Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1889-04-20
FIERY FURNACES.
BUSY TIMES AT THE MONTANA Smell
TING COMPANY's WORKS.
turning Ore into Silver at n Rapid
Rate The Model Plant of
The United
States.

days. The third furnace has been plac-
ed in blast and the fourth will doubtless
be at work on the first OF next week, if
not sooner. 1t is common now for ore to
arrive in tram loads of IA cars each Of
which contains 20 tons. Some of these
train-loads are worth $2S,OOO.
The plant is so well devised that quick
work is done in unloading the cars which
come back laden with silver-lead bullion
for eastern refneries
The ores are divided into two great
classes-those which need roasting and
those which do not.
The ore is first taken to the sampliug
works in order that they may be crushed
and their value determined. These works
embody all the latest Improvements.
They contain an automatic cutoff engine
Of hundred and fifty horsepower, built
by Hendy q Myer Of Denver, who have
provided most of the iron work on the
spot. This engine drives system OF one
large Blake crusher, one small stone
crusher, pair of large rollers, and 8
small grinding machine. Besides this, it
also sets in motion an automatic sampling
mill, which both pulverizes and samples
those ores that are subjected to the pre-
paratory process, rather great degree of
tineness being required for this. This
automatic department consists Of stone
crusher, elevator, trommel-screen, a large
pair of Cornish rollers, and a small pair,
and automatic sampling device, which
takes out any desired proportion of the
ore as 1t passes through the mill. 1t re-
quires only two men to run it, and it is
very pretty design. 1t is very accurate,
mechanically so.
The ore is taken from hoppers in this
mill into tram-cars and run on system
of elevated tram-ways into the upper
series of bins between the sampling works
and the roasting house. The ozidized
ores. which are sampled in the sampling
works, are taken down to the lower bins.
There is an extensive system of railroad
tracks running between the upper and
lower ore bins and connecting the samp-
ling works with the other parts of the
plant
IMMENSE FURNACES.
From the roasting furnaces, after the
the ore has been roasted down to five per
cent of sulphur, it is drawn into wheel
barrows and dumped into set Of bins,
before it is finally charged in the blast
furnaces. These same bins contains the
ores that do not require roasting. From
these bins the ore is taken into the blast
furnace building as it is required. This
building is 162x1OO feet. Ithas at pres
ent four finished blast furnaces. The size
of these is, in the cruciable, SO inches by
AZ inches. The height from the furnace
floor to the charge floor, which is the low
est level of the works, or that of the Stag
dump, is 16 feet. The blast furnaces are
provided with steel water jackets, with a
5 inch water space and eleven tuyeres,
with an automatic valve. The blast fur
naces are of Mr. Eiler's patent, with clos
ed tops, being fired through doors on the
sides. A down pipe 4 feet in diameter
takes the gasses and flue dust down into
a large t1ue, which is of cross section suf-
ficient for 10 blast furnaces, and with the
fue dust chamber is 500 feet long The
huge stack is 10 feet in diameter and $50
feet high. Night and day the hugh fur
naces are kept at work.
When the ore has run its course in the
fiery furnace the metallic product is al
lowed to pour off and form into blocks. |
Samples are taken from these blocks and |
then they are ready for shipment to the
east. The Stag comes forth in molten
masses and is taken outside where it has
already formed an immense heap beside |
The swift-fowing Missouri. At times
Mr.. Eilers himself extracts the molten
'lag from the furnace with long iron
AXE.
Good discipline reigns throughout the
arge establishment which is the pride of |
Montana and foreshadows the time when
'he will be the largest gold and silver
in the world.