The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
THE NEW CONCENTRAToR.
[From a photograph

the world. The treatment is known as
the Morosco fusion process and the patents
covering the same are owned by the
Morosco, Shields & Bishop Fusion
Company.
The subsection of calcined ore to
molten lead bath and extraction OF the
precious metals by so doing is not an idea
of recent date. To devise practical
machinery for feeding the ore continu-
ously into the lead, to then handle the
same in its passage through the molten
metal so as to bring every particle OF ore
in contact with the lead for a sufficient
length of time, TO insure perfect extrac-
ton of the precious metals, to discharge
the tailings from the apparatus without
any loss of lead, to combine all these
points successfully has required much
thought, labor and capital.
Many Intellectual attempts have been
made to accomplish this, and the United
States Patent Office and other records
show numerous failures by those attempt
ing to produce mechanism that would
enable the ore to have all the conditions
necessary for amalgamatlon while i'm
mersed In the lead and at the same time
secure a steady and automatic discharge
after treatment.
Eminent authorities have conceded that
such process would be success and in
certain branches revolutioniZe ore treat
nient, providing the mechanical effects
could be SO constructed as to insure steady
introduction and perfect segregation of the
ore while in the lead, automatically dis
! charging same, all these features to COM
bine regularity and durability.
| Last June the erection of plant was
commenced ini Amador County at the
a,a1 oa4
begun to demonstrate and work the pro-
| cess on a practical scale. This process
| now completed, is offered to the mining
! public for their investigation. The num-
| berless failures of the past Will cause many
men to doubt if success is really at hand.
| The photographs here shown will give an
adequate insight into the works, showing
| plant capable of treating between ten
and twenty tons per day, which has been
! running successfully on ore since April 3,
| 1896.
The treatmentof ore in detail is briefly
as follows: The ore being first reduced to
| thirty or forty mesh according to its char
| acter, is then given dead roast to free it
| from all volatile bases, such as sulphur,
| arsenic, santimony, etc., which if allowed
| TO remain would prevent the ore and lead
| coming together. The roasted ore is at
| once fed TO the bath machine while still at
| high heat, as the introduced ore must
| melting point of lead (640 F. in order
that there may be no chilling effect upon
the bath and thereby reduce the amalga.
mating heat.
The roasted ore is fed in steady stream,
| automatically, to the bottom of the bath
well, which is very heavy iron casting,
thirty inches in diameter and six feet deep.
The ore on reaching the bottom of this
| casting is freed, and at once attempts to
rise by its own gravity through the bath of
molten lead, OF which there are over five
| tons. In this chamber are circular per-
| forated plates with reversed stir-arms be-
tween, and the ore is caught by the first
| stirrers and segregated, passing through
| the first plate and on to the second set of
| stlrrers, continuing this operation five
times, until it arrives on the surface of the
lead, where it is discharged automatically
by rapidly revolving disk; then to trap
box OF running water which Immediately
chills the ore and thence passes on to the
| concentration.
After the ore passes through the bath it
carries no gold or silver, as the precious
| metals have become fused with the lead
and left behind in the well, while the ore
| is discharged into the water-box. Carving
with it about A per cent of lead, which is
! all recovered on the concentrators re-
melted and refined and is used again in
| the bath.
| The bath furnace takes one-quarter of a.
cord OF wood in twenty-four hours to keep
proper heat. Twelve horsepower is re.
| quired for running machinery.
Providing the capacity of the present
machine is only ten tons per day, the cost
of working per ton is 50 OF on chlorination
! tailings that have lain idle for want of
! some means to extract their remaining
value.
| Collaborating sulphates and base ores can
| be worked by the Morosco Fusion process
for from So to 81 per ton ana yield over 80
| per cent extraction.
The vast bodies of pay ore now lying idle
| for want OF successful treatment will no
| doubt prove a bonanza to the owners of
the Morosco Fusion process.