The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1896-04-11
Cyanide Electric Plant.
The Pelatan-C -Clerici Process
Now Employed in DeLanar.
Promises to Work Revolution in The
Method Of WorjSing Certain Classes
of Ore.
Now Employed N Dehamar.

The Pelatan- Cleriei Cyanide Electric
plant at tho DeLamar mill has now
been so far completed that portion Of
it has been started and is working sat
isfactorily. The fact of this being the
first extensive plant of its kind ever
CONSTRUCTED has made it necessary to
make some changes in the appliances
and caused some delays, but the chang
es have all now been effected and the
entire plant villa soon be working
smoothly.
As the entire mining world viii soon
be more or less interested in The results
of this new process of saving values
from gold and silver ores, the NUGGET
takes pleasure in giving a description
of the plant and details Of the process
The process, briefly stated, IS the So
luton Of the metals IN the ores, and
their recovery from the solution by the
employment Of electricity to deposit
the value in quicksilver, ia the form of
amalgam
The solution Of gold and silver by
the ordinary cyanide process, is old en-
ough to be familiar to nearly all min
ing men; and the precipitation of the
values from TIE solution By leeehing
through zinc sha9ings has been found
to be the cheapest and closest method
OF working many ores. But the impos-
sibility Of drawing the solution from
talcy or Shiny ores when in pulp, makes
it impracticabIe to employ this process
ia many instances where the cyanide
solution readily disolves the metals.
The Pelatan- -CIeriei process is de-
signed to precipitate the values from
the solution while still in the mixture
Of the pulp, and can be successfully
employed in talcy or Shiny ores where
the former process has proven a fail
ure. In addition to this the new pro
cess is quite as simple and cheaply
worked and moro perfect in its opera
ton.
The process, briefly desor ibed, is prac-
ticaIly that employed in electro o-plating.
In electro-plating, the article to be plat
cd is the cathode OF an electric current
passing through the solution holding
the metal from which it is taken up by
the current and deposited upon the
cathode. In this process of saving gold
the cathode Of the current employed is
quicksilver, and the result an amalgam
in which are the values taken up from
the solution. The application of this
process is simply carrying it out in
scientific detail
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT.
The plant consists Of two shallow
brick tanks, standing side by side, thor
oughly cemented, with level cement
floors, each divided into three com
partments by ridges running trans
verseIy across them. In either end of
each compartment is a cylinder and |
over the pair of cylinders is a belt made
of perforated sheet steel, to the outer
surface of which are bolted wood strips
in which are set wooden pins. In the
cement floor of the tanks are placed
strips of sheet copper, forming the neg
ative pole of the electric current when
applied. On these floors are placed a
layer of quicksilver. The pulp is
into one of these tanks from
a storage tank connected with the bat
terry. The steel belts are set in motion
and the chemicals to form the solution
are poured into the pulp. The current
Of electricity is turned onto the steel
belts through the cylinders on which
they are run and the belts, with their
wooden pins, keep the pulp constantly
stirred, while the electricity deposits
5he mineral, as fast as dissolved, upon
5he underlying quicksilver as the cur ;
rent passes through it TO the negative ;
pole. Each charge Of pulp is kept in
motion in the tank until the values
nave all been Dissolved and taken up by :
,he quicksilver, ten hours being con {
jidered ample time for this purpose. ]
The tanks, which are made to hold {
,wenty five tons each, are charged al ,
ernately The power required to !
rive the steel belts and the dynamo ,
S considerably less than would be
leeded to drive pans and settlers work /
ng the same quantity Of ore, and no |
team is required for heat in this new n