The Somerset reporter., 1895-10-31
GOLD EATING WATER
SPARKLING LIQUID CHARGED WITH
CYANIDE OF POTASSIUM.

by Percolation-A simple but Interest
Ing Process, With Results Which Are
Nothing Less Than Marvellous.
1t is not generally known, even III
California, that millions of dollars in
glittering gold are annually taken from
rude heaps Of base looking quartz by
the gentle flowing of crystal water over
huge piles of broken rocks that contain
the precious metal, but such is the fact
1.-THE process of robbing the earth of
its gold has now been reduced to such a
fine poiut, said Professor Price, that
the gentle flowing Of water oyer the ore
CLEANS il of its golden treasures, and
this works we'll in eases where the old
chloride aud other methods are not so
useful. "
But the water of which Professor
Price spoke is not 80 pure as it looks,
though the eye could never distinguish
ii from that which is dipped by the old
oaken bucket from we'll in the deep
tangled wildwood. The water used 10y
miners in bringing gold from piles Of
mineral bearing quartz is charged with a
simple chemical which has the potency
to dissolve gold and hold it i'll solution.
In truth, the sparkling liquid which
flows over hundreds of tons of quartz,
trickles through the mines and seeks its
level, laden with gold. is charged with
a deadly poison, cyanide of potassium,
"a drug which ferrets cut the minutest
PARTICLES OF the yellow metal, dissolves
them and brin4s the precious burden to
the watts for conversion into refined gold
again.
The cyanide process is as noiseless and
unerring as the laws of gravitation, do
ing its work as quietly as 1.-THE majestic
dance Of the hours > unhindered by
darkness or weather, by disasters of field
or flood.
The state mining bureau of California
was one of the first in the United States
to investigate the merits of the cyanide
process, and since the earliest inyestiga-
tons the method has found extensive
application. 1t is so interesting that its
results are nothing less than marvellous
This method of extracting both gold and
silver from ores is based on the fact that
even very weak solution Of cyanide of
potassium dissolves gold and silver,
forming respectively "auro potassic
! cyanide" and 'argento- potassie cyan
ide, = in the language of the chemists
This interesting process consists OF
! treating the ores with a weak solution
of potassium cyanide, usually by allow
| ing the solution to percolate through the
ore, or by a2itating mixture of the
ore and solution When this part Of the
operation is completed, the solution is
separated from the solid material, and
! the gold and silver are precipitated IN
metallic form. The process Is modern
in its application, though it has long
been known that cyanide of potassium
would "eat gold During the last five
years, however, the process has been
| introduced into almost every goldfeld
III California and elsewhere, and more
/ than $50, 000, 600 have been recovered
! by the gentle flowing of waters charged
with the magical chemical over heaps Of
ore Aside from the thoroughness of the
| permeating water method, its economy
is "a marked feature i'll mining 1t is in
great favor with the gold mining com
/ panieS of New Zealand and at Johannes
burg, Africa, as well lis in California
One Of the most advantageous features
Of the cyanide method Is that it can be
| applied to many gold and silver ores gen
orally called "rcbellious' or "refrac-
/ tory y The rebeli0us ere is placed in
vat for percolation, and the solution is
run preferably from the bottom hy
pipe, rising slowly through the ore. The
solution containing gold is carried
through preelplating appliances into
the final reservoir Where, robbed of its
wealth of metal, ii may be repunped
into ore watts and again used fer search
ing out the coveted metal.
One of the curious things about the
solution is that total percentage not
stronger than an eighth of ! per cent
will carry aWaH the gold almost as well
as fluid Of greater strength.
Precipitation is effected by the use Of
fine pieces of zinc So arranged that
when the rich Water flow over them the
fine gold clusters in rich deposits over
the zinc, for which it has an affinity.
The gold which thus deserts the waters
of cyanide deposits itself in the form of
fine dust on the plates of zinc. The per
centage Of gold extracted by this process
is very large A large parcel of fine
sulphurets from the Utica mines yielded
an average Of 93. IS per cent of the gold
value under the cyanide treatment, and
similar results have been experienced
elsewhere in the state The cyanide
plants are being extended, and the
noiseless process is everywhere becoming
popular San Francisco Chronicle.