The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-05
PROGRESS AT THE WORKS
Changes in Upper Smelter and
Concentrator.
GILLIAN MILLS SET UP
More to Go In Soon-Nine New Sets Of
Jigs to Start = Enlargng tbs
Matte Observation-Disclosures
ed Capacity.

While the work of overhaulng and
partially remodeling the upper reduc-
ton works is proceeding rapidly, mat
tiers are now at a point where there is
comparatively little to report.
The Bruckner roasting furnaces are
revolving steadily, with only one or two
out of the 40 undergoing any repairs.
The four two-story Wethey furnaces
are also in regular operation with the
usual good results.
1t may be incidentally stated for the
benefit of those who do not know, that
the Bruckner furnaces and the Wetheys
are designed for the same specific work,
namely, the burning of the most of the
sulphur out of the concentrated ore
They do the same thing. but the me-
chanical operation is different. The
Bruckner is a revolving cylinder, into
which the ground and concentrated ore
is placed for roasting, the revolution
keeping the material well stirred. These
cylinders are Of varying sizes The
ones at the upper works appear to be
about eight feet in diameter and 10 or
- feet long. This, however, is merely
an estimate.
The Wetheys are brick furnaces, sta
tionary and with level floors, upon which
the ore is placed for roasting. These
floors are traversed by ploughs which
stir the material and gradually move
it along from the point where the fur
mace is fed to the place of discharge.
They may have one floor, two or a
larger number. These have two, and
are about 100 feet in length.
In the east end of the large building
occupied by the Wetheys there is an
open space large enough to accommo-
date fOuI more. and If iS thouoht
the work of building at least two of
them will be commenced at an early
day.
In the matte department the changes
are important and upon an extensive
scale. The old matte furnaces are be-
ing torn out and new ones substituted
as rapidly as the change can be made
Eight new furnaces have been built
and the ninth has been COM
menced. 1t will be completed by Satur-
day night. There are still two of the
old furnaces standing but they will
go the way of the others as rapidly as
they can be reached. The object is to
make the substitution and at the same
time keep all of the furnaces running
except the one that is being torn out
and replaced.
This change means very much more
than the mere substitution of new fur
naceS for old ones, for the new ones
are also much larger and more effect
i've. The old ones have a floor length
of 20 feet inches. while the length of
the new one is 20 feet inches-practi-
cally SO per cent. enlargement. Ex-
periments at the Anaconda works have
shown that from 90 to-, 80 feet is the
length at which matte furnaces do
their best work. These changes. there
fore, insure an increased capacity of
about so per cent, besides better
grade of matte. oval's. . "-, ,~;
In the upper concentration the changes
are proceeding with such rapidity that
an interval of two. weeks seems TO
bring about an almost complete trans
.formation--at least in certain sections
of the mill.
Since the last visit of the Standards
representative two 6-foot Bradley Chill
ian mills have been set UP in the east
ern section. One of them is ready for
the betting and will be started in
couple of days. The other will be ready
in about four days. These mills are to
regrind tailings from the upper. jigs,
passing them on to the lower ones, of
which there are nine sets. These are
the new ones heretofore mentioned.
and they will, of course, have to start
when the mills do.
The mills have a capacity each of
from SO to 100 tons per "a hours. They
are similar in principle to the Mont
somery mill that has been installed at
the lower works. The grinders, though
instead OIL DelllS IUullQ DdHS are soma
disks of iron about three feet in d.
ameter and with eight-inch faces or
grinding surfaces. AS in the case of
the Montgomery, the mills are pro-
vded with screens near the bottom
and when the tailings are ground suf-
ficiently fine, the centrifugal motion
of the water washes them through the
screens and thence they pass to the
jigs.
Preparations are being made for put
ting in two more similar mills in the
western section of the concentrator.
Old jgs are being torn out and the
work of eXcavating for the founda-
tons is now in progress.