bag through which
most Of the former strains, while
the latter is retained in the form of
amalgam. being white and Of about
the consistency of moist clay. The
quicksilver flows by means Of d
series Of leading pipes into cup ele
vatOr and is carried back 10 large
iron tanks 20 be again used as before; ;
about three pounds only being lost
to the ton of ore. The amalgamating
pans are charged three times every
tWenty-four hours, and an accurate
tally kept of the charges. The
amalgam is now taken to the ret0rt
room. There are four retortS, each
Of 1000 pounds capacity. The ANAL
gam being placed IN these retOrts, it
drains for four hours, during which
much of the quicksilver left in when
it came from the pan room, works
its way out. The retOrt is
then headed and sealed, and
kept under intense heat for
eight hours, when the quicksilver
has all passed out in the form OF
vapor, and been condensed by means
of water jackets, and collected in
the metallic state. The retOrt is
now permitted to cool, when the
silver is taken out in broken chunks
of various size and shape.
The next and final step is to melt
this down in crucibles, which is
here done by means of coke fires,
and run it into the bars. A sample
is taken from the crucible before the
bar is moulded, and this is assayed.
and the value, as well as the weight
and tineneSS, is stamped ON the tar
before it is taken from the room.
The mill is now done with the bust
ness, the silver going 10 the express
office, and thence tosNew YORK, to
be disposed of to government or any
purchaser who offers the highest
price. From the time the Gre starts
under the rock-breaker at the upper
floor, till it comes out in bars ready
for the market, is sixty-tWO hours.
The bars, as we see them. contain
some copper, iron and lead, which
cannot be roasted out: however,
they are reduced to a high degree CT
finenesS. -Four bars which the
writer saw moulded the other day,
were stamped 7O7, ITO, rs, 7OS fine,
the value being about 81, 200 each.
HOWELL FURNACE.
There is also in the mill a White
g. Howell rotary furnace, which
appears to have been erected as an
experiment. At any rate it is now
idle. and has been used but little.
we believe, since it was constructed.
two or three years ago. 1t is q
mammoth concern, its essential
principle being something similar to
that Of the Stedefeldt, yet it seems
to operate less satisfactorily, and is
therefore resting quietly, an expen-
Sive monument to the Ontario's en-
terprise and iberality, in trying to
find better and cheaper methods for
its ores.
All this mill machinery is driven
by a single engine, a smoothly run
ming, handsome machine, which
seems not to know its own strength.
It is a Scott 81 Eckart engine of $50
horsepower, built by Prescott,
Scott 81 Co., San Francisco, and has
done regular and faithful service