The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-01
NEW G0LDST0R Y.
Gage Mill Run Exciting Much
Speculation.
Hays City Paper Says 1t IL q
Success
THE REPORTS VARY.
All Say That Gold Is Being
Secured.
More Ore Mills Expected to Be
Built.


of the world to their gold producing
shales. 1t is asserted that the five watts
built on the Smoky river by Fred Close
and his company, under the direction of
Charles III. Gage, are being successfully
tested, and are producing gold bars
from the shale.
One story is that $500 worth of silver
and gold have been taken out of 70
tons of the shale- Another story
changes the figures to SIS in silver and
s25 in gold out of five tons of shale. The
Hays City Republican contents itself
by the general assertion that 1.-THE ascer-
tanned results are highly satisfactory,
the values being larger than antici-
pated."
1t seems probable that the Gage mill
is actually getting gold out of the
sha1eS- The only question is whether
values of from S. to 81 a ton will be
sufficient to pay for the cost of the
handling. Mr.. Gage believes that his
process enables the shale to be handled
at a cost of not over 81 a ton If this
can be done, there is a small but certain
profit in every ton run through the
mill.
While Mr.. Gage was in Topeka he
conducted large number of expert
ments with the shale, which with one
exception, were remarkably satisfac-
tory. AT that time he was trying to
interest the syndicate controlled by
Holiday, and other well known men or
capital Gage made several ton runs
in big vat built especially for the pur-
pose. Out of the experiments, he Sc
cured results which indicated that gold
could be secured to the amount OF $40.
and silver worth $40 more, out of every
ton of Shale- He gave a full explanation
of his process to the chemists in the
employ of the syndicate, and efforts
were made by these chemists to get
the same results Gage did The Gage
to Sc ton when tried by these chem
lists when Gage was not around But
when Gage himself did the work, much
better results were secured.
This fact aroused the suspicion of the
syndicate. Gage was finally set to work
on a ton lot OF the shale in the big vat
which had been built in the Veale block.
He carried the process through to che
point when the gold was all supposed to
| be collected on Jumps of charcoal, and
| nothing remained to do but to burn it
| out. He said that everything was go
| ing well. Just at that point, Gage left
| town.
The charcoal on which Gage himself
had worked was taken and burned, and
I about So worth of gold and silver Sc
cured from it This went far to confirm
| the belief of the syndicate that the
Gage process was not all that it pro-
feSsed to be.
However, Mr.. Close and some others
had confidence in Mr.. Gage, and they
| took him in tow, and went to point
| on the Smoky river, in Ellis county,
and built mill This is the mill which
| is now reported to be giving such ex-
| cellent results
The Hays City Republican gives the
| following glowing account of how the
| Gage mill started, and the results
which are being secured from it:
AT sunrise on Saturday the 21st inst,
| the smoke from the engine in the new
| ore plant on the Smoky river began to
| rise and mingle with the floating
clouds, without flourish of trumpets or
waving of flags, but strictly on sche-
! dule time and in a practical business
| like manner the Gage process for the
| treatment of ores was put in operation
| The N i'll was hardly finished when the
| steel teeth of the crushers began to
| grind, the strong steel rollers to move,
| the water-pumps to fill the tanks ana
| the whole machinery to move with pre-
ciSiOn. Tons of crushed and rolled Shale
were soon discharged into the tanks
while the air connection with electrical
forces kept the water boiling as though
| it was heated for steam. Disintegra-
| ton of the ore rapidly followed and
| then the collection of the slight partie
| les of gold and silver commenced
| through the appliances and process dis
| covered by Prof Gage.
s"These first operations being. completed,
| factory. the values being larger than an
| ticipat ted. The first demonstration of the
as to disarn doubt or criticism. The sue
cessfgl treatment OF Kansas shaie is ~low
lem Of recovering the value Of the ores
has been solved through the persistent
ence of Prof. Charles H. Gage. and the
mill is daily repeating the first demon-
treasures sA Of Kansas sea mud, worthless
i lime rock soft alluvia1 gunnbo' and salt
more than simple commercial values and
from this on, both night and day, the mill
deposits along the Smoky river 1t is but
Justice to. add, without depreciation of the
first to earnestly and intelIigently compel
these shale deposits to give up their val
Moses when he sTnote the rock compelled
water to come FORTH
! at Smokyhill. Capital is pointing that
residences will soon command a premium.
| In fact, everything is now at a premium
"Oil is soon to be added to the general
| productive wealth on the Smoky. Mr.. D.
| the regions of the Smoky and who is
among the first great on operators and
producers of Beaumont, Tex. expresses
| his deliberate Judgment that strong indi-
vaiieY Y With View to reash the iii de-
posits Mr. Burleigh Johnson and his assoc
implements for boring to a depth Of 5000
| feet Operations in this direction viii not
| be long delayed.
.'Those deserving the honor of estab-
fishing the first successful mill for the
| treatment of Kansas ore at Smokyhill and
| putting the mill in operation are Prof.
| Charles H. Gage, Col f. J. Close and his
son Fred, DIR. Charles Corbin. s NJ Price,
Attorney f. G.. Wilson of Topeka and
| Charles E. Brown. Let the honorable rec
ord stand.
Parties are beginning to make inquiries
regarding business locations in Smokyhill
city. One party is DESTROYS of location
for 2 blacksmith and a machine shop.
while another has been looking for place
for a market, and still another for a gro
Gerry stand So it goes