The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-05

ard ara improving IN quality. An assay
from the bottom OF this shaft gave 80
rosd twelve ounces Of silver Another
fine oufcrop south os the ulsn is the BED
Efur an enormous cropping Of rosy
quartz which stands Up twenty feet hign
and thirty feet across. areragIng 81 By
mil run OF some OF the ore The general
average Of ore milsed runs SIS gold and the
concentrates about sz-55 gold. The highest
grade ore Is sacked and shipped 10 the
smeltes.
The operation 81 the Triune MIL. the
pioneer in the revival OF activity IN this
district gives one a good opportunity OF
studying the method Of extracting gold
and observing the care necessary 10 avoid
losing IL. The gold in free milling ore is
usually in fine particles. many OF which
will float IN running water. 50 that they
must be pursued with relentless persist
ence and captured by every possible
means. A man VINO pounds up rock and
trusts 70 the quicksilver 20 capture the
gold will soon find a large part OF his VAL
u@s running away IN the taiiings. and un-
less bis ore Is very high grade he viii
lose money at the business.
The ore In dumped from the car bring
ing tt from the mine into another. which
breaks IL between iron jaws into pieces
the size Of q walnut. Then IL runs down
chute 10 the ore bins. from which II runs
into feeders. which work automatically
with the stamps and feed more ore into
the battery whenever the latter has no
rock to stamp on The battery Is q mar
row chamber lined with silver plates
coated with quicksilver and into IL q
steady stream Of water flows. In the bot
tom OF the battery are steel dies one for
each stamp and above in q solid wooden
frame are steel rods twenty feet long
with steel shoes on the lower end. each
weighing $50 pounds. These are raised and
dropped by steel cams attached to q re-
volsing shaft. The cams are segmenrs OF
q circle shaped like wings with broad
convex edge and there are two at right
angles TO one another opposite each stamp.
The stamps each have ascoliar called a
tappis. on the lower edge Of which 10 q
broad fauge. AZ the shaft rovoives the
cam catches the srappk and lifts the
stamp then. continuing the revolution.
passes from under and lets It drop with all
its weight on the ore beneath As the fall
OF all the stamps together would cause a
terrible conclusion. they are so adjusted
that no two drop together. yet they work
SO rapidly that each one drops ninety-five
times in a minute They crush the ora TO
a pulp In the water and splash ii against
a sixty-mesh wire screen in front of the
battery through which IT flows to the am
algzmating plates.
From the battery extends tables twelve
feet long and four feet wide. slipping away
from the stamps and enclosed at the
sides TO keep the pulp from overf1owinx.
On these are copper plates coated with
quicksilver fastened al the sides with
wooden stripes. while strips of blanket
extend across the joints between the three
sections OF the table. The pulp flows over
these tables In tiny wavelets caused by
the splashing from the stamps and the
coarser gold. some of which has already
been caught by the quicksilver lining OF
the battery. Is here caught in the same
way on the plates. The pulp flows into
trough at the foot of the tables, from
which IL passes on through spouts to the
four vannegs. being distributed according
to size. so that the coarsest goes to one
vannar and the finest. which is nothing but
slime. to another. The vanners are rub
Der belts about twelve feet long and four
feet wide slowly revolving and at the
same time shaking sideways- The pulp
Is distributed from q trough evenly across
their whole width and row OF little
streams of water continually washes the
lighter substances along the belt In the
opposite direction to that in which 1t is
revolving until they pass off into
trough at the end. The mineral of all
kinds, being heavier, Is shaken to the bot
tom and adheres to the belt In series
of glitrering streaks. AS IL passes to tho
through trough. where the mineral.
called concentrates, is washed of and
drops in a dark blue mass to the bottom.
The slime Is carried OF through fumes
to the slime tables, OF the same size as
the amalgamating tables, but covered
with canvas instead of plates. Here the
slime is kept flowing by the addition of
more water and the fine gold is caught
by the canvas and swept Off with a
broom every hour into trough which
carries il TO tank VIII re IL settles and Is
dried. A second slime table is TO be put
In twice the length OF the first. but even
now he tailings are run off into settling
pond in the hope that some cheap pro-
cess will be found to extract the fine gold
which has escaped all the other traps set
for IL.
Every two weeks cleanup Is made.
The batteries are relieved OF their coat
ing of quicksilver carrying third OF its
weight In gold. the plates are scraped In
the same way and all the pieces OF wood
and blanket taken of are burned to re-
cover the small particles OF gold which
have caught in them. The same process
is followed with the plates over which
the pulp flows TO the vanners and tho
whole mass. which may only half ill
bucket but has surprising weight. ap-
pears as a mass OF mud. This Is carefully
panned out in gold pan-a round iron
pan with broad sloping sides-and as the
lighter material is washed of. the ANAL
gam-quicksilver which has absorbed gold
rolls out fom under the sand and Is
poured into dish. BY dint of constant
washing and rewashing the sand il
cleaned of and the giittering mass, which
Is so loaded with gold that it can no more
roll in the natural evasive manner than
the jumping frog could Jump after he was
loaded with shot. Is poured into a bucket
-
brough the last Of the sand 10 the surface
Is given a final cleaning. Then II Is
poured into an iron retort. the lid. with a
curved iron pipe soideyed in, Is &C.
mented on and IL Is set up in the middle
Of a roaring fire. The curved pipe runs
down into bucket through large pipe,
through which a hose keeps q stream OF
cold water pouring. The quicksilver rises
In vapor throagh the pipe and preciri-
tates into thc bucket when the cold water
strikes Il. the gold being left behind in the
retort The gold Is then melted into bricks
and shipped TO the mint, where payment
is made in proportion TO its fneness al
lowsnce also being made for the silver
mixed with t. The concentrates are taken
from the trough under the vanners in the
form Of dark blue mud and spread On a
aoor 20 dry In the sun. where civilization
fast reduces them 30 2 red sand They are
then sacked and shipped 10 the shelter
The vanners save 81 70 IS per cent. of the
saiphurets In the ore, which contains
about per cent
Other Good Mines.
Ore OF the principal groups on ths
mountain Is the Spokane. which aaoins
the Trfune on the south. being near the
near ths eastern base overlooking wanni-
cat lake. The group consists OF the Sys,-
kane. High Rock and Anaconda. In a lire
from north TO south. and was located in
1881 By Frank fscossy. who sold 20 Joseph
Hanna and 7. ". Wagner OF SpoSara