The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-26
MOUNTAIN OF MERCURY.
Oregon Town Which Owes Its Origin
 to 0ufeksffyer.

Oregon Town Which Owes Its Origin
 to Quiclxsiiver.
 Quicksilver, the familiar but always fascinating mercury that rises and falls in the thermometer tube. has estab- Iished a post office and built a town of Oregon Black Butte Is the name of the town and postofflce. and the noun tain Black Butte, from which the name comes, is a mountain of mercury. It is claimed by the owners that this mountain has the largest exposed body of quicksilver ore in the world. A vein 400 feet wide has been opened Nlr more than a mile along the mountain and to depth of 160 feet below the crest. More than three miles of tunnels. rais- es, etc. havA been made and every where the rieh cinnabar ore, from which quicksilver is taken, appears in great quantities.
 In the Oregon mining section at the Lewis and Clark Exposition the visi- tor may see in operation a miniature quicksilver distillins plant, modelled af- ter the one at Black Butte. The ht- tie engine runs all day. and attracts much attention. Near by 1t the con- denser, and under the spout an iron bucket of quicksilver. showing just how the moving metal runs out of the condenser after being liberated from the ore through a scientific process.
 The process ordinarily is called dis tillation. First the ore is crushed and then 1t is dumped Into furnaces. where it is roasted at the fierce heat of 1900 degrees Fahrenheit. When the ore reaches a temperature of 6s0 degrees the quicksilver begins to pass off fin the form of vapor. The mercury vapor Is passed into large chambers built Of wood or brick. called condensers. These are cooled by water jackets and other devices, and in them the vapor soon changes into metallic form, the quick silver being precipatated in fine gio- bules on the walls and floors. The globules collect and run out in troughs ready to be marketed. Quicksilver is put up for shipping in hasks of wrought iron. weighing IA pounds each and holding 76 1-2 pounds of the metal. The present market price of quicksilv- CT is about 55 cents per pound. whole sale. "
 Quicksilver is found In veins of rock, like gold, silver and other metals. Sometimes the tiny globules of the mercury appears in the interstices of the rock, but usually 1t is found in the form of cinnabar. chemical com pound containing 13.8 per cent. sul- phur and s6.2 per cent. mercury. When pure and reduced to a powder tt Is bright red color.
 The principal uses of quicksilver are TOT recovering IISS soiu oiN SiANNt ''' placer and quartz mining, for manu- featuring vermilion paints and dyes for backing mirrors, for making the mometers and many other scientific in- struments.
 The "Alamaden" quicksilver mine in Spain has been operated since 416 years before Christ and is still the largest producer of the metal in the world California has held second place since fQAE four wears before gold was dis covered there. Alaska and Texas also produce quicksilver.
 The distiIling plant shown at the Portland Fair is a new invention, and 1t is claimed that the time required In getting the quicksilver out of the ore has been reduced by its use from about 36 hours to four hours: