The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-29
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: Let Is Reason Co9etDer. !
engineering skill is evidenced in the
wonderful work OF deep silver mining.

engineering skill Is eVlQenCeu III the
wonderful work OF deep silver mining
MILL AND MILLING.
This is simply an outline of the mine
ready for breaking down the ore. Let
US now point out the mill for reducing
the ore when mined, and for this pur-
pose we will take a mill at the Alice
mine, which is the average size, as an
example. A building 252 feet in
length and IA feet wide, containing
a 450-horse-power engine with three
batteries, six tubular boilers of 54
inches diameter and JIG feet long to fur
nish power for the 60-stamp mill hav-
ing Is pans and nine settlers, and two
60-inch White Howell chloridizing
furnaces. Within the building is
Storeroom for salt, used in chloridiz-
ing, 80 feet long by 80 feet wide. The
20-stamp mill is 127 feet long by III
feet wide, having S0-horse- power en-
CINE and three tubular boilers to fur
nish power for the Blake rock crush
er and the pans and settlers. We
briefly outlined the process of reduc-
ing gold ores, and we will now trace
the silver ore into the ingot of silver.
The ore as mined is filled in car, run
over a steel rail track, hoisted to the
surface, and run to the crushing-room,
where the rock is broken to the size
of large hens eggs, after which it is
spread on the drying floor "a floor
having furnaces under it furnishing
moderate degree of heat. Salt is here
mixed with the ore for chloridiZing
purposes. When the ore is dried
enough it is taken to the battery
stamps and fed in. The stamps drop
ping on the ore crush it 10 an impal-
pable dust, which, by the force of per-
cussion, is thrown up against a screen
and is sffted through into a trough
below. The ore is now carried for
ward by a large Hanged screw, operat-
ing in the trough to a furnace. and
heated to a red heat. This Is known
as the calcining and chloridizing pro-
cess. After this it is drawn off te the
coohng-ioor. The cooling is done by
turning on water. From here it is
loaded on cars and run to the pans.
The pans look very much like the
large watts at the brewers, and are
filled with water up to the let-out of
the sluice-boX, into which water is
constantly running. While the mill is
in operation. There is a spindle oper-
ating in the pan, having fukes at
points of elevation, and large iron
disc at the bottom of the spindle.
This is known as the muller and makes
about 120 revolutions minute. The
| chloridized ore is thrown into this pan
a shovelful at time, and is stirred
ore, being heavier than the waste, set
ties more and more to the bottom,
while the waste is carried off by the
water and is known as tailings. Of
course more or less of the lighter par
ticleS of silver ore is washed off with
the waste, and for d time at least is
loss. The settler is constructed very
much like the pan. but the mullers
revolve at only about ore-half the
speed. giving the ore a chance to set
tie Quicksilver is put in the settlers
in large quantities, which takes up
the silver released from the ore by af
finity. The lively quicksilver, charged
with silver, becomes as thick as mud
in receptacle prepared to receive it.
1t is known now as silver amalgam-
The amalgam is taken ZIP. and what
quicksilver that can be made to escape
by pressure is drained out, and the
silver amalgam is taken to the retort
oven. This oven is made of heavy
cast-iron cylinder with a furnace be-
low and a vent pipe running from the
oven into a water trough to carry off
the fumes of the quicksilver as it
evaporates under the heat of the oven.
The amalgam is placed in this oven,
the door being fastened tightly by pres
sure screws to keep the fumes from
escaping except through the vent.
When the quicksilver is all evaporated.
the contents of the over are known as
retort silver This is taken out. broken
up, put in large crucible and melted
down into silver ignots or bricks. The
product of the mine is now ready to
be shipped to the market.
COST OF QUARTZ MILL AND SUP
PLIES.
In the report of the Alice Gold &
Silver company for 1894, we find that
the cost of the mill was nearly 100000.
This was paid mostly to the skilled
labor of the east for its manufacture
with tonnage of freight in its trans
portation. To still further emphasize
our statement with regard to the adj
vantage of a market TO all industries
tributary to silver mining, we copy
statement Of the supplies on hand,
showing the variety and amount neces-
sary to the successful prosecution of
silver mining. In gold mining, pro-
ducing like amount of value, it would
not require over from one-tentu To
one-twelfth as much invested in sup
plies. We urge you to consider this
fact in estimating the value of silver
mining in the interest of employment
of men who are the wealth producers
of the world.
SUPPLIES.
We find the supplies on hand as fol-
lows:
Wood. 1898 cords. 52,e9s m
Lubricating and coal OIL. 911 Is
Charcoal, 1856 bushels. 315 81
Stone coal .......-............ 5U w
Salt, 2T3 tons Observation-Disclosures. 7,047 90
N-licIrsilyer 90 500 nounds 1928 45
Lumber. 1857 feet......... 44S 7s
.-.4stt MN ll2 40