The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-25

Inc Alice M1ne-U tahS copper
Queen.
A metalIurgist of Butte, Frank Hall
by name, claims to have made such
improvements on the cyanide process
of ore reduction that it will treat all
kinds Of refractory grade gold ores,
and if the system is all that is claimed
for it, the puzzle of metallic extraction
from otherwise profitless ores will have
been solved. The Butte Miner, in an
article on the discovery of Mr.. Hall.
says:
After two years of continuous re-
search, investigation and experiment,
Frank Hall. now of Butte and widely
known in the west as an accomplished
metallurgist and mining engineer, has
solved the problem of treating the
most refractory, as we'll as other
classes of. gold and silver bearing ores,
by what might appropriately be termed
cyanide process, but one which is pc
culiarly his own. so il is stated. For
many years, students of the art of re-
fractory ore reduction have battied
with this same problem unsuccessfully,
even Charles II. Buffers, the South
African cyanide king, after long and
very expensive experimentation in the
Transvaal, Utah and California, has
failed in every effort he made. Simpli-
fed, the cyanide process in common use
and originally introduced by Macarthur
& Forrest of Glasgow, Scotland, means
the Introduction to pulped, stamped or
roll-crushed ores of a solution of
cyanide of potassium. To the invidious
working of this solution the ores are
left. When thoroughly leached by this
solution they are removed as refuse
and from the watts is drawn the solu
ton, the gold ana silver contained in
the ore being part and parcel of it. By
precipitant these metals are thrown
down, ruD down, separated and mould
ed into bars in the usual way. As
niethc6 Of treating gold bearing ores
of the lowest grade,
THE CYANIDE PROCESS,
wherever ores amenable to its workings
are encountered, has been uniformly
successful. The many instances of the
failure OF this process in this state is
due directly to two things, viz: the ig-
norance OF the parties posing as cyan |
ide experts, and the fact that wher !
ever such failures have been made here, !
the ores tried were not amenable to the |
regular process of cyanide reduction, /
being refractory. Hundreds of thou |
sands of tons of low grade gold ores |
lie upon Montana mining dumps, |
awaiting the invention of a process for |
treating them on a scale Of economic /
commensurate with the val
ues obtained, and it was this fact that
caused Mr.. Hall to devote his time and
capital to the work he has now prac-
ticaIIy completed. Innumerable tests
fa re been made in the laboratory of
the school of mines, where a small
plant has been in operation for some
time past. and all have been unquali-
iedly successful. A brief description
of air. Halls process, as furnished the
Miner by that gentleman yesterday,
will certainly be read with interest by
the mining fraternity in the inter-
country. Some two years
ago, said Mr.. Hall, I took up the study
Of this subject knowing the vast bene-
fit its successful solution would be to
mining men generally wherever refrac-
tory, lows grade gold and silver bear
ing ores were encountered. At that
time P. A. Largey, the late banker,
was my staunch supporter and mater
ally aided me in my endeavors. Had
[ not been for his lamentable taking
)f, mill on the plans have perfected
would long ago have been in operation,
IN one of that gentleman's Madison
assured myself of the unquestionable :
SUCCESS OF THE PROCESS,
md have since devoted my attention
mainly TO the perfecting of numerous
minor details in the matter of mill con-
truction and economics.
my mill, in point Of appearance. /
loosely resembles the cyanide plants /
n common use the country over. TAX
nc my solution, drain it off through j
he ore in the ore vat or watts, allowing \
he ores to be subject to its action for 5
s much time as laboratory tests deem I
admissible The method of the in /
reduction Of the solution, the COM 7
,onent parts Of it, the precipitants /
sed, are, of course, secrets of the Q
rocess and viii so remain until l am [
Protected by letters patented. This C
recess, / have demonstrated, will sue Y
essfully treat ali known refractory O
res carrying 2
GOLD OR SILVER, q
he or both, including sulphurets, ar =
enic, anthony and hard compact cop
er ores and iron oxides. l have sue U
essfuIly demonstrated that for acid p
res, such as sulphuretts, lime is a 7
eutralizer not worthy Of recommended r
on. o
LAS instancing the success attained 4
18th the process on the more refractory a
{ the ores, may say that the result q
f a run of iron pyrites yielded 81 80 .
er cent of the assay value of golo and =
per cent of silver. A run Of iron OK n
Ie yielded 81 per cent Of the assay y
alue of gold and 60 per cent of silver n
run of the copper pyrites returned y
per cent Of gold and SO per cent of =
liver, and on antimonial ore returned +,
per cent of the assay value of gold :;
nd Sc per cent of the silver {.
Mr.. Hall says he will be only too =
lad TO illustrate the workings of his y
recess 10 all desiring to see it, any =
rening ar the school of mines, pend
IL the removal of the plant and the e
lmpletion of the organization of
cal syndicate TO handle the process =
I an extensive scale. n,
BAKER CITY GOLD MINES. u
.. al