Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1899-08-24
MINING METHODS.
A New Way Of Extracting Cot
from Quartz.
eAsncaF Processes BY which Ever,
Particle, of the Precious Metal
II Saved - Recent ExPcri-
mcntA,

Thare are.two general methods of sep
arating gold. from the rock with which
it is associated in vein. In both Tho
ore is crushed to a certain degree Of
fneness, greater or less, according t.
circumstances. The stuff is Their
washed with water over Il layer of mer
curry, with which the gold amagamates
or else perhaps after preliminary
roastingl mixed with a chemical solu
ton 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
certain loss of the precious metal
Lnasmuch as the rock is exceedingly
hard, usually quartz, it is subjected te
heavy hammering in the final stage
of pulverization, and in consequence
some of the PARTICLES of gold are fiat
tened into tiny plates or saucers, ane
float away with the wash water. Then
too, the mechanical separation is no
quite perfect, and a little Of the goli
still remains imbeddcd in the minute
bits of rock which 60 Off as refuse, OF
"tailings." AS it is usally q rather high
grade ore which is handled in this way
the loss is apt to be disrcgarded. Bu
there has been a great tendency to
wards more economical methods o:
late years, and some of the chcmica
processes now in vogue are well adapted
to the treatment both of "tailings" ant
low-grade ores.
Attention has recently been directed
in England and Australia, to stil1 an
other plan of insuring the recovery O
q very large percentage of the golt
originally existing in the orc. The mai1
idea involved, that Of breaking up the
quartz by alternately heating and cool
ing it, is old; but some Of the detail:
of the process arc new, and tits claimed
for. the so-callcd "ore-atom;c" system
that it is more successful than airy pre-
vious attempt in the same direction.
In the preliminary crushing the rocl
is brought down only to small lump
Of convenient size, ard not to actua
powder. The material is then incloset
in chamber from which the outside
air is carefully excluded, ard 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 upo1
both the coal Tor coke) and iron, ano
the result is the development of waite,
gas and hydrogen. These gases have
access to the chamber, and prevent tn.
oxidation of the metal. Indeed, if there
be any oxide in the ore il is reduced
by the hydrogen. Any sulphur which
may be present is also eliminated, pass
ing off in the form of sulph uretted ny.
drogen. After the ore has remained
in the heated chamber for a time, whose
length varies according to the compo
sition of the rock, it is suddenly
"quenched" by the injection of colo
water. Inasmuch as the fragments t.
which this first chill breaks up thu
quartz are not as small as could bt
desired, the water is drained off an6
the series of operations is repeated sew
eral times. Finally the contents of the
chamber are dumped into tank. WheE
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 pulvcrize the substance now
It is alleged that there is absolutely NJ
lpss, in the form of float gold" and ne
oxidation, and therefore that all thu
precious metal originally in the orr
may be recovered.
In some experiments recently made
with the ore-atomic system in London
samples of Cripple Creek and West Aus
tralian ores were treated. An English
weekly publication, Invention, declares
that disinterested experts were pres
ent and assisted in the tests. 1t odds
I'm every respect the results were most
satisfactory, and unquestionably dem
onstrated the correctness of the prin'
ciple involved" 1t is announced that
the West Australian Gold District) cor
nOration has bought the right to use