The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-27

Under the heading, "a Modern MIL"
the Sylvanite (Montanal miner writes |
interestingly of the improvements made (
on the Goldhint, a prominent mine in /
that neighborhood. It says: 1t is truly |
an interesting sight to see the wonder |
ful appliances modern skill and in
genuity ehave perfected to wrest the |
precious metals from the rock in which |
nature has placed them. The process !
the ore goes through from the time the /
self-dumping cars deposit their loads /
fresh from the mine to the point where /
they come out in the form of gold !
bricks and concentrates VIII be inter
eStinS to many Of our readers. me !
car track of a line running 2,S0S feet I
extends down the mountain side from !
the mouth of the working tunnel OF the |
Goldfint mill. The ore from the ear is
dumped upon an incline CRATE, resem- I
bling a row of railroad rails, which is
known by the rather fierce sounding
name of grizzly the smaller pieces |
of the ore falling through the grizzly
and the heavier pieces passing on down
TO the floor below, where they are shoV-
eled into the ore crusher, from which
it finds its way to the mortars below
the stamps. Automatic feeders furnish
the crushed ore in the quantities de-
sired. and she powerful stamps, with
trip hammer strokes, drop upon the ore
with clock-like regularity, pulverizing
it into a powder The 20 stamps, each
sSof which weighs LOO pounds, were
pounding at the speed of go drops per
minute. The mortars are of the latest
improved pattern, with plates inside
and quicksilver recesses. The pulp is
forced through wire screens from the
mortars. or stamp batteries, upon
plates just below. A stream of water
constantly plays upon the mass, car
rying the pulp over the gold plates and
running off into wooden boxes or
troughs, known as Sluice boxes or
laundries. the residue passing off be-
ing called tailings. The gold plates are
copper lined and covered with quick
silver, there being a table of plates for
each five stamps. The quicksilver
catches up the gold from such ores as
are free milling, the baser parts pass
ing off the plates into tanks and are
then conveyed by pipes to the concen-
traitors on the floor below. Near each
set Of plates is an ordinary pail, and
at frequent intervals a sample is taken
from the tailings and poured into the
pail. This is tested by the assayer,
and the ore having been assayed before
going into the mill, the results shows
how much of the gold is being saved
on the plates. The gold plates and bat
the mass taken therefrom is called
amalgam. This is put into barrel like
iron vessel and cleaned, when it is put
into an upright iron cylinder called
quicksilver safe. There is cloth sack
inside the safe, the amalgam being de-
posted into which it settles 10 the bot
tom and hardsrs to the consistency OF
cheese, much OF the quicksilver escap-
ing through the cloth below The ANAL
gam is then retorted, and the gold
runs into bars or bricks. The pulp
which has passed into the siuice boxes
under the gold plates is carried to the
lower floor and there received by six
concentrating machines Each has a
belt table on a slight incline revolving
towards the higher end, which carries
the heavier parts of the pulp over the
head and into the sluice box. This is
the ore in concentrated form, common
~ called concentrates. The water runs
over the betting towards the lower end,
washes the lighter particles OFF into a
box, which are called the tailings.
These tailings are the waste matter
contained in the ore, and the values,
having been extracted are run off into
the river. The concentrates are trans
ferred to the drying room, building
near the mill, which is heated by
steam, and after the gumbo-looking
mass is dried it IS put into sacks, MAX
ing about 200 pounds each, and shipped
to the smeiter. The concentrates and
also the tailings are frequently sam
pied for assay. Thus close check is
kept upon the work Of each machine.
The value of the ore is known before it
enters the mill the plates tell the gold
values saved, the concentrates of gold.
silver and lead values, and the tailings
show the waste. The full assay values
Of the ore are seldom saved and 90
per cent is considered a good result
from base ores. The engine room
leads off from the stamp battery floor
The engine and boiler have a 70-horse
power capacity, the boiler being en-
tirely encased n brick walls About
five cords Of wood per day are re-
quired. There is q 12-hOrse power en-
CINE in the concentration room. and this
part can be run Independently OF the
rest Of the plant. An electric dynamo
V is to be put in in a short time. Water
Y which plays a conspicuous and inn
portant part in the work of recover
ing the values of the ore is srDDlja0
from a reservoir, situated short dis
lance north of the engine room and
the reservoir is fed from an adjoining
creek by a four-inch pipe 3lO0 feet in
length. The first or lower floor is called
the concentration room and has a floor
space of 30x40 feet: the second floor
is the battery room and has a floor
space OF 30xS9 feet; the third floor is
the crusher room. 3nx40, and the fourth
floor is the dumping room, 2Ox3O feet.
The height from the Texas" to the
concentration sills is so feet, and the
entire building is covered with CORFU
gated iron Other buildings near by
are the dryer assay office, company of
fee, blacksmith and machine shop and
a two-story lodging and boarding
house. At the foot Of the Hill on the
car line is an electric station. the
starting of cars and other signals be-
ing given by bells ringing. A tele-
phone line connecting the station with
the head of the car line also gives com
munication. At present so tons of ore
are put through the MILL which capac-
ity viii shortly be increased TO 20 tons.
The plant runs day ard night. only
stopping long enough to make clean
ups.
SIX GOLD BRICKS.