The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-19

arc found. These. according 20 the North
ssroitna state Biologist. ARE sometimes
OF greater importance than the true gold
veins Their width varies from a rev
inches to seventy feet, 49, generally. ana
subsequently, TO its dispositions. II pas
been acted on by chemical agencies as
solved and preclpitated again. and mas
accumulated IN strings which sometimes
form ienticuiar end more highly aurler-
Gus masses in the beds. and is associat-
ed with CRYSTALS OF quartz. pyrite, chaiSo-
pyrite. gaienite blende etc"
lie also says: THE distribution OF goa
Is obviously much wider than Is coiniilon-
ly supposed. Besides the usual matrices
vehicles or associates, such as quar-
pyrite. chaleo pyrite. etc, ina II c." :,
ring in quite range Of common rooNS
Docs Geld GFow7
There has been a prevalent peilei
amongst the workers in the shane" p,
erg OF the Southern gold he'n 49,
the seed" gold left in tailings OF ihhheS
would grow, and In evidence oil their pe
lief they point 10 the fact tlat az
standing several years such taiiinss Oa,'
be rewashed at protit. the yieiu uepe nv.
ing upon the length Of time the goiu mas
had to grow T., o,u.r1y
Professor Ecieston thinks It is clearly
solved out Of the rocks and placers Dy
waters of vibrations. which carry IL III
very dilute solutions unin II meets some
substance which precipitates u mus nc
accounts for the concentration OF soio -,
the taillngs Of some mines. when cahno'
be concentrated by mechanical means
and also for the formation OF gold DUB
gets I'm placers.
Professor Kerr mentions the fact that
ola Ia
have been revoked proitably half
dozen times. only the coarse gold being
obtained each time by the rude appliances
and methods used. The fine and dihused
and scale gold which escapes in these
rough washings and sluicings evidently
undergoes a process Of aggregation,
q fact which was noted by Pro-
lessor Licber. state GeolOgist OF South
Carolina. in 1853. but which seems to have
escaped due attention.
The apparent growth OF gold is, there
fore only the concentration OF diifused
gold by one Of natures processes
Natures Methods Of Concentration.
The operation Of concentrating gold IS
performed by nature in a two-fold man
ner one Of it's agencies is chemical ana
the other Is mechanical. BY the hrst the
gold Is carried in solution and precipitat-
ed and by the second the force or gravity
separates the heavy particles OF gold
from the lighter material with which II
is associated by the aid Of water. The
final effect is seen in the placers when
furnish gold in its most available form
and have. says Professor Egleston, sup
piled probably tWo-thirds Of the worlds
gold supply. In 1880. however, only thir-
ty-sx per cent. Of the gold which was
produced In the United States was de-
rived from these sources. and siXty-four
Ter cent. came from deep mining. Since
that time the large hydraulic mines or
California have been stopped by debris
litigation, and a larger proportion OF the
gold product must come from deep MINING
TO which more attention is being paid az a
result of the suspension of hydraulic min
ing of placer deposits.
Nature has to some extent concentrated |
the gold near the surface I'm the veins and
ore beds, by solution and precipitation,
as well as by oxidation Of the pyrites;
but these have been more or less worked
out. and the great body Of the gold ores
lie in greater depths and unchanged. TO
make them available, natures methods
must be initiated. The gold must be set
free from the pyrites by oxidation-taken
up IN solution by chemical process-and
precipitated in an available form. This
Is done by roasting and the Thies method
of clOrinatiol at a cost that makes 1t pos
sible TO the low-grade sulphuret ores
at profit. and renders available the ores
OF the Southern gold fields which hereto
fore have received little attention.
The great advantages Of the Thies pro-
cess IN the South are that IL requires
only a small outlay for the plant TO treat
the product Of a single mine--the fuel
for roasting the concentrates is plentiful
and cheap-and the labor required is
mostly unsklled and can be had at very
low wages. In these respects the South
has n great advantage over california.
The cost Of reducing one ton Of concen-
trates in California at the Bunker Hill
mine was Sl46l when at the Halle Mine
In south Carolina il was only S62 -
The proportion Of sulphurets in the Cali
fornia ores is said 20 be usually from
one TO six per cent The proportion at the
Halle Mine, it is and believed at Southern
mines generally, is much greater, but on
the other hand the California sulphurets
are richer in gold. and the yield per ton of
ore mined is probably somewhat higher
TO offset which in the South we have
the cheaper fuel and labor.
T. NJ. r. TALCOTT.