Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-02-16
WORK REFRACTORY ORES.
Invention Of A. B. Mofit That is Attracting
Great Attention in California.

j. B. Moffitt, OF Stockton, CAL, has
invented a machine to treat refrac-
tory ore that is attracting great deal
OF attention in California. The San
Francisco Chronicle says that since he
made known his secret mining men
have been going every day to inspect
the machine. The discovery has
already created quite a furry IN ada
cent mining counties, and in fact,
wherever the particulars are known.
The old man declares that he is not
selling rights or territory, or any part
of his patent. Those who know him
well believe that he will go of on
another tangent before any of the
machines are ready for the market.
When Moffit was asked where he got
his idea he referred to the story of the
gold that disappeared from the mint.
He said that $4,000 in gold was
once missed from the San Francisco
mint. No one knew where it had
gone, but finally somebody thought
OF gathering up the SCOT on the build
ings around. The SCOT was treated,
and $4,000 of the gold wos re-
covered. Moffit says he thought that
would be a good way to smelt ore, so
he tried it in his machine.
The following description is given of
the machine: The stamp mill is done
away with altogether. The ore, broken
into pieces as large as walnuts, runs
into a crushing machine in which
rough steel plates rub against one
another. The ore comes out in parti-
cles like river sand. Miners understand
that these rebellious ores contain
ordinarily no free gold whatever. One
can look at this sand as it comes out
of Moffiitt's crusher without seeing the
glittering of gold or anything to indi-
cate that there is bit ofyellow metal
in it. The gold is held in combina-
tions that only chemical process have
heret ofore been able to separate. This
sand-like ore is fed into the ''oxidizing"
machine, the most important part OF
Moffitt's invention. Externally this
"oxidizing'' machine looks not unlike
a boiler with some cog-wheels at one
end, a pipe at the other and a tre-
hole beneath. A pressure blower is
connected with it. Internally the
machine is unite complicated. Within
the outer casing there are two cylin-
ders, one revolving within the other.
They revolve in the same direction,
but the inner one much faster than the
other. Wood is fed into the fire hole
and burns in such q manner under
pressure that it becomes charcoal be-
fore being finally consumed, and SO
gives out an intense heat. This fire
brings the outer cylinder to a white
heat. The crushed ore is fed into this
cylinder, and is, OF course, heated
| with it.
Here the inner cylinder gets in its
work. 1t has scores and scores OF
blow-pipes upon it's surface, and air is
| forced through them at a tremendous
rate by the pressure blower which con-
meets with the interior of the cylinder.
AS the outer heated cylinder slowly
revolves the ore drops on the blow
pipes, and thus gets the full benefits OF
the blast. So much oxygen is fur
nished that everything in the ore but
| the precious metals and q soft, pow
derv ash is burned in this cyclone
motion.
| The force of the blast is such that
the lighter particles OF metal and ash
are forced upward and precipitated in
a tank of water above the revolving
cylinders. The heavier particles are
blown downward and forced into
into another tank of water. Nothing
is lost. If what is left of the ore at
this time is examined the ash is found
to be glittering with bits OF gold, the
metal having been released from the
rebellious combinations which held 1t
The process does not stop here. A
spiral keeps gathering up the sediment
in the tanks and mixing it with quick
silver into an amalgam ready for the
retort. Thus the ore is put into the
machine in chunks and comes out
amalgamated.
/; Tests have shown that one of thes.
: machines will treat a ton and a half o
} refractory ore an hour, while larger
machines of the same patter will hav,
) a correspondingly greater capacity
: plant of them could be run for com
paratively little money, as one goot
} engine would furnish power for a mum
i Der of machines and pressure blowers
j the only other expense bing attend
ance and the wood or coal-wood pre-
! ferred-used in the oxidizing furnace
: Another advantage is that the ma
chimes weigh less than a ton and cal
be taken apart, no part weighing owe
/ 800 pounds. Therefore they can b.
] easily transported over any mountain
trail that a mule can traverse.
/ The ore at the Reeve mine, at Yves
d Point, Calaveras county, is said to b
I the most refractory known in tn
r state. A ten-stamp mill with a chlori
e nation plant was tried at the mine
: but it could not earn expenses. Ex
! perts who have seen Motifs machin
+ work say it chews up ore at therat
: of a ton and half an hour and turn
e ont So5 in GOLD for every ton