The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-04-14
MINING METHODS.
A New Way Of Extracting Gold
from Quartz.
Chemical Processes by Which Every
Particle of tho Precious Metal
Ii Saved - Recent ExPerl-
mehts.

There are two general methods of sep
Rrating gold from the rock with which
It is associated in vein. In both the
ore is crushed to a certain degree OF
fineness, greater or less, according to
circumstances. The stuff is theP
washed with water over layer of mer-
curry, with which the gold amalgamateS
or else (perhaps after preliminary
roasting) mixed with a chemical solu-
tion which dissolves the precious metal
Subsequently the gold is recovered from
the amalgam or the solution by further
treatment. In the system in which
quicksilver is employed there is always
a certain loss of the precious metal
Inasmuch as the rock is exceedingly
hard, usually quartz, it is subjected to
heavy hammering in the final stage
of pulverization, and in consequence
some of the PARTICLES of gold are fat
tened into tiny plates or saucers, and
Aoat away with the wash water. Then.
too, the mechanical separation is not
quite perfect, and little of the gold
still remains imbedded in the minute
bits of rock which go off as refuse, or
''tailings" As it is usally rather high
grade ore which is handled in this way,
the loss is apt to be disregarded. But
there hiss been great tendency to-
wards more economical methods OF
late years, and some of the chemical
processes now in vogue are well adapted
to the treatment both of "tailings" and
1ow-grade ores.
Attention has recently been directed,
in England and Australia, to still an
other plan of insuring the recovery OF
a very large percentage of the gold
originally existing in the ore. The main
idea involved, that of breaking up the
quartz by alternately heating and cool
ing it, is old; but some of the details
of the process are new, and tits claimed
for the so-called "ore-atomic" system
that it is more successful than any pre-
vious attempt in the same direction.
In the preliminary crushing the rock
IS brought down only to small Jumps
of convenient size, and not to actual
powder. The material is then inclosed
in chamber from which the outside
air is carefully excluded, and the cham
Der is placed in a furnace, in which,
beside the fuel, there are pieces of red
hot iron. A jet of steam is thrown upon
both the coal Tor coke) and iron, and
the result is the development of water
gas and hydrogen. These gases have
access to the chamber, and prevent the
oxidation of the metal. Indeed, if there
be any oxide in the ore it is reduced"
by the hydrogen. Any sulphur which
may be present is also eliminated, pass
ing off in the form of sulphuretted hy-
drogen. After the ore has remained
in the heated chamber for time, whose
length varies according to the compo-
sition of the rock, it is suddenly
'quenched" by the injection of cold
water. Inasmuch as the fragments tt
which this first chill breaks up the
quartz are not as small as could be
desired, the water is drained off and
the series of operations is repeated sew
eral times. Finally the contents OF the
chamber are dumped into tank. Wher
the ore is cool enough to be taken be
tween the fingers, it crumbles into pow
der easily. No heavy stamps are re
quired to pulverize the substance now
It is alleged that there is absolutely nc
aoss in the form of float gold" and nc
oxidation, and therefore that all the
precious metal originally in the ore
may be recovered.
In some experiments recently made
with the ore-atomic system in London
samples of Cripple Creek and West Aus
fralian ores were treated. An English
weekly publication, Invention, declares
that disinterested experts were pres
ent and assisted in the tests. 1t adds:
ain every respect the results were most
satisfactory, and unquestionably dem
onstrated the correctness of the prin'
ciple involved" 1t is announced tha,
the West Australian (Gold DistricD cor
poration has bought the right to use
the ore-atomic system.-N. Y. Tribune