The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-11-02
CYANIDE FOR A-ID ORES.
Salt Lake Man Patents New ard
Successful Process.

The Smith Cold Extraction Company
of this city was yesterday notified by
the officials at Washington that patent
had been issued for preparing acid-ores
or tailings for treatment by the cyanide
process, the documents that are to pro-
tect it 10 this A. well as foreign coun-
tries from infringement, to follow Ia a
few days The inventor of the method
which has been sought by 50 many
students for years Is none other than
Col. Joe Smith. one OF the original own
ers Of ground now embraced IN the do
mains Of the Mercur Mining Company.
He was among the first 10 successfully
apply the cyanide process tn the leaeh-
ing Of the gold from Aercur ores, and
that he has discovered a process for
overcoming the refractory acids Il a
sequel no mem her Of local mining and
metallurgicai circles will envy.
The method. briefly described by the
inventor, i very simple one and very
economical one. and while neutralizing
the acids that have hitherto fouled the
cyanide solution, 1t increases the per-
centage Of extraction, and, to an extent
that Is astonishing. dimini>hes the
amount Of cyanide required for leach
ing.
The secret of the whole process l.
nothing more than the intelligent APP
plication of plain chlorate OF lime after
the ores containing arsenides. sulphldes.
etc, have been roasted enough 10 de-
compose these properties. This can be
done very ehespls and quickly and
Without the Loss of gold. No attempt
il made after roasting to remove the
sulphates, arsenates. etc, by heat, b1t
the lime treatment Is at once applied
The inventor. who for long time op
Grated a cyanide plant at the Wilson
mines. Pine Grove, Esmeralda county.
I Nevada, has treated and j. now treat
ing successfully the ores by his metho /.
/ the extraction ranging from 50 Ia 70
per cent of the gold contents al The ore.
I With these ores in raw state. 10 percent
Of the gold was extracted with loss 81
I eighteen 10 twenty live pounds OF eva
hide OF potassium per ton Of ore treated
with potassium cyanide alone. By the
use of the smith method upon the
raw ore, the same extraction. said the
inventor recently, was obtained with a
loss of three pounds OF cyanide potas-
sum per ton of ore treated.
After light roast was given tn same
material, 50 10 % per cent III gold was
EXTRACTED with a loss Of ten To eighteen
I pounds OF cyanide of potassium to The
| ton of ore treated when treated with
potassium alone BY the use OF the
/ smith method the same extraction was
obtained with a loss Of not more than
one and quarter pounds ol potassium
cyanide 10 ihe ton Of ore treated.
Al Pine Grove where his method was
"a hiected To- exhaustive tests on prac-
| teal scale.and where. thousands of tons
were successfully treated, Mr.. Smith
says:
Very acid tailings were there treat
ed by our method with very good re-
suits w hen the same material WIS
treated in the usual way by washing
with water. giving an alkiline wash,
or By mixiae wish limo, the best ex.
traction Obbain4bls vas 20 per cant q
the gold, the consumption ~ potassium
cyanide a ae Ger ii We pounds per ton.
and The precipitation bad. Al present
the extraction IL over 80 per cent, the
consumption OF potassium cyanide one
and a quarter pounds per ton of talilng
| treated, and the precipitation Is good.
Had these tailingS been given Il light
roast, the extraction would have been
Is per cent greater, or a total extrac-
lion Of 3 per cent'of the gold contained
| in them. ~
The discovery Of Mr.. Smith is per
haps the most important that has heen
made In the West since the successful
application of cyanide was begun.
and as soon "a the certificate of patent
arrives he will begin series of demon
-trations for the benefit Of mining men.
II not only means much for Mercnr. hut
for every camp to the ores Of which the
cyanide process is adap ed. Salt Lake
/ T.fhunp