Evening star., 1896-07-25

| this powdered dust. The cars run along a
little railroad which leads from one tank
to another and from which the dust is
dumped into the tanks Then the cyanide
solution is introduced by means of pipes.
lhe solution is fluid clear as crystal.
II looks like water. but it is water con-
salhins the poisonous cyanide of potassium.
IT takes about one pound of cyanide to get
the gold out of each ton of ore, and as the
sun runs through the dust the mixture
looks for all the world like brown mush. 1t
IS n'ush. but it is mush mixed with gold.
Now. by the affinity which the cyanide OF
potassium has for gold. the solution
rms 'through the sandy dust, the gold
leaves the earth and melts and assumes
the form Of a liquid and becomes a part
OF the solution. 1t is just as though you
had lot of salt or sugar mixed with dirt.
II you should put water on the dirt the
salt and sugar would be dissolved and 60
INTO the water. Well. that is the way the
gold does with this mixture of cyanide of
potassium and water. 1t takes some time
however. for the solution to soak all of the
scid cut of the sand. and it is left for sew
eral days upon it. At the end of this time
the gold has all gone into the solution and
you nave this fuid made up of water and
| Soin ana cyanide floating around through
| the mush. The solution is still as clear
| as crystal. and there is no sign of gold.
No".each of these immense tanks has two
bottoms. one is of solid material through
which the water cannot pass and the other
| Is OF canvas. When the dust Is first put
| IN the bottom is double. with the solid bot
tom beneath. After the liquid has been
long enough on the mush the solid bottom
| 1s taken away and the solution containing
the gold drains out through the canvas
ana Is carried away, leaving almost moth
at the estimate Of half an ounce of gold
| 10 the ton contains a thousand dollars.
worth of gold. OF this 500 worth has gone
INTO the water. leaving waste of only $50
IN one hundred tons Of ore
Gold From Water
hox
en- water 1t looks like common water. It
Is as clear as crystal, and were it in a
pitcher you might drink it by mistake. We
know. however. that it has that 500 worth
of gold IN it. and the question is how to
get it out If it were salt or sugar we
mlSht eVaporate the water and the resdue
at the bottom would be a part of the sugar
ana salt within it. But gold is not to be
gotten out in that way. 1t is taken from
the water much the same principle as
that by which it has been extracted from
the rock Gold as it exists in the cyanide
solution has peculiar affinity for zinc
II there Is an atom of zinc next to one of
these molecules of gold it will leave the
cyanide water and stick to the zinc But
zinc IS expensive, and a large surface is
needed to gather all these little molecules
| of gold The surface is gotten by having
| the zinc prepared in circular disks of the
size OF dinner plate and about as thick
as the head of a pin. These, by means of a
|
| like the excelsior used for packing dishes.
Ihls zinc excelsior is now put into steel
| watts about eighteen feet iong and four
| feet wide and two feet deep. These watts
have partitions running through them, and
| each compartment is loosely filled with this
| zinc excelsior Now the cyanide solution
| with its gold in it, is turned into the vat
| and so arranged that it Will slowly flow
| about through the zinc excelsior. AS the
| golden water washes the zinc shavings the
| atoms of gold leave the water and stick to
| the zinc until at last every bit of water has
| given up its gold. The zinc under its in
| huence gradually turns from bright sill
| yer to a dirty yellow. 1t gvows heavier
and heavier with it's golden load, until it
! has at last gathered all the gold The So
luton is then drawn off through holes in
| the bottom of the Vat and strengthened up
| in order to be used to gather more gold.
| The zinc and gold is put into furnace
| and smelted. and after a short time the
| result IS brick Of solid gold purer than
| that which Is used for wedding rings or
| golden eagles.
| FRANK G. CARPENTER