New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-31
MIN[NGINT HEBLACK HILLS
THE PROCESSES USED IN THE PoTsDAM
ORE DISTRICTS.
sKILFt-L EXPERIMENTS LEAD 10 HE
rrsHMENT OF IMPORTANT SMELLING "ohA'
,o,rrt-rx rcc FOR THE FUTURE
-HoPEFULNEss FOR THE Furuf

,rsuNrNr OF IMPORTANT SMELLING WORKS
uoprrr-LNEss FOR THE FUTURE.
roduood c D March 2s (SpecaD.-A few years
.oo tho treatment OF the Potsdam ore Iouhd OH
Raid Mountain. one Of the Dead"ood n''nie ~
,ric,s was unsuccessful. until more Skhi" eNP'i'
ments were made. hence much OF the o,' ~
h,rp.d n n distance for treatment. but the lact
n. oros - less value than about $50 per ton cou'd
80, IA mined and shipped with any proht. togetne1
With q superstition that there was something VI"
canny about them, prevented an acuVe ue'p
mon, OF the ore bodies. But these conditions nave
been changed by the establishment OF methilu'sl
cal pants so that good profits are said 10 DE "aue
= po,sda,n orc bodies carrying no higher tnan Clio
a ton. ,. ~. r,ost
important metalurgcal industry IN the paoN
wills and its existence is OF special value IN rur-
nisbinr n local market for Potsdan ores. l'o
process is OF INSTRUMENTATION wherein 'ne
hlos, furnaces are charged with this combinations
Suicious ore 80 copper ore ~ IONS PSi'e'
100 tons and limestone. $50 tons. This mixture -
sn,olted with from 10 TO IL per cent by weight OF
Eastern coke or about Is per cent OF Newcas'ie
coke Stag carrying 10 to 20 cents per ton IN gold
or o. to O4 ounces OF silver per ton. and traces only
of copper are separated in the fore-heaT'H anu "
matte is formed carrying all OF the god ana W per
cent Of the silver as calculated from the assay Vi
the ores charged. and constituting about per c'"'
by weight of the original charge Inc inashes'"
Limestone and the pyrite are obtained within IL"
miles Of the smelter, but the copper ore mas H''1
10 be brought from Montana. Recent mus u O'l
per ore near Deadwood will obviate the eNpo"ee W
conner freghts Matte smelling under the spec'ai
form used indicates great advance IN He'a''"s
cal nrogress and the saving is marked Comparea
with lead smelling its efficiency Is much ereh'e.'
owing 10 the highly scious charges posso
The MATES however. have TO be taken 10 O"'""A
for separating and refining. .,
Another process is known as the chlorlna'i'h
nd a
only from the smelling works in Deadwooo' II -
carried on in the following manner Inc ot0
first nut through rock breakers. from ""0"
nasses 70 drier; from the drier II passes 10 ni'e
crushers and thence to a series or crusilhe '0'
IT is next roasted in cylinders OF TWO ON, 49,
kirds-one for the red and another lot 'le
blue ore After roasting. the product IL sp, va
cooling floors from which II is elevated 10 u'"S "
he discharged by hoppers into the cn'o' ~" ,'o''
horro,s The barrel is Of IRON lead-ined. ana mas
n canacitv of about five tons About iour 'o'S 70
ora ore charged along with about twelve pour Is
% bleaching nowder and from eighteen 20 twenty
mounds Of sulphurc acid per ton the parfels a..
siou,lv revolved for about an hour and half'
water being admitted under pressure al's' .,
nation is complete, and leading the ioi''''
ore through a filter contained In the parIeI
The coId-bearing solution is treated with hydro
eulnhuric acid gas. in some cases at'er 4 piei'''
nary treatment with sulphurous acid 10 'ou
chlorine In this treatment the goid' aions WIN
|
ord the solution is then filtered through inter
nrossos The collected sulphides are dried roasted
IN r,uf1es and snelted TO bullion. ANY silver con.
tanned in the ore chlorinaed Is OF course ios' anu
q discrimination is usually made with reference 10
the ores treated by this process. WHEREBY all ores
carving over three ounces or silver Per 10" ''
reserved for other treatment
THE CYANIDE PROCESS
Another treatment is known the cyanide proc
ia, he
moiort lime 70 counteract the acidity; thence me
GRO goes 10 the drier then through another crushe
and three sets OF rolls. with the intention OF
| ing 10 20 mesh. The crushed ore Is lea'neu J."
| tanks in the ordinary manner the ta'l'hsS pei"s
| removed by hand and reserved for future treat
nent The gold is precipitated from the souuon
IN, zinc shayings and the handling of the preclpl-
| tate does not differ from the usual praouce'
| A, tho Homestake Mine the ore is of the hleh-
Grade milling grade and is crushed and the god
| onoro.ed IN the works by means of the stamps ana
| na,s The shaft descends into this mine several
| hundred feet and consderab bic addition OF buildings
and new machinery is being made across me su'''
Recently the company has uncovered an orc pea SUI
! 6cient 10 keep employed the eight hundred stamps
for ,yentv-six wears II also controls the he 'ine'
nronerty hence controls all the water sources ID
The territory which are OF inestimable value the
ore Yields from s. to s. Of gold in addition 10 me
| .talines"-the detrta mud flowing from the goo
washing or crushing apparatus. 1hese tall"sS
| have for years carried off from 81 30 to = OF goa
per ton; they have been carried down the river
| away below Deadwood. and are calculated az ABOUT
| four thousand tons per day. The company mas
been experimenting for some time WIN POSSeIis
| 70 extract the gold from these washlngs' ana Is
! ahout ready for work. a company has recently
! heen formed by some Philadelphians. VINO pan 10
! dredge out the failing deposits and separate the
! gold therefrom. which thfy believe VIII yield
In Custer as " ell as In Lawrence County the
! mining business has picked up percepuDy IN tns
last few weeks and there is great hoptIu ~.
| me immediate future Within the city limits OF
Toadwood large tracts Of land have been purchased
! by syndicate OF Eastern capitalists. lnclunlns
! some Of the wealthest men in chicago, Detroli
/ Milwaukee and Philadelphia Developineht %o,h
treat at d profit OF s. to 81 ton, ana the ore Is
/ richer than that shipped In from Montana 10 tht
| smelfer TO be used as fux. The copper ledge IS
| said 10 extend several miles south OF Deadwood
and numerous prospecting tunnels have been run
into the ledge alorg the way. on CleVeldnd helghls
/ south Of Deadwood. promising copper ledse has
heen opened. and the samples have been ASA! eu
| "a Few miles below here in Pennington County.
! free-ming ore has been discovered that glVes
! good promise The three prospectors VINO nave
been at work there on claim tor several mohIns
declare il TO Of the richest lodges ever ais
! covered in the Black Hills and at a depth OF only
: MY feet Sample rock has given assays az 81
I Mound hut the average value OF the ledge ma ltei
! chr rich discoveries Of ree-milling gold have
! been found which have excellent surface showlngs
| In the areas about the Nevada and FantaN gulches
vertical bikes Of quartz porphyry and rhyolte are
covered various low -jutting outcrops Of phonolite
Several contacts Of free-mllllng ore nave peen
! found and the lower ones are sald 10 carry
greater proportion Of gold to SILVER tnan me upper
which together with the gold yields about $50 per