Gilpin observer., 1906-03-29
Home Treatment of Ores.

treatment OF OTc6.
In recent editorial the Denver
News discusses present mill and
smelter conditions in Colorado as fol-
lows:
The revised smelter program, now
under way in Colorado, looks to
larger purchase at the smelters of low
grade ores. In smelter parlance, any
thing in the gold line less than two
ounces per ton Of ore is termed low
grade. Hence the phase is comprehen-
sive. 1t takes in at present four-fifths
OF the states gold tonnage. The other
fifth will go to the smeltNrs SO long as
the latter process extracts therefrOm
the higher percentage of value, which
more than makes up for the increasing
treatment charge.
or late years home, or mill treat
ment, including amalgamation, chlori-
nation, cyanide and bromination, has
been making rapid progress in the va
rious gold camps of this state, and the
net result is that the bulk of the ore
no longer goes from the gold camps to
the smelters. AS the mill increases its
ability to extract the gold values it
comes nearer to being able to bid on
the run of the mine, which means ores
above two ounces as well as ores be-
low. This kind of contract dispenses
with sorting, and, as all the ore pro-
duced by a certain mine goes to one
plant for treatment ii is easier for
the mine management to keep
cases on results. An improvement in
smelter furnaces may extend below the
two-ounce limit, as well as to ores
above. This also means the run of the
mine, placing smelter development
once more on par with mill develop
ment, and thus giving the mine owner
the benefit of two markets rather than
one. This is a wise move on the part
OF the smelters, and made none too
soon, as may be seen by noting the dis
position of ores in a camp like Cripple
Creek, where the value is gold alone.
Glance, for a moment, at mill i'm
provements recently completed or at
present under way. The Silverton dis
trict has reopened her copper-matte
smelter for lowgrade gold-copper ores,
and similar plant is operating at
Grand Junction. To close these rivals
in the low and medium grade field the
trust must advance the present smelter
allowance for copper in ores. In the
Boulder, Gilpin and Clear Creek field
1t was recently advanced 20 cents per
unit, and is now, in some cases, equal
to forty per cent. of the market quota
ton in New York. This allows sixty
per cent. for treatment at the smelters
and transportation to market, with
fair margin for profit. OF course. there
was time in Colorado when no allow
ance was made for the copper in ores.
Outside of the Ross home smelter
Silverton has now in commission two
additional concentration plants. Two
more are coming up" SO that by May
18th the district will be selling to
these plants 1000 tons of crude ore per
day, and thus adding millions of dol
lars to her yearly output of the pre-
cious metals.
dispatch from Cripple Creek in
forms us that the local mills. and those
located at Florence and Colorado City,
are running to capacity. Over the
Florence & Cripple Creek railroad fif-
ty-one cars of ore-about 1,224 tons
were shipped last Saturday, and this is
described as an average day. The re-
cent report of the Portland company
shows the treatment last year of S.246
tons OF dump ore of the gross value of
siS.i33. or 1854 pr ton. The mill plant
of the company, located in Colorado
City, returned net profit of $314,279
last year. Average value of Portland
ore for the year was $23.60 per ton, or
close to the dividing line between
smelter and mill. The Portland mill
Is on the chlorination basis. capable CT
returning ninety-eight per cent. of the
gold values. The missing two per cent.
based on a total output of $2,5o0000
for the year. means $4,000.
Boulder county has half dozen
mills under way. most of them to use
the cyanide process. In Clear Creek
county mill improvement is SO obvious
that the recent advance in smelter
rates upon certain grades of gold ores
is hailed as an advantage in that Il
gives the treatment to the local plants
There are four new mills at present un.
der way in the county. and each one
will add something to the steady out
put of values from the mines.
The smelter trust has concluded
none too soon to do its share of the
work in widening the market for and
increasing the profits from the oceans
of medium and low-grade material in
Colorado's mines. We have only COM
menced to market these values.
Brown 4 Co. have secured lease on