The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-05

Mr.. Thomas Weir, the manager of
the Highland Boy mine and mill, at
Bingham, has just been notified by the
patent office that the government had
granted the application of himself,
Sam Newhouse and A. J. Beetles, for a
patent for a new process of ore re-
duction, and it is believed by those who
are familiar with the workings of this
process on oxidized ores that it will be
able to satisfactorily reduce minerals
that hitherto could not be successfully
treated, either by teaching or amalga-
nation, the new process being intend
ed for the reduction of gold and sill
yer ores. either associated with each
other or separate.
In speaking of this new process, Mr..
Weir SAYS:
The process is. especially adapted to
that class of oxidized ores which can
not be handled or treated by other
teaching or amalgamation methods,
and with it il is immaterial how much
OF the gold can be dissolved or how
much of it is in the free state, as it
VIII recover the values should they eX-
list in either form.
THE process is an application of the
cyanide and amalgamation methods
combined, and involving new methods
by which the Two processes are used
simultaneously through the assistance
of agitation. the extraction being ac-
complished in so short q time that it
is probable that this method can be
utilized in the ordinary amalgamation
pan, and at no greater expense than is
entailed in the reduction of ore and the
recovery of the precious metals by the
ordinary cyanide process.
My attention was called to the ne
y of Crrr inn d
Mr.. Weir, by a gentleman who had
any amount OF ore of good milling val
ueS which was refractory and at the
same time carried free gold, some of
which was quite coarse, and he had
found. after exhaustive experiments,
that the values could not be recovered
by any known process of combined re-
duction and the extraction by segre-
gated treatments was too expensive.
This set me to thinking, and, with the
assistance of Mr.. NeWhouse and Mr..
Beetles, a process has been evolved
which will successfully treat the class
of oXidized ore above mentioned, and
after exhaustive tests and experiments.
we have succeeded in making a saving
which leaves but 81 or $l59 to the ton
in the tailings, and the process is so
rapid that great saving is made in
the expenditure of both power and
time, while the method is simplicity
and cheapness itself
Mr.. Weir has a small plant utilizing
this new process at the Highland Boy
mill, and he is willing to guarantee the
success OF the process. and is ready TO
demonstrate its usefulness and saving
qualities to all who have oxidized ores
which cannot be successfully handled
by other methods or processes; and,
more. he is willing to make the test on
lots CT one ton or over, and guarantee
that the experimental mill tests will
be a criterion on which to base the
operation and saving of a big plant
Such a process as this is what has
been long needed in this intermountain
region, and Mr.. Weir's standing in
metallurgica1 and mining circles in the
west will go far towards convincing
mining men that he has what he claims
to have in this new process of ore re
dUction- Mr.. BEETLES is also millman
of high standing in this country, and
the names of these two gentlemen,
when connected with the claims of a
new method of reduction and recovery,
will carry with it a great deal of
weight