Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-05-14
NO. F..
Concentration Of Ores.

| Name 9llninE Joufudi.1
 Mir. ThOs. Stevens, Superintendent of
 the Sullivan mine, writes to the New
 York Mining Record as follows:
 Characterization IS timely topic. In
 concentrating the majority of ores only
 simple common sense is requisite for
 the accomplishment of the end in view.
 It IS not essential to be profound in sOlv-
 ing mathematical problems to under-
 stand how 70 separate ore from the
 debris.
 Go to tue dressing floors of Cornwall
 and Devon, England, and the boy oper-
 ating there will put to blush many of the sO-called concentrating experts. It Is time we get at the simplicity of con centration instead of necessarily trying | to mystify it with words, and machinery as perplexing. It is quite ludicrOusto In- spect some concentrating works; the | whole IS one bewiiderment of wheels within wheels as if the multiplication of machinery was the end sought after There are scarcely a dozen mines with machinery alike, which of itself verifies the lack of knowledge essential for sep aratiOn of vein matter; hence the country is flooded with men having no ideas of the nature of concentration, but having lots of machinery blended together, in every conceivable shape, which even if successful for a short time, are failures ID the end, because of price and the lack of strength and durability. It is surprising to see. in the West. the enormous amount of money that has been expended for worthless machinery now being eaten up by the hungry ele- ments. In many a mine m the West, more has been spent for useless material for simple concentrating ores than 1t has cost to develop the largest mines of Maine. We have for years been reach ing out for something, we know not what, waiting as 1t were for some grey bearded sage to proclaim the mystery, forgetting that It IS at hand-slmphclty.
 All mining men know that ores of a different specific gravity from the gangue are the simple concentrates. Those near ly of an identical gravity are those re- quiring little more skill and care; in some instances, water may be detrimen- tai at first. but roasting it to a cherry-red heat before crushing, then water will have the desired effect
 A few years ago iron thickly impreg- mated with pyrltes was useless; now, simply roasting 1t liberates those sulphu- rets, and the ores are now sought after. Some wars ago l took a dump pile of refuse matter; by putting 800 tons on one cord of wood 1 obtained matter F per cent. of copper. Nothing can be more easy and simple, generally, than concentrating galena ores. Some fear to crush too fine because of the waste in slimes-rightly managed, very little need be wasted Tn shines.
 The combination of all metalliferous vein matter IS accomplished in natures simple and natural way, and without knowledge of 1t We work only by guess. It IS necessary to understand how nature puts together and executes her work in order to understand how to des- server it. There IS the key to the whole; her work k to build, ours to tear down. And fortunately 1t IS becoming known that water assisted by heat and cleo tricity are the main motors whereby Nature does her handiwork in forming metalliferous deposits.
 We hear of obstinate and complex ores, which IS equivalent to saying nature used a little mere heat energy when operating at that point, and to overcome the Obstinancy of such, We have to operate in similar manner. When such a difficulty Is overcome, then comes the familiar ejaculation oh how simpler What are all the practical and profitable concentrating works, including furnaces, etc, but the of simpllcityg'