The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-26

Special Dispatch TO the Post-Intelligencer.
REPUBLIC. May 24-The new Republic
mill now approaching completion Will ad-
vance materially the mining interests not
only of the Republic camp. but OF the
entire state. AS designed, II is the largest
wet process plant in the Northwest. and
may in time be extended until II equals
the Mercur. Utah, plant. which treats 1000
tons of ore every twenty-four hours. Com
pared with this figure. the 800 tons daily
treatment in the local mill seems small,
but the talings from each years run will
build substantial wall ten feet high
and nine miles long.
The main building is in the shape of
cross, the longest portion running along
the hillside to length of 800 feet. Behind
this main portion Is retaining wall of
stone the fun length and as foundation
and an additional wall thirty feet above, is
another ffty-five feet long. Both walls
are seventeen and one-half feet high. four
feet and ten inches thick at the base, us
ing 5000 perches of masonry and 10000
brick.
The dust fue is eight by nine feet be-
tween the stone walls, and runs from the
furnaces $50 feet long. steel stack is to
be erected resting on a stone base sixteen
feet square. 100 feet high and eight feet
in diameter.
The main departments will be as follows:
Drying room. 4s by SO feet.
Fine crushing. 35 by So feet.
Roasting room, 81 by 3iS feet.
Teaching. 80 by PIG feet
Precipitating. 80 by IS feet.
Engine and boiler room. "a by 81 feet.
The roof now being put on Is of CORFU
gated iron. and will be very substantial
From the valley below the structure pre-
sents a very imposing sight. and Is an i'm
provement worthy of the mine.
When Maj r. G. Edward Leckie took
nuA hn ma N Sray1 ant nf In
pany, a year ago, he saw the inadequacy
of the mill then In operation for the flu
ture needs OF the property. He secured
the services of the foremost cyanide expert
in the country, d. C. lacking. Mr.. Jack
ling's success in treating the Mercur ores
at profit, after repeated failures by 9TH
ers seeking like result gave him his pres
ent place among those who have made
ore treatment a life study. The treat
ment of any ore IL comparatively simple,
for chemical reactions are matters of rec
ord in standard text books, but to treat
ore at a profit in many cases requires a
combination of attainments and skill rang
ing through the chemical mechanical and
structural sciences. and such comhina-
ton in one man is not readily found. 1t
is to such a combination, however. the
Republic mill owes its existence.
Process at the samplinE Mill.
Inc sdupliDE mn, oV ny wv iect, 10
located on "A level with the main working
tunnel No. 4. The ore is run out in cars.
at present four in number. and propelled
by horse power; dropped into five large
bins, each 10 by Is feet and 20 feet deep;
run through crusher elevated to the
coarse rolls. where after run through,
It Is sampled and delivered to storage
bins. from which 1t is taken by a skip
to the storage bins on top of the main
mill Here II is automatically fed to
the dryers moisture extracted. recrushed
to size and delivered to bins In the roast
ing department. The three straight
line furnaces installed here are the in
vention of Mr.. lacking and are idenu-
cal with the ones which contributed ma
terialy to the success of the process in
use at Mercer. The ore is fed at one
end OF the furnaces, advanced mechani-
cally to the other end. brought back out
of the furnaces. which act a cooling
floor. and by conveyor run into bins con-
venient To the teaching tank. After
teaching with cyanide. the solution Is
drawn of. precipitated. the shines treat
ed in filter presses. values secured and
the bullion treated In the refinery. The
power is furnished by an lsx42 Corliss
engine and three batteries of two boilers
each. the latter ample TO furnish steam
for the mill, sampling mill, machine shop,
drill compressor and lighting plant.