Fergus County argus., 1890-07-03
The First American Tin Mill.

An interesting account Of the mill oil
the Glendale Tin Mining company. the
first tin mill established in the United
states, and from which Is now being
put out the first fruits of the Dakota
tin mines Is given i'm the Rapid City
Republican. That paper states that
the mill is located on Iron creek, about
20 miles southwest OF Rapid City, ut
the foot of the mountain in which the
mines are situated. The mill proper
measures 30 feet in width by 100 feet
in depth, and is divided into three
stories. 1t is unique in plan. compact
and convenient, well built in all par
ticulars, and protected from all danger
OF fire both by system OF waterpipes
and by having roofs, etc, covered 10y
thick asbestos coating.
Either steam or water power may
be used for running the machinery
The steam equipment consists Of two
lOO-horse power boilers and u 100
horse power high speed engine. The
water power equipment consists of a
Hume 2O 10y - inches in section, bring
ing the water from u dam on Iron
creek, I miles distant from the mill.
giving "a head 100 feet pressure at the
wheel. About 500 MINERS inches ol
water are supplied to the turbine
wheel. which was manufactured 10y
Craig. Ridgeway a Co. of COatsville,
Pa. The water power will he used eX-
cept during short cold snaps in tn.
winter, the engine being placed IN the
mill rs reserve power IN ease oi acci
dents.
The ore is hoisted from the main
shaft and dumped first into an ore bin
OF 300 tons capacity, located high M
the mountain over the mill. From
this bin it is conveyed To the mill 10y I;
wire rope bucket tramway. the loa,l'
going down hill to the mill, liaulln. tn,
empty buckets back tn the mime. TIL,
ore buckets mechanically deliver theil
contents into u .5-tOn ore bin abOv,
and back of he mill. The large lump,
oi ore are crushed, first 10y u Gate
crusher. then passed through drie
tn u set OF Gates improved Cornisl
rolls, thence elevated to- u set of rotar,
sizing sieves. From the sieves TIN
finer sizes are conveyed to a set u
Paradox concentrating tables and TIN
coarser sizes to common liartZ Jlgs
The screens, jigs and conceni rat or
separate completely all of the mica
quartz and ieldspar, leaving clean con
cent rates of cassiterite or oxide OF tin
| q, L., -n,.l. .,l mt har il, III,
; concentrates are, for the present, 10,
ing shipped 20 Chicago to he smelte e'l
, but it is the intention OF the compan
to erect at once Il smelling plant IN tn
hills. The first shipment OF concel
: trates to Chicago yielded 80 per cen
: OF metallic tin, and the second shil
ment 6S per cent. and it is expecte
. that with more practice they will yiel
over 30 per cent.
The main vein measures from % {
, .}2 feet in width at the outcrOp, an
over 40 feet in the lower workin;
+, There is no doubt as to the true fissur
character OF the vein, as it cuts tn
I, states at nearly right angles and ha
) well defined polished walls with II thic
. clay gangue or cleavage. The Vein stu
, is principally albite white feldspar
, with here and there white, glass
. quartz. The black crystals OF ii
, oxide are disseminated all through TIL
!, vein material, varying IN size frol
. crystals weighing an ounce or more I
: those as fine as grains OF pepper. A
= SAYS and tests from the different worl
n ings give an average OF over 3 per Gel
, metallic tin, while picked or specime
/ rock is often blasted out that wi
yield over 30 per cent OF the whl'
metal. With these large bodies OF ol
and the excellent facilities for mimi
cheaply there is no question but th'
n the present mill, with IA capacity
crushing and concentrating 100 ton
: OF ore per day OF "a hours, will soc
u be supplemented by IA still larger mi