The silver lance., 1899-10-06
nENTlON OF THE MINES
~nat the Weeks Work Has Developed In the
Properties Of theD,strict.

Through the financial backing Of Adam
Miller OF this place, says the Gunpison
Ne'os, and the ingenuity OF j. P. Smith
OF Canon City, Gunnison county has
mill that will successfully handle silver
load ores carrying a high per cent OF
Zinc. Several weeks ago Mr.. Miller and
Mr.. Smith decided to erect a mill at
Crested Butte and place therein Smith
concentrator, or in reality an ore concsn-
traitor invented by Mr.. Smith which he
claimed would divide the metals and
leave them in separate concentrates.
The idea that a machine would success
FULLY treat lead ores carrying consider
able zinc, and especially the ores Of that
vicinity, was discrsdited to great exten.
by many who knew Messrs. Miller and
Smiths intention. Undaunted by this
prevailing opinion they went to work and
the success attending their operations is
surprising the most sanguins, and will
tend to revolutionize the low grade min
ing. The Crested Butte Ore Reduction
as president and j. P. Smith as manager
is now achieving most remarkable success.
Mr.. Smith returned the first OF the
week from trip to Pueblo where he ac-
companied nine and a half tons of con-
centrates recently run through the mill
Altogether the mill has treated 200 tons
since it was started and the manager
Informs the Neaos that 95 per cent of the
the lead has been saved from very
refractory ore carrying a high per cent
zinc and other minerals to the amount of
from $40 to $40 a ton. This character of
ore it is impossible to treat by the smelt-
ers at a profit to the producers. The
first product Is a clean lead concentrate
which IS the heaviest and which comes
out entirely separate from the others.
very small per centage Of zinc. The
silver goes with the lead and the gold
goes with the copper. The first product
run on an average about 72.5 per cent
lead. The nine and half tons Of con-
centrates shipped to the Pueblo smelter
last week returned value Of 10 per cent
lead and trace of zinc for the first pro
duct, and for the second, 30 per cent
copper, 5 per cent zinc, IL per cent
silica besides the gold values. These
concentrates were made from ore run
ming 15 per cent zinc, 8.5 per cent lead
and 8 per cent copper.
The mill also made run on 2lf tons
o! concentrates for G. W. Melton OF
Crystal, which had been put through
the old Scofeld mill on Wilfley tables.
The concentrates before being treated
by the Smith process showed value of
% per cent lead and after being run
over the plates of the Smith machine
once returned value Of 63.5 per cent
lead. Another sample Of concentrates
was brought to Mr.. Smith for a test,
running about 30 per cent lead, and 10
per cent copper. This product after
being run through the Smith machine
revealed value OF 10 per cent lead and
30 per cent copper. The Smith process
acts on new principle and does its work
in the proper manner. 1t operates on
the basis of gravitation and differential
motion together with water. The ma
chine is more distinctly separator. The
usual concentrator simply throws of the
quartz, while this machine not only
throws off the quartz but separates and
classifies the minerals, No less than four
calls within the past ten days have been
made for Mr.. Smith to put his machine
in different mills throughout the state
but he preferred to continue operations
in Gunnison county.
The Crested Butte Ore Reduction and
Sampling works is negotiating the pur-
chase OF the old Elko mill at Elko, above
which is to be remOdeled and
set of Smith tables or machines put in.
1t is to be modern mill in other respects
also. This change will give the operators
more capacity. There is enough ore in
sight in the vicinity of Crested Butte.
80 Mr.. Smith informs the NeUs, to keep
a 40. ton capacity mill in operation con-
tinuously.
This new enterprise will give an Imps-
tus to low grade mining and will cause
cause properties with $40 to SIS ore to
be successfully operated. 1t has proven
its merits beyond question and it will
only be a matter of short time until
several plants OF this kind are operating
in Gunnison county. The promoters OF
the enterprise deserve the highest praise
and congratulations on the success OF