The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-30
BUSINESS, MINING AND STOCKS
THE pELArAN-cLERr1 PROCESS.
New System That is Attracting
Considerable Attention.

A well-known mining and mill man,
who has but recently returned from a
visit to Denver, informs The Herald
that at the present time a great deal
of interest is being taken in mining
circles there in the new process of ore
reduction for the treatment of refrac-
tory gold and silver ores, and he pre-
diets that in effectiveness, economy,
both as to time and money, this pro-
cess bids fair to become a formidable
rival of the Macarthur Forrest system
Of treating the same class of ores; and
that it will even do more than the
latter process, as it will treat ores that
carry quite a large per cent of the base
metals without lessening the per cent
of the gold and silver extraction.
This system is called the Pelatan-
Clerici process. and from results so
far obtained it would seem that 1t is
process that could be employed most
successfully il certain localities IN
Utah and the west where the cyanide
process is now being used.
This process employs cyanide as
solvent, but the system is quite diff
ferent from that in Macarthur Forrest
manipulations. By this process the ore
is crushed extremely fine-something
that cannot well be done in the use of
the present cyanide process, as when
too fine the. solution is arrested in its
thorough percolation, thereby entail
ing q loss.
By the Pelatan-Clerici system these
finely pulverized ore, tailings or shines
are placed in tanks filed with water.
About four pounds of cyanide potas-
SUM to the ton are added, and the
whole mess is agitated by stirrer for
about eight hours, thus bringing the
gold and silver in constant contact
with the cyanide until they are dis
solved and deposited on the copper
amalgam plate, covered with a thin
layer of quicksilver that is placed IN
the bottom of the tank. To facilitate
this precipitation AN electric current
generated by a small dynamo is al
lowed to pass freely through the solu-
ton, the mercury in the bottom acting
as a negative. while the iron frame
work of the stirrer is the positive, and,
owing to the efficient dissolving power
of the solution, and the action of the
electric current, both the fine gold and
silver are quickly taken in solution,
or dissolved and afterwards electro de-
posted on the mercury, where they
can be recovered in the shape of ANAL
gam. 1t is also claimed that besides
holding the pulp suspended IN the
liquid solution the stirrer permits the
coarser grains to sink gradually to the
bottom of the tank, where they are
taken up by the quicksilver, thus prov
ing that the system is a success in the
treatment of fine as we'll as of coarse
gold.
This operation requires but about
eight hours, and in crushing the ores
it matters not whether they are wet or
dry, which does away with one OF
the imperfections of the Macarthur
Forrest process. Another saving is
the doing away with the precipitation
boxes; the decrease in the length of
time generally taken, in other systems,
to thoroughly leach the ore; and the
product, instead of being in the shape
of cyanides that are so difficult TO
handle, and which must be melted and
refined before being fully marketable,
is in the shape of pure and refined
bullion, or a.malgam, which is about
the same thing.
After the precious metals are fully
dissolved and precipitated by the Pela-
tan-Clerici method, a plug is drawn
from near the bottom of the tank and
the pulp in solution is drawn off in a
very few minutes and everything is in
readiness to repeat the modus oper-
andi.
OF course, a new solution is used
shines, but no more than would be re-
quired to standardize the solution by
the old cyanide process, and in doing
this the danger of the old solution be-
coming foul is entirely obviated.
The gentleman who witnessed the
manipulation of this new process while
in Denver was more than pleased with
it's workings, and says that in his be-
lief it is the coming process for the
treatment of refractory ores, as it is
simplicity itself. and not so expensive
as other methods and much more eff
Gent
The Pelatan process is used by Cap
tain ]. r. DeLamar at his mines in
Idaho, where the mineral is a. talcose
and silver ore ranging to about $24 to
the ton in values. By this process he
saves 81 per cent of the gold and so
per cent of the silver.
Tests with this process have been
made on a large number of the ores,
including the Smuggler-U mine in
Colorado The mineral from this mine
is a very complex gold and silver ere,
going about $13 to the ton in values,
but a test run saved of this so per cent
of the gold and 81 per cent of the sill
YER Ore from the Mercur mine has
also been successfully treated by this
process This went $32 in gold and
carried 25 per cent arsenic; but, not
withstanding, a saving of 50 per cent
was made.
From all indications this new process
will soon be given a thorough test in
this intermountain country, and if it
will do all that is claimed for it, it will
come into general use here.