Bisbee daily review., 1904-04-09
Selection of
 PROCESS
 Is important
NUMEROUS RECOGNIZED PRO. CESSES USUALLY BEARING NAME OF INVENTOR OR
 DISTRICT WHERE
 EMPLOYED
There is the Chlorination Process, Lisiviation Process, Cyanide Pro- cess-Pateo Process, Washoe Pro- cess-ln Selection, investigator Must Be Free From Prejudice-Pro- cesses Must Be Adopted to Ores and Not the Reverse.

Tn new mining camps the selection of a process to treat the ores, which may differ in character from those with which the operators have been Familiar elsewhere, an an important matter. There are hume. ous recog- 2ized processes. usually bearing the name of the inventor, or of the dis srict where first introduced, or the process may be known by a name suggested by the materials largely em- ployed in its application-the chlori- nation urocess, iixiviation process, cyanide process, Pateo process, Washoe process, etc. Each of these processes have usually many varia- sions, and sometimes they are made up of a combination of processes euoh as amalgamation, concentration and cyaniding. The various pro cesses which have proven successful are those which have been evolved in some particultr district after a long series of experiments, often accom- panied by repeated failure in the ca Ter attempts. Not infrequently the process which eventually solves the diihcult metallurgical problem is the ~esul. Of fortuitous discovery, though more often it comes from studied trial or weil-known chemical reactions. In She early history of the Black Hills Of South Dakota the telluride ores. were found most difficult to treat. Numer- GUS processes were tried, and failure after failure, both mechanical and chem ical, resulted, but finally three processes were found each of which treat these ores, saving a high per centege at nominal cost These are the chlorination process, the cyanide process and pyritic smelling. The 6Ist two are independent of other ores ypic.l characters of the frontier and The ether depends upon being able to c5tain the necessary fuxes and pyritic material at low cost All stucents of xnetallurgy are familiar with the WIashoe process, which was worked out at such great cost, and after re- peated failures, cn the Comstock, but while well adapted to conditions on 1he Comstock, the Washoe process is not adapted 10 the telluride ores of South Dakota or to Colorado. At Tonopah, Nevada, the mill men are Searching diligently for suitable pro cess to work those ores, but as yet dnly partial success has rewarded these efforts. The Washoe process 6ill not accomplish this without auxili- cry apparatus. It is evident that the sulphide ores of that camp must be c.ushed cry, roasted, and then treated. Possibly after roasting they woold be found amenable to the Washoe pro- cess. Roasting, simple amalgamation end cyaniding have been suggested Also a combination of roasting, syan- idatior and subsequent hxiYiation of fhe silver ore is another idea as yet Entrial on a commercial basis. The dres are of good grade, and when a railroad makes Tonopah easily acces- xible the result will be as in the Black Hills-aew brains, new money and ex- peTience will quickly solve the prob- lem of recovering the values froE Gcse ores.
 h the selection of 9 process, the in xetiga,or must be free from prejudice, and not welded to some particular Geory or invention. The broad-mind- ed liberal experimenter will more quickly reach a satisfactory solution e such a problem than he who plods yea fly along the same old trail, en- deavoring to adapt the ere to his pet process or theory. Processes must be adapted unsuited to it without pre- Gminary expense which may render the operation a commercial failure.- Mining and Scientific Press.