The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-03-13
RIVERS OF GOLD.
SCENES AT MINES IN
THE BLACK HILLS.
Different Methods Used to Woo the
Precious Metal From Its Ores
How Mountains Are Robbed
Millions Run Wasted.

etIuuts hionS - uOSP AuhAO"
{, climbing the range. The
former has more pretentlous and
metropolitan aspect, with some neat
shops and handsome blocks of brick
and stone. Its dwellings, seem to
stand on shelves in circling tiers up
the steep mountain side, and their
windows overlook the streets below.
At night these towering mountain
galleries are aglow with the lights of
many windows, and one might imagine
himself looking at some marvel OF
modern architecture.
There's feature of night life in
Deadwood that is beautiful and more
fascinating than tho games OF chance
the rivers of molten metal, the cas-
cades OF flowing Stag and smoking,
fiery gold; the scintillating flood spout
ing out of the forehearths and illu-
minatlng the darkness, the miniature
Vesuvii OF powdered ore below the
chutes growing with red ava!anches
fresh from the rooster.
From one of the forehearths they
have made winding course OF sand,
perhaps sixty feet long, into which
the fiery product of the furnace flows
rich with gold-so rich that's pot of it
no larger than an old fashioned potato
kettle would sell for $3.50. It is liter
ally a river of gold-the precious
metal can be plainly distinguished as
it comes smoking from the furnace and
sinks in the food, being heavier than
the metals from which 1t is parting
company.
This process of fusing the ore, which
is more spectacular than any other, is
employed by one of tho companies.
The ore is shoveled into the furnace
with coke, lime rock and pyrites Of
iron, which are used for fusing. The
fire is used with a blast of wind that
would run Presidential campaign.
The Stag flows out OF the furnace over
the perforated top of the forehearth.
and the weight of the gold carries it
through the perforation into the fore
hearth, while the Stag flows oyer it (;
then the forehearth is tapped and the
mat of gold. and silver is drawn into q
pot on trucks.
When the mat is cooled it is beaten
with sledge hammer and shipped to
Omaha to be separated.
The roots of the tree of evil have
many branches that grip the hills
round about Deadwood. No less hot
and suggestive is the mill OF the
chlorination works, where the gold is
|. kept in tanks-a yellow liquid that
looks like sweet cider. Here the ore
is pulverized and then fed into big
barrels of iron, revolving horizon
tally, where it is roasted to get rid of
the sulphur by a flame that shoots
through big hole in one end of the
barrel.
The powdered ore is then treated
with chlorine gas, whereupon the gold
flows out OF it in solution. Then it is
churnea awhile in big, lead lined
tank until the gold comes like butter
in black powder that settles to the
bottom. 10 be more severely scien-
tific, the gold aud other metals are
precipitated by adding sodium sui
phide to the solution and stirring it
to hasten and intensity this chemical
action. The gold is then caught in a
series of cloth strainers, which are
burned to release the metal.
There is still another process of
pulling the leg OF mother nature in
the Black Hills. 1t is called the
cyanide process. At the mill OF this
company the powdered ore is run into
great circular watts and treated with
cyanide of potassium, after which the
gold is leached out of it in solution.
This liquid then flows through a series
of boxes, each of which is filed with
zinc shavings. The zinc loves the
gold and seizes it, and the two are
welded for a season--uLtil Monday
of the succeeding week, to be exact
when they are divorced by fire, the
gold being cast into bricks and sent to
the money changers.
The mill would look like common
cheese factory if it were not SO dirty.
The air is rank with fumes. and one Of
the workmen told me it made whiskers
grow in his windpipe, by which he
meant to say no doubt, that it was q
serious offence to his lungs.
/ The Homestake mine at Lead City
is the most monumental hole in the
ground in the Black Hills, and I fancy
it would be hard to find the like of it
anywhere else. They cay that Hearst,
Lounsberry. Haggin and others
bought 1t some twenty years ago for
one hundred thousand dollars. Since
then they have taken out of it hard
on to hundred million dollars. They
have ground up several of the ever
lasting hills SO called, and torn the
bowels ont OF two mountains. Now
they say there is enough paying ore in
sight to last twenty years.
There is rapid stream flowing
along the road to Lead City that is red,
as if stained with the blood OF the
mountains standing rent and sore
about Lead City. The shaft is nine
hundred feet deep, and the ore COM
ing up the hoist at the top of the
mountain is fed into the roaring muz-
zles of the great verticle crushers.
Then it takes o slide to the Stang. mill
down the guIch. Here four hundred
and sixty big iron shafts are pounding
up and down upon the ore like pile
drivers. Probably the roar Of O
thousand cannon would not appeal
more strongly to the senses. Ones
loudest shout cannot be heard even by