The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-01-06
new MILL A GREAT
GOLD SAVER

1t is declared that wonders are be-
ing performed by the new concentrat
ing process that has been installed at
mill at Golconda. Nevada. 1t known
as the Maequestin process. and is the
invention of well known Ely man.
1t is declared to be an absolute re-
verssl Of the usual wet methods of
separating the metals from the gan
que in the ore. While the process has
been receiving a thorough testing on
a number of kinds of ores for some
timep asst, there has been nothing
made public concerning it, locally at
least. Yesterday morning p. C.
Thompson, who has been on. a trip to
Gold Circle, Nevada, spent Sunday at
the works Of the Glasgow & Western
company at Goleonda. To the Salt
Lake Herald he had the following to
say on his return:
"When / was at the plant, said Mr..
Thompson, 90 a test run was being
made on copper ore from Yerington,
and l was told that it was proving
most successful 1t is claimed for the
process, first, that it costs less than
others to install; second, that it costs
little for power and men to operate,
and third, that it affects saving in
certain classes of ore that no other
process can approach. With this pro-
cess the lighter the ores and the heav-
er the gangue the better, but il does re-
markably fine work on sulphides as
well. l am not mill man or met
allurgist, and / am therefore unable
to properly explain the process to you
"However, the ore is crushed and
made into pulp by the usual method,
as | understand it, The finely crushed
wet ore is then drained till it resembles
n damp cement. 1t is then run into a
kneading box and thoroughly mixed
with a certain percentage of oil and
sulphuric acid. After this mixture the
pulp goes onto another box arrange
ment in the bottom of which is a ser
les of holes. BY the addition Of a
little water and the action Of re-
volving blade. Just so much of the pulp
is allowed to escape through these
where il is conveyed down to what
you might term the concentrators.
These consist, not of tables, but tubes,
in which worm screws are made to re-
volve very slowly Into these tubes,
with the pulp, water is admitted and
the material is slowly worked through.
II seems the acid attacks the copper
or other metals in the ore (the process
is not designated for gold ores) while
oil acts as a carrier. When it emerges
from the lower end of the tube it is
found that portion of the metallic
contents of the rock is floating as a
scum on the top, while the unaffected
gangue, or quartz, is falling away with
the undercurrent Whatever metal can
be saved here, and the rest of the ma
teral goes down TO the second set of
tubes, and the process is repeated.
In all, the material goes through five
sets Of tubes and the material that is
sues from the bottom set is practically
free from metal You dip your hand
down into the stream and all that you
collect il handful of sand that Is
as clean as any ocean beach you ever
saw"
Mr.. Thompson says that experts
from all over the world have been,
and some of them are now at Golconda
to watch the operation Of the new pro
cess A professor from Heidelberg Is
there. and representatives of the Gug-
genheims and others are watching the
performance OF the mill, which has a
capacity Of l20 tons a day, very close
ly. II is claimed that all the values
in all carbonate copper ores, such as
abound near the surface both at Yer
ington and Ely, yield splendidly to the
new process. II Ia claimed that IL will