The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-11-14

ment foor hours. The roasting process
is then complete. A charge is 5000
pounds Of ore and the roasting costs the
company about 81 per ton. 1t remains
in the furnace thirty-six hours. A
charge is put into each furnace and with
drawn four times each twenty-four
hours. Nine furnaces are now running
and others will soon be started.
The ore now ready for smelling is drawn
from the rooster furnace and taken on
cars to other bins in which such ores are
deposited. As the charge on ITS car
leaves the roasting department it is
again carefully weighed to see what has
been lost during the process and usually
it is found that it weighs less by about
10 per cent. a sample is also taken and
submitted to a careful chemical analysis
to see what proportion OF the metals
sought to be saved has been lost. An
other object in this examination is to
test the ore and regulate the charge
which shall go to the smelling furnace.
The bins in which the ore is deposited
on its pl ogrcss to the smelter proper num-
Der thirty-four and have an average ca
pacity of 80 tons to the bin. These are
designated as the lower bins. 1t will be
remembered that certain ores termed
oxide were sent to the lower yards as
not requiring roasting. 1t is in these
bins that oxide ores are also deposited.
Among the oxides pointed out were the
May e. Edna. a well-known Barker ore:
the Southern Cross. from Deer Lodge,
containing about one and a quarter
ounces of gold to the ton. but DE- silver:
the Germania OF Butte, running from
sixty to eighty ounces in silver; the Sill
yer Belle of Barker. and some iron ore
from Mill creek, near Anaconda.
The charge floor Of the smelter comes
next in order. and this is the final des,ina-
ton of the ore. Into this then it is haul
ed and deposited in small bins which
hold two or three tons and are situatedin
front Of the furnaces. The furn1
charge is carefully weighed on seal.
prepared by the superintendent. 1T con.
sists of certain proportions of ore and
lime which accompany it and is shoveled
into the furnace through the feed door
Below this floor is what il termed the
furnace floor of the smelter. Down to this
some sixteen or eighteen feet in depth
extend the great furnaces. They are
divided into different zones. At the bast
is what is called the one OF separation
and here so far as the Montana smeltel
is concerned, the process concludes
Even as at the final day a division il
made only instead of sheep and goats ol
wheat and chat, the division is slrG
and bullion. From the front like a great
stream of fire out pours the Stag in
molten state and perfectly viii hot. -
is cartcd way and dumped cut If a.,
road. The bullion comes out rom The
side and falls into a receptacle ere the
mingled, molten silver, lead md golc
make a very pretty sight. From thu
receptacle it is ladled into n olds ant
) when it cools it is bull n bars
) These bars weigh about % pou dis eaci
and contain in the n%eighborhoC OF l.
ounces of silver to the ton, quite a soot
deal of lead and some gold. The year.
shipments Of silver amounts to tntweei
t 100000 and S3,OOO,OC0 and about 300.
0C0 in gold is sent east. this amour, be
ing calculated on the idea that the w
, stacks now running will run continue z
ly during that period of time. From
each bar G. bullion sent in a carload
l certain proportion is retained and sen
to the assay office in order to determin
the value of the shipment.
t The assay Office and chem'c depart
ment a,c located in the same buildin
and are presided over by p. A. Smith
? assayer, and Max Hcberlein, chemis
| Each sample sent to this building is sui
mitted to a careful analysis and its valu
| is determined. Four packages are mad
d. from the sample. OF these n is sen
t to the assayer, one to the chemist, n t
the owner, while the fourth is reserve
for reference.
/, In fact throughout the system seem
Q a most perfect one and Mr.. Emric
proved a most perfect cicerone in e.
S planning its various eXcellencies an
t beauties.