The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-18
MoRosoo FUSION PROCESS.
A Method of Extracting Ore in Use
in California.


With the revival of the mining in
dustry, new processes for the reduc-
ton of low-grade ores. many of which
are the results of years of patient ex-
pertinent and study, are commencing
to present themselves for the approval
or disapproval of the miner. The latest
process, for the test of which works are
now being erected at Amador City,
Cal, is what is known as the Morosco
fusion
The subsection of calcined ore to the
molten lead bath, and extraction of
the precious metal thereby, according
TO the Denver Republican, is by no
means new idea in metallurgy The
difficulties heretofore encountered in
the application of this theory, which at
first seems extremely simple, are the
deVlSlng of practical machinery for
feeding the ore continuously into the
lead, the handling of the same in it's
passage through the moften lead in
such manner as to bring every parti-
Gle of ore in contact with the lead for
sufficient length of time to insure
perfect extraction of the precious
metals, and the discharging of the tail
lngs from the apparatus without any
loss of lead. To overcome these diff
culties, much thought, labor and CAPT.
tai has been expended, heretofore with
out result The fact that eminent
scientific authorities have conceded the
practicability of such a process has
spurred on invention regardless of the
large number of failures on record in
the patent offices of the United States
and other countries, and at last capital
has shown its faith in the process by
the erection Of an expensive plant,
which was commenced nearly year
ago, and is now ready for the COM
mencement of operations
The trea tment of the ore in detail is
briefly as follows: The ore being first
reduced TO 80 or 10 mesh, according to
its character is then subjected to a
r-ast, in order to free it from all vcla-
tile bases, such as sulphur arsenic, an
timony, etc, which, if allowed to re-
main, 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 necessarily be considerably above
the melting point of lead (640 F), in or
der that there may be no chilling eff
feet upon the bath, and thereby reduce
the anlalgamating heat.
The roasted ore is fed in a steady
stream, autCma tlcally, to the bottom of
the bath well, which is a very heavy
and six feet deep. The ore, on reaching
the bottom Of the casting, is freed,
and at once attempts to raise by its
own gravity through the bath of mol
ten lead, of which there are over five
tons. In this chamber are circular per
forated plates, with reversed stir arms
between, and the ore is caught by the
first stirrers and segregated, passing
through the first plate and on to the
nd soft Of c+s,.
operation five times, until it arrives on
the surface of the lead, where it is dis
charged automatically by a rapidly re-
volving disk, then to a trap-box of
running water which Immediately chills
the ore and thence passes on 10 the
concentration
After the ore passes through the bath
1t carries no gold nor 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, carrying with it about
A per cent of lead, which is all recov-
cred on the concentra tors, remelting
and refining, and is used again in the
bath
The bath furnace takes one-ouarter
of a cord of wood in twenty-four hours
TO keep a proper heat. Twelve-horse
power is required for running the ma
chinery.
Providing the capacity of the pres
ent machine is only ten tons per day,
the cost of working per ton is $2.O2 on
chlorination tailings that have lain idle
for want Of some means for the ex-
traction of their remaining values.
Collaborating sulphates and base ores
can be worked by the Morosco fusion
process for from So to 81 per ton, and
yield 80 per cent extraction. The re-
suit of the experiment will be looked
for with interest by mining men all
over the country