The San Francisco call., 1899-09-27
CALIFORNIA IS
GIVING MUCH To
MINING SCIENCE
Brief but Busy Day
for Miners.
BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE
SECOND DAY OF THE ENGIN
EERS' GATHERING.
All Quietly Enjoy the City and About
Hundred Have Already Regis
tered for the State
Tour.
BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE
SECOND DAY OF THE ENGIN-
EERS' GATHERING.

The second day of the California meet
Ing of the American Institute of Mining
Engineers, held yesterday was a quiet
one, illustrating well the method and
spirit Of this great organization of lead
ers in the worlds industrial progress
The meeting means much to the mining
industry of the country, and the world as
well, Yet ii lasted only two hours in the
forenoon, the afternoon and evening ses-
sions being skipped IN order that the
park, the Cliff House. Mount Tamalpais.
the State Mining Bureau, the State Uni
versity and the offices and homes of a few
local scientific men might be variously
visited
The average citizen might have called
the Tuesday proceedings tame and have
smiled at the idea that IL was worthy Of
sacrifice OF time ana hospitality on the
part of Californians, for the crowd in the
small, neatly decorated hail of the Palace
Hotel was not large. and there was no
erowding and cheering lobby. But in
spirit and in fact that morning session,
into which the whole days proceedings
were crowded. was attended by many
thousand brainy men, ana the audience
Will not adjourn for many year.
After d few remarks by President
Douglas, the formal presentation OF val
Uabie gifts to the mining industry quietly
proceeded and, be il said to the honor
of California, the first three were present
ed Uy men Of this State. ;. b. Christy,
dean OF the college OF mining OF the l nj
VeISlCy OF CautOrnla and professor OIL
mining ana meIauurgy therein, read
paper on The ElecUomouve Force OF
Metals il Cyanide solutions. Now, this
paper presented 10 the world for the hrst
ume the compactly arrayed results OF
JhIee years OF experiments at this col
lege OF mining on the results Of electric
IOlce on sOluuOns OF various metals in
combination with cyanide of potassium.
me cyanide process Is the latest, ana IN
q considerable degree the most promising,
Of the processes Tor the economical sepa-
ration OF precious metals from base ores,
and II Is one which Will in the future cut
q very great feature in the mining INDUS
try of Northern and Southern California,
Wnere the ores are not generally suscep-
uble TO profitable treatment by the or
binary milling and concentration pro
cesses, which have produced most OF the
gold from California 5 quartz mines.
in his paper Professor ChrlSty gave IN
detail d series OF results in the electric
deposition OF various metals IN cyanide
soluuous OF greatly varying strength, and
as the electric process Is "a the bottom
Of the cyanide process this paper, Whlch
was illustrated Dy many srdphlc dla-
grams thrown on a screen, VIII De very
IMPORTANT and widely studied contribution
to this branch OF metallurglca science. A
brief abstract OF the paper would be use
less. 1t Will soon reach all OF the 3OOO I
members OF 5the institute and be read by
thousands more al over the world
The next TWO papers were by CaHIor-
mans and VIII be soon read in pamphlet 1
r,I-r1l lt.tie. nrst was on some Features /
OF tne Economtc Geology OF Russia, by /
Professor a. g. Lawson, the distinguished
geological associate of Joseph lie Conte ]
In the state University. 1t treated OF 2
ueld IN which the Occidental world mas /
suddenly acquired a large interest.
a paper on The New Alaska 1readWell
cold Mills" by Robert Mein, followed |
The Treadwell mine OF Douglass Island, |
Alaska, is the largest gold NINE IN the
-, re4l
dropping there provide by far the biggest
gold milling proposition ana the cheapest
and most efficient one the world mas
known. The author Is the son OF the Well
known Thomas Mein of San Francisco, |
manager of this and several other great
mining propositions on the Paclnc Coast. /
His paper will be found valuable informa-
tion on the working of low-grade gold /
ores, on which Californias mining future
so largely depends.
Other papers Of the day presented IN
print and read by title We're;
The Peculiar Ore Deposit of the East /
Murchison United Gold Nine Western /
Australia" by D. 2. Mitchell, Palo Alto, I
"The Occurrence of Tin Ore at San
Alto, Zacatecas, with reference TO SINH
lar deposits in san Luis Potosi and Du-
range, Mexico by Edward Halse, Colom- /
bia, South America.
The Copper Deposits OF Vancouver /
Island" by William N Brewer, Victoria, |
Rock Salt in Louisiana" by a. F. Lu-
cas-, Latay cite, La
by II. Foster Balm. Des Moines,, Iowa,
Natural Coke Of the Santa Clara Coal [
Field, Sonora, Mexico by K. I. Dumble, (
Houston, Texas.
"Tranconunental Railway Lines" by /
James Douglas.
The last-named paper, by the venerable /
and honored president of the institute, /
is one Of the most valuable of the session /
and one which will most readily appeal .
to popular understanding and interest.
a session
more notable contributions to mining |
knowledge than in any year of its history. /
Yesterdays programme embodied four /
papers and the first three essays on to- /
days programme will give the results Of .
original work and experiment by Calfor- |
mans.
The rest of the story Of the days doings /
by the assembled members of the insti- /
tute and their hosts can be briefly told. (
The only local entertainment approach |
ing a formal one was pleasant reception /
to the visiting ladies by the California /
Club at its quarters in the Young Mems /