Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-05-15

IL, WOul0 nave the pl68euTo VI AuO"inS
he had demonstrated that there was
nothing In It."
A crew of some half dozen men was
kept at work during the summer of 1904,
prospecting to discover what was the
extent of the body of ore which might
or might not be OF value. The work
was continued during the summer Of
1905, and the extent of the ore was fully
learned. /,
Meanwhile samples of the ore had
been several times analysed, and experts,
including one of the most skilled metal
lurgists of the country, had visited and
inspected the hill. The results OF the
analyses were 80 variable and sometimes
apparently contradictory that it was evil
dent the testing must be done on larger
scale to give satisfaction. To ship guam
titles of ore to distant works for reduc-
ton and analysis was costly and incon-
venient method, and one which necessa-
rily involved much delay in getting re-.
suits. So last winter Mr.. Brown decided
to establish small plant of his own to
conduct the tests.
Accordingly the machinery for what
is called five stamp mill, which is the
smallest unit known in mining work,
was purchased and shipped to Paris, and
portion of it was got on the ground
before the shedding was gone, a portion
of it being still at South Paris. The
lumber for the mill was also drawn, and
work on the excavating was begun as
soon as the condition of the ground
would permit, and is now In progress.
As a stamp mill is something rare in
this part of the country, it will be of
interest to review briefly the process
which goes on within it. The mill is
built in the side of hill, and the process
begins on the upper floor. The ore
everything which comes to the mill is
ore, whether it Is rich or worthless
goes into a stone crusher, where 1t Is
broken into about the size of egg coal.
Thence it is fed downward into the
stamp, where by series of hammers it
is pulverized 80 that it will pass through
fine screen.
The next step is to the COMMENTATORS,
machines which by agitation and the
action of gravity sort the ore, so to
speak, according to weight. The lighter
and worthless portions of the ore are
thrown off as waste, and the heavier
metallic ore is saved. This latter por-
ton is known in mining as the concen-
trates, and contains whatever OF value
there was in the ore which came into the
mill. From forty tons Of ore fed into
the crushers there may be one ton of
concentrates, ready for the processes
which are to separate it into its constit-
uent parts, while the other thirty-nine
tons has gone on the dump.
1t will thus be seen that, as stated in
the beginning of this article, the mill
which is to be built is merely an expert
ment, designed to produce material
which can be tested on such scale
as to give satisfaction, with the likeli-
hood that if the tests warrant it, the
mining operations will be continued
on the same small scale. The Dem
ocrat is able to state that there is a fair
assurance that the operations will pro-
duce quantity of fake graphite, which
has market value, but not enough to
Justify the operations for that alone.
Further than that there is no certainty
as to what there is in the rock.
This years operations are in general
charge of Henry r. Batcheller, mining
engineer, a graduate of Massachusetts,
Institute of Technology, who has had a
number of years. experience in actual
mining work in different parts of the
country. He has an Office in the brick
building formerly occupied by the county
Offices on Paris Hill, and laboratory is
being fitted up there for his use. Mr..
Browns son, Lewis B. Brown, who has
been engaged in mining in Siberia for
some years, but Is at home for the pres
emit on account of the uncertain condi-
ton of Russian affairs, will have charge
of the work in the field.
The mill will be built at the foot of the
western slope of the hill, directly oppo-
site the end of the Thayer road, so
called. Charles q. Adams, the Norway
builder, will have charge Of the carpen:
ter work. The heavy machinery will
have a ledge foundation. Power for the
crusher and the stamps will be furnished
by Fairbanks Morse explosion engine
of 50 horse power, using kerosene. For
the concentrators and pumping plant
power will be furnished by smaller
engine of the same type.
It will be we'll toward the end of the
summer before the mill is ready for
actual business, and then if everything is
favorable there will be an opportunity
for some testing work before the winter
closes in.