Arizona republican., 1901-06-16
THE GARRETsoN FURNACE
For Smelling Copper Ores Without
 Fuel.

| A new process for the reduction of | copper ores is now offered to the min ] ing world and if 1t proves to do what | it's inventor says it will it will not only revolutionlze the method of working copper ores but make feasible the oper- ation of many mines that heretofore could not be worked on paying basis. ] Speaking of this new process the Den- yer Times says:
 For several days past quiet man, with the air of a scholar rather than an investor, has been in Denver among mining men making an investigation regarding the copper resources of Col orado. He has said little about the ob- jects of his inquiries, but it has since | transpired that he was In touch with | a scheme which may mean great deal for the miners of this state who have any considerable percentage of copper in their ore.
 His name is c. R. Davis, a metallurg- lst of New York, who represents a com pany which has recently been organ ized to prosecute the smelting of cop per by the process recently patented by O. S. Ga ~~etson of Buffalo, N. Y., which il is claimed will smelt ores without fuel and produce pure copper without conversion,
 IL Is needless to say that if the new process will do all that is claimed for 1t there will be a revolution of the methods now in use for the production of metallic copper Mir. Garretson' S company is capitalized at $, ,0O0, 900 and proposes to erect refinery at Niagara Falls and copper furnaces all over the country where ore conditions are suit able. It is not known whether Mir. Davis has decided in favor of the cree ton of one of these furnaces in Colo rado.
 The furnace is constructed entirely of copper and the cost of plant ca pable of treating 125 tons per day is said to be not about $3,500 It con- sists of a water tight vertical shaft not dissimilar from that of the ordinary matte furnace. Tn the Garretson fur nace, however, the use of fuel is abso- lutely unnecessary. the required heat being generated by the combustion of sulphur in the ore and oxldization of the Iron and matte. While the heated gases arise from the hearth of the fur mace. beginning the combustion of sul- phur in the ore In the upper portion of the furnace the mass of the charge keeps passing downward until it reaches the great heat or top of the slag. There the silica is converted into slag by the action of the lime and the iron contained in the ore or supplied as Aux
 The copper matte, as Is we'll known sinks below the stratum of the slag and here is where the value of the in- vention comes in. At this point there are some extra tuyeres delivering a blast under pressure of 1000 pounds to the square inch on the molten matter and a very intense oxidization develops the heat necessary 10 convedt the cop per that is yet In a state of sulphide into a metallic state. Thus there are accomplished in one operation the roasting the mating and the reduction of the copper to the metallic state.
 One great point of value lies in the fact that inasmuch as no fuel of any kind is required it makes no difference how inaccessible the mine may be, the ~'S N"' 'S NiS"tNu iiSIl thtTt dIu COu- verted into ingots ready for the refin- ing. Furnaces can also be built of a. size to accommodate the output of the mine.
 In the old method and up to the building of the Garretson furnace the only mode of extracting metal from the ore required three separate processes. First. the ore has to be roasted, which Is an expensive process. Then the metal is extracted from the roasted ore. Later, by still another process the various metals are separated one from the other. The entire treatment Is ex- temely expensive. By the use of Mir Garretson's furnace 1t is claimed the expense is only one-tenth as great
 For many years efforts have been made to produce a method by which gold, silver, lead. copper and the vari- ous other metals which are found in combination in low grade ores could be cheaply extracted. The great expense and imperfect separation under the old systems have caused the abandonment of many valuable mines which other wise might have been worked with profit and the invention of Mir. Gar retson seems to be a long step in that direction.