The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-12-13
On Their Oun Properties
At Small Cost for the Re
buction Of Their Ores--A
Discovery Which ,Much
Is Claimed for BY SmeIter
Men Who Haze The Ibea

II the commercial application OF
chemical treatment of ores for which
the Western Metals Co. was incorpo-
rated in Denver during the latter part
OF last week. al a capitalization of
81 900, 900, is as successful as the
recent experiments made I'm Seattle
by A. ". Cation have indicated. 1t is
almost a certainty that the methods
of retaining ores will be revolu-
tonized. The Western Metals Co.
will apply the methods used by John
l.. Malm, recently OF Montana, in its
work, which are similar to the meth
DDS used by A. ". Cation In the ex-
traction of copper ind other ores.
says the Denver Republican.
ID. A. Smiley of Seattle. who is In
Denver on business. believes the
present methods of smelling will be
replaced in the future by the ehemi-
cal process. Mr. Smiley. while not
himself mining expert. recently wit
messed a public demonstration of
chemical extraction OF ores given by
Mr.. Cation in Seattle. or this dem
onstration Mr. Smiley says
IF Mr.. Cations experiments prove
as successful commercially as they
did in his demonstration. they will
reyolutionize the mining industry of
the world. This is also the opinion
of several mining men who saw his
work. The demonstration took place
at small smelter erected for the pur-
pose by the Gold Greek Mining d
Smelling Co. of Washington. Mr..
Cation has spent ten years studying
and improving his process
PURE METAL IN 80 MINUTES.
Copper ore was dumped into the
top of the furnace and half hour
later was taken ont in what the in
ventor asserts is much purer form
than that in which IL comes from any
other smelter in the country The
smelling is done with what Is called
hydro-oxygen-carhon process. The
heat. instead of being generated with
coke and charcoal, which are expen-
siye as fuel. is made by the union of
crude oil with steam and air. pro-
ducing a temperature Of $500 de-
grees Fahrenheit. or twice that in
an ordinary smelier The heat comes
in from the top and passes over the
heap of ore in one end of the fur
mace and then over another pile in
the other end II is in the utiliza-
ton of the heat wasted i'm roasting
the ore ~ the first entrance. where
much of the economy of the process
j. said To be.
- Acvording to Cation. so per cent
of the valuable mineral in the eouB-
try cannot he touched because of The
expense OF handling 1t BY the present
process OF smelling one drawback
of the present method of smelling is
that only the highest grade ore can
he handled probably Besides. the
cost of erecting a smelter Is any
where from $1,000 10 $4,000 400.
PLANTS MAJ BE PLACED At
MINES.
As compared 10 this one of the
new semlters With a capacity of 80
tons can he built AT an expense of
less chan $4,000. All OF the ma
terial required for its construction
can be hauled 10 the most inaceessi-
hle mine at "A small cost. II can he
erected ON the spot. Then the re-
fined ere may he shipped at compare
lively little expense. II necessary it
can be taken out on pack horses. AT
the present time II is impraetieahle.
except in a few instances. To erect a
smelter on the ground. owing to the
great expense. and the transportation
of ore Is costly Often IL Is imprac-
tieable TO build a railroad to mine.
There are many mines IN Colorado
where the best engineers have failed
Ia find suitable route for transport
alton and metal can hardly be ex-
fracted from the output OF these
mines with any protit.
W. ID Hoover. 4 G. Brownie and
". II. Ghittendon of Denver are the
incorporators of the Western Metals
Co. and this company will employ eN-
elusively the chemical process invent
I'D by Main of Montana, which is un-
derstood to be similar in many re-
spects To that lately tested by Mr..
Cation. II successful. Colorado mines
will be more than trebled In value
10y the cheaper smelling process.