Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1899-07-06
MINING Nc THODS.
q New Way OF Extracting dolt
from Quartz. .s
Chemicsl Processes BY witch EVER
Particle OF the Precious Metal
+ Saved - Recent Experi- 81
MN VI 3ss, mcnto. II 3s .i3s

srating gold from the rock with which
/ 1t il associated in vein. In both the
| ore is crushed to certain degree OF
\ fneness, greater or less, according 'tx
circumstances. The stuff is ther
washed with water over layer of mer+
curry, with which the gold amalgamates
or else (perhaps after a preliminary
roasting mixed with a chemical solu:
ton which dissolyes 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 Away.
certain loss of the precious metal
Inasmuch as the rock is exceedingly
hard, usually quartz, it isssubiected *
! heavy ha1nmering in the final stage
of pulverization, and in consequence
some of the particles of gold are flat
tened into tiny plates or saucers, anl
float away with the wash water. Then
too, the mechanical separation is no
( quite perfect, and little of the golc
still remains imbcdded in the minute
bits OF rock which go off as refuse, OF
"tailings." AS it is usally rather high
I grade ore which is handled in this way
the loss is apt to be disregarded. Blu,
there has been great tendency to
wards more economical methods o.
late years, and some of the chemical
processes now in vogue are well adapted
to the treatment both Of "tailings" ant
Iow-grade ores.
Attention has recently been directed
in England and Australia, to still an
other plan of insuring the recovery O
very large percentage of the golt
originally existing in the ore. The mai1
idea involved, that of breaking up tn.
quartz by alternately heating and cool
ing it, is old; but some of the details
of the process are new, and tits claimed
for the so-called "ore-atomic" system
that it is more successful than any pre-
vious attempt in the same direction.
In the preliminary crushing the rocl
is brought down only to small lump
OF convenient size, and not to actua
powder. The material is then inclosec
in chamber from which the outsid,
air is carefully excluded, and 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, anc
the result is the development of waite,
gas and hydrogen. These gases hav.
access to the chamber, and prevent tn.
oxidation of the metal. Indeed, if there
be any oxide in the ore it is reduced
by thsshydrogen. Any sulphur which
may be present is also eliminated, pass,
ing off in the form of sulphuretted by.
drogen. After the ore has remained
in the heated chamber for 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 of ant
the series of operations is repeated sew
eral times, Finally the contents of the
chamber are dumped into tank. Whe1
the ore is cool enough to be taken be
tween the fingers, itcrumbles into pow
der easily. No heavy stamps are re
quired to pulverize the substance now.
It is alleged that there is absolutely NJ
loss in the form Of float gold" and nc
oxidation, and therefore that all thu
precious metal originally in the orr
may be recovered.
In some experiments recently made
with the ore-atolnic 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. It adds
In every respect the results were most
satisfactory, and unquestionably dem
onstrated the correctness of the prin.
ciple involved" It is announced that
the West Australian Gold District) cor
poration has bought the right to use
the ore-atomic system.-N. Y. Tribune